Wii Sells a Million in the UK

Nintendo's console hits milestone faster than PlayStation 2, Xbox 360.

On average, someone in the UK buys a Wii every 25 seconds, and it's thanks to that strong demand that Nintendo's new console has now sold more than a million units since its debut last year.

Nintendo hit the news wires on Thursday to deliver the good news, courtesy of research group Chart Track, adding the choice nugget that its new console hit the million mark in just 38 weeks - months faster than both the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox 360 managed.

The Wii was released in the UK in early December and, despite being hard to find for much of first six months, it just never stopped selling.

According to David Yarnton, Nintendo's top man in the UK, the Wii's rise to the top was helped by consistent year-round sales for the console - even during the usually quiet summer months.

Nintendo will now be looking to make the most of its hardware lead, and on top of the gameplan is getting new software out to its audience.

Over the next few months Wii owners will be presented with some of the biggest games of the year, including Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

Some have wondered aloud whether Nintendo will suffer the same shortages as it did at Christmas in 2006. Recently, a report suggested that Nintendo might not be able to keep up with demand because of a shortage of crucial parts for the Wii. The company has since written off those remarks as speculation.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo