Although it had to chug along the finish line near the end to reach it, Nintendo has come to the latest milestone with the Wii and can now claim 30 million units sold in the US.
It has become the fastest-selling video game console in history, reaching the latest sales number more quickly than the PS2, which took more than a year longer to reach 30 million sales.
It cements the console as the best-selling in the war between Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360, however the news isn’t all good for Nintendo. The system’s sales have tapered off significantly and it has crossed the 30 million unit threshold with a sputter more than a sprint.
Year-over-year sales of the Wii console have dropped dramatically over the last several months. Although part of that can be contributed to the fact that it’s sold so many already (it’s running out of people to be sold to), it has also begun to lose its appeal as the PS3 and Xbox 360 continue a come-from-behind takeover for market dominance.
The Wii is in further trouble as the PS3 and Xbox 360 both plan to launch their own motion-sensing controllers later this year, which will directly compete with the Wii’s main selling point.
It is also likely that Nintendo is eating up more research and development costs than its competitors right now, as it’s widely expected among the industry that a Wii successor will come to market substantially sooner than a new Xbox 360 or PS3. It’s possible that Sony or Microsoft aren’t even working on a new console at the moment.
Regardless, Nintendo remains on top and also remains launched into the sky from the DS Lite and DSi, which have a monopolistic dominance in the handheld gaming market.
