The Nintendo Wii has fallen from number one to the number three console. Coming in third usually isn't something to be upset about but the Wii is number three out of three. It has been the top-selling console almost every month since its release in 2006 but its reign as king of the consoles appears to be over.
When the system first came out in 2006 it was impossible to find. I was working at a Best Buy in 2007, and on days we had the Wii in stock, they brought in extra security because of the rabid customers. It was the must-have item months after it debuted. But times have changed.
A recent article in the LA Times revealed the Wii's sales for the first ten months of 2010 were down 24% from 2009. Sales for Microsoft's Xbox 360 are up 34% and Sony's PS3 are up 14%.
Microsoft and Sony can both thank their newly released contributions to motion controls for the sales bump. Casual gamers are why the Wii sold so well before, but with Kinect and Move, Microsoft and Sony are tapping into the same pool of gamers who previously only saw the Wii as an option.
Nintendo is now focusing on late-adopters, people who haven't joined the console party. Nintendo did enjoy high Black Friday sales, selling more than 600,000 Wii consoles.
Will it be possible for the Wii to become number one again this holiday season?
Source: LA Times
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zenmastersamuraimonk
nintendo made some stupid moves releasing the wii, sure it got alot of buzz ad sales when it first came out, but now they arent selling. nintendo should have followed the sony model, make a powerful system that yeah maybe you will lose money on it at first but at least you have room to grow and come into your own, and oh yeah support third parties and DON'T ditch the hardcore. you deserve your sales loses nintendo because you didn't prepare for the future.
koldkid18
I have a "360" and a "Wii", but I have not used my Wii in so long but now with all the new games that came out I might just be happy I own one again! That is after I am done having fun with Halo:Reach, Fable3, and ACB...
DavidRyuu
i dont see how wii is down with all the games that have been coming out..and some of the ones coming out. even w/ Epic Mickey, Donkey kong returns, ..and then G4tv says the TNSMBW (the new super mario bros wii) braking records on sales in japan,,,and the the red wii mario edition. true the Kinect came out but the game developers need time to get better at makeing games that work better. give it time and kinect will have great games. ps3 just copied nintendo then gave them creidit.
backerman
Xbox 360 #1
PS3 #2
WII #3
nuff said.
Spartan593
Now everyone owns one. Its sold so many already that a good chunk of homes have it, why bother get a 2nd one just because its black? or red?
altizar
This is what happens to a fad. Take hoolahoops, sells like flaming dragon b**ls for a while, then drops off a cliff.
JimboG
It probably won't get the spike it had in previous years, but then again, it doesn't really have to.
Wozman23
Maybe they should focus on putting out quality software year after year. This year has been packed with decent releases (SMG2, Kirby, DK, Mickey), but what does the future hold other than a waggle-heavy Zelda? We may be on pace for another dust collecting drought.
Until I see consistency, I'll just continue to mooch off a friends system when a decent game does come along.
Ben999999
"A recent article in the LA Times revealed the Wii's sales for the first ten months of 2010 were down 24% from 2009. Sales for Microsoft's Xbox 360 are up 34% and Sony's PS3 are up 14%.
Microsoft and Sony can both thank their newly released contributions to motion controls for the sales bump."
Yeah, Move has been out for less than 3 months and Kinect for less than a month, yet they are responsible for growth in their respective consoles' sales for the entire year. i am finding it harder and harder each day to take this site seriously. The quality of the writing here is atrocious.
Admiral_Ackbar
LOL at all the Wii hate on this site from both the posters and the staff.
I remember when the Wii first came out, and all we heard was that motion control was a gimmick, and had no real place with gamers. Fast forwad a couple years and all of the sudden Microsoft and Sony's big push for the holiday season and beyond is centered around motion control.
I own all three consoles and think they are all great in their own right, but the Wii is unique. The 360 and Ps3 are mostly interchangable. Most games are on both, and neither has a terribly impressive catalog of exclusive games. For some reason people are afraid to say they love the Wii because it is not cool. But if you think long and hard you have to be a fool not to recognize that the Wii has the most diverse line up of exclusives. They sold systems without re-hashing FPS after FPS.
We have probably reached the point in the Wiis life cycle where it will sometimes fall behind one of its competitors, but when you have a 30+ millioon console lead you can't lead forever, especially when you have to buy your 360 twice.
Thanks Nikole for yet another anti-Wii article. Funny how only 360's personal fangirl seems to post all the bad articles on Wii. At least this time she didn't use an Xbox fan site as a source.
CALiiGeDDon
The new Xbox 360 slim is insane. It is a very nice, quiet, reliable, and good looking system. Not saying the PS3 Slim isn't but comparing the Slim to the older style the slim dominates it hands down.
nvserg
Microsoft will take 1st place this holiday. 2nd place not sure thats the question that will be asnwered after new years =o)
NinjaCrisis
PS3 and 360 still haven't caught up to Wii...yet.
Next year is said to be a great year for PS3 and 360. But especially PS3, lots
of great return titles Killzone 3 Infamous2 are really what I'm excited about.
And DC Universe online is what i really have to get.
And with kinect on the rise we'll have to see just how formidable the Wii is :D
I'm usually not a fanboy with these kinda things, but I would like to see some 360 and PS3
recognition, cause they put a lot of time, attention and art into those games.
panzerfist
I don't root against success, but the Wii sold well for all the wrong reasons. It sold based off of a gimmick, and completely left out it's demographic that actually put it there. It made the occasional mario and zelda game, and had a couple actual hit titles, but all the success basically came from parents wanting a cheap, new system that was family friendly. Wii fit both those bills, and with all the hype, quality quickly took a back seat. That's why so many people hate the system and Nintendo, because they feel they were abandoned
Charlielima718
Only thing Wii's has over any other system is the Nintendo Characters, other than that its just another crummy system to throw away.
DrNo0
Its probably because a lot of people already have one since they are the most bought console
KulasDevorn
Most of this is because the Wii is one large paper weight. It has only a handful of decent games even worth playing. The rest are complete garbage. This is what happens when you build a system based on a gimmick. Gimmicks do not make good games. Not in my opinion. Nintendo tried this before. The Glove, Super Scope, Virtua Boy, etc. Now Miscrosoft and Sony are trying to copy this gimmick nonsense. Reading the list of games for Kinect and Move is a snorefest. Nothing worth a d@mn. Jumping around the room like an ape making a fool of myself is nothing I would do and definatly the last thing on my mind when playing a game. Id rather read the paper on the toilet.
thedrift
Ha ha you gotta love some people the way some people talk about the wii, its almost like an ex wife that took them to the cleaners, or some hot ex girlfriend. Who is now with their best mate. Dang people its a piece of plastic with chips and wires that has made Nintendo a bag full of money, now the wii great console, not nowhere near as powerful as the other to. Heck no, but hey its Nintendo and it really makes me feel sick how people love to hurl all over the great Nintendo. The titans who are (FACT) the greatest games designers and hardware innovators of our time, yes they are a lil ignorant at times and very prideful. There Japanese its an occupational hazard. Lol, but its what makes them so great. The wii is like the p-sone was less power, crate full of shovel ware. And a rucksack full of superb gems-IE, smg smg2, zelda, no more hero's, DKCR, EPIC MICKEY, KIRBY, but the n64 was better, way better. In terms of power, but got its ass kicked but the p-sone in sales terms OH and yes the kinect ha ha i get bored of many things but wow one day and i sold it, i was back to playing NFS hot pursuit on my 360 and NSMBW on my wii. Now people learn your history and get the facts straight, or even better just have all three consoles like me, well i have every console, and play all the exclusives on every format lol. Because y'all missing out man. And the wii not the most powerful of the three, but hey it kicked ass i love Nintendo but didn't expect the wii do bruise up ps3 like it has, or the 360 but hey it has. Lol, now bring on the next Nintendo, cus the 3ds is going to blow things out of proportion wait and see ninty are LOLING at everyone right now lol.
anomaluigi
Ha! LOL. The only reason why 360's are selling at more than twice the rate of PS3 is because most of those sales are from people whose first XBox crapped on their face due to red ring. Almost everyone I know who owns a 360 has had to rebuy the system at one point in their lives. Good move Microsoft. Intentional hardware flaw?
djdex
They have to bring out a new console soon to keep up. Question is will the new platform be the first download only system and what will that mean for retailers?
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