Nintendo enjoys its biggest sales week ever in U.S., breaks record
by Scott Jon Siegel 
{ Nov 28th 2007 at 9:30AM }
Nintendo has announced that it sold 653,000 DS Lites over the week of November 18-24, setting a new record for the portable, for Nintendo, and for the entire industry. The number of units moved is record-breaking, exceeding the industry's previous record, also held by Nintendo with the Game Boy Advance's sales during Thanksgiving 2005.
The Wii also performed quite admirably, selling 350,000 units, a number topped only by the console's launch week. No word on how these sales figures compare to Sony or Microsoft's, but it's not like it's a competition or anything, right?
Update: Specified sales figures as pertaining to the U.S., and clarified the record as industry-wide.
Read -- Nintendo Sales Go Through the Roof During Thanksgiving Week [GameDaily]
Read -- Nintendo Has Its Biggest Week Of Sales... Ever [Game|Life]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Momo @ Nov 28th 2007 9:35AM
I got 3 Wiis at launch... Im freakin awsome.
Andy S. @ Nov 28th 2007 11:43AM
Only if you're giving them as gifts (or keeping one and giving two). If you're playing all three of them yourself, you're freakin' talented. If you're flipping any of them on eBay, you're a freakin' asshole.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Nov 28th 2007 12:20PM
Not an asshole, just a capitalist. Do we have to go through this garbage again? The wii, at 249.99, is priced at below market value. Most e-bay auctions start at or below retail pricing.
Its the MARKET that determines the price at an auction, not the seller. It makes perfect economic sense to acquire an item ahead of time that you know will increase in value and sell it at a later date. Thats basic economics.
People forget that the supply/demand relationship is actually the supply/demand/price relationship. If demand is high, and supply is low, price will go up until demand is reduced enough to equal supply. In the console war, however, price is fixed by Nintendo. So we have low supply, and rampant demand. This allows those of us with extra supply to capitalize.
Yea capitalism!
spartan 6453 @ Nov 28th 2007 12:48PM
Capitalism? If they weren't gifts, he could have left them there for others wanting those. To get more than you need to turn around and profit from others loss = asshole.
Larz @ Nov 28th 2007 2:28PM
Surely there's some middle-ground where you can be a capitalist and still a decent, considerate human being.
Anyways, there's a reason Nintendo sells tons and tons of systems. They're mostly geared towards kids, and kids are the biggest population. It's like the furby craze. Sure, adults buy Wii/DS too (I bought one), but you can't deny they are mostly geared towards kids. Aside from myself, I don't know anyone else who owns a Wii or DS. Some of my friends are thinking of getting them purely for their kids though.
jorojoserojas @ Nov 28th 2007 9:38AM
Another year as the "Must have" item.
Well done, Nintendo.
Oh, and I totally need to find one so that I can ebay that sucker.
James @ Nov 28th 2007 9:38AM
These game machines are freakin awesome.
NiGHTS @ Nov 28th 2007 9:41AM
Looks like Iwata got caught by a headcrab. . .
Sam @ Nov 28th 2007 9:42AM
He should attack its weakpoint for massive damage.
FidliousWong @ Nov 28th 2007 9:50AM
Ironically enough, the only time I laughed at the "massive damage" meme was in Heavenly Sword. But there's just the added punch to that joke that only a crossbow aimed at gonads can achieve.
James @ Nov 28th 2007 9:43AM
It's not really a difficult concept to grasp either. Where the other systems are throwing in all these needless extras, the 2 systems dedicated to games seem to be flying off the shelves.
A lot of my friends wont buy some consoles as they feel they're paying more for extras they don't want.
That said the GC was a dedicated console too. And the N64 before it! Maybe we've all got DVD players and the likes now.
bet0n @ Nov 28th 2007 9:54AM
I own PS2, Wii, DS and PSP. What I must say, that I really like all of them AND I must say I would REALLY appreciate if my Wii could read DVD's and show JPGs burned on my DVDs and CDs so that I don't have to copy them to SD when need to show to family. I use Opera/Wii a lot. This said, I don't mind all the 'extras' with consoles. I prefer PSP's OS to DS because I can watch movies from there, even browse my e-mail occassionally.
All this said, i absolutely like my DS and Wii (as much as PS2 + PSP). And I'm absolutely positive with PS3's additional caps (including Blu Ray) and X360's. If Wii had all that PS3 has and X360 - tell you what, it would really be good. It's good as gaming device, but it could be even better.
So - I don't think *dedicated gaming machine* is being anything positive. We need more. In the same manner, as we have cell phones that take photos, manage our time and allow for web browsing. Do you imagine any cell phone getting success nowadays if it had ONLY voice phonecalls capabilities (+ phonebook perhaps)? Would you REALLY love one more than you do your current device (even it it's not iPhone)? I doubt it...
baby sea tuna @ Nov 28th 2007 10:32AM
Still waiting for some more decent games to play on my "game dedicated" Wii. If I had a PS3, at least I could be watching Blu-Rays now.
arrrgh @ Nov 28th 2007 11:24AM
Well then your wii is going to waste on your HDTV!! Go now!! for the good of the city!!! harvest your organs so you can afford another console!!!
seriously why do people bash a console they own?
If you don't like it, sell it. There are hundreds of thousands of people just waiting to throw cash at you for it
baby sea tuna @ Nov 28th 2007 11:33AM
That's where you're wrong. The only people who REALLY have the right to bash any of the consoles are the people that already shelled out the cash for them, and are dissatisfied with their purchases.
Sure, I could sell it...but then how would I play Mario Kart? No, until then, it'll just sit there and flash blue like it has been for the past 3 months.
Noshino @ Nov 28th 2007 11:40AM
arrrgh,
the question is why people bash a console they DON'T own...if you own something, you have all the rights to complain about it, but if you don't, WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT IT?
Sidepocket @ Nov 29th 2007 1:59AM
@ baby sea tuna
So, if you only bought the Wii for Mario Kart...then why are you complaining about having nothing to play if you were only going to play that game?
Its stupid motherfuckers like you that I hate the most. "All the 360 games are crap, I am just here to play Halo." GTFO and STFU!
eialba @ Nov 28th 2007 9:48AM
more toxic consoles out in the world. yay.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Nov 28th 2007 9:48AM
Is this worldwide, or just US sales?
megaStryke @ Nov 28th 2007 9:58AM
Just US sales.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Nov 28th 2007 10:01AM
F'ing A!
Vegnagun (Brushed With Fame) @ Nov 28th 2007 9:48AM
Nintendo is riding the... gravy train... get it?
REUYL @ Nov 28th 2007 10:55AM
Come in here Iwata-San, have a cigar, you're gonna go FAR...
LilCo187 @ Nov 28th 2007 9:54AM
I never thought any one system Nintendo put out could ever match the sales figures of something with the Gameboy name attached to it. Now they have two.
Gangsta Smurf @ Nov 28th 2007 10:08AM
I want a Wii so bad but I'm afraid to buy one for lack of great games.
Gangsta Smurf @ Nov 28th 2007 10:09AM
When I say lack, I mean more than a handful. I had a GC and only played Nintendo's titles (MP, SSBM, SMS, etc)
LilCo187 @ Nov 28th 2007 10:12AM
Man you missed out on some great titles for the Cube...
jorojoserojas @ Nov 28th 2007 10:13AM
There are some very good games out for the Wii already, but most are Nintendo first party. 2008 Looks like a better year in the third party aspect, and of course you have heavy hitters like Smash Bros. and Mario Kart releasing next year.
Also, the VC is awesome if you're into legal downloads of retro games. I've already dumped more than $300 on VC downloads alone this year.
It's a good time to be a gamer. Get involved in all the consoles, and you won't be disappointed.
Kevin @ Nov 28th 2007 10:21AM
Here is what I've got:
- Elebits
- Excite Truck
- Geometry Wars Galaxies
- Guitar Hero 3
- Mario Party 8
- Metroid Prime Corruption
- Super Mario Galaxy
- Super Paper Mario
- Wii Play
- Wii Sports (Duh)
I would recommend almost all of them. (Not Elebits or Mario Party and Wii Play for the remote only). Plus the other games that are out or are coming out:
- Mario Kart
- Monster Hunters 3 (MH2 looks pretty good...)
- No More Heroes (hopefully not Red Steelish)
- Okami
- Samba De Amigo (awesome on the DC)
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Zack and Wiki (apparently amazing?)
Plus all the VC stuff, plus the random rumoured games, plus all the stuff that's to come. The Wii has a lot of crap on it, but there are already a lot of gems in there. Like I've said before, the Wii reminds me a lot of the PS2, tons of games but 90% are crap. (Only more so with the Wii)
SoulBlade @ Nov 28th 2007 10:24AM
it's definitely the machine to get if you do a lot of gaming with friends in person. online, im sure you know lacks. single player experiences are there like the nintendo titles and zack and wiki, but yea - wait it out I guess. I think Brawl and Mario Kart will bring in more people and actually start making the Wii use up some bandwidth.
Gangsta Smurf @ Nov 28th 2007 10:36AM
I think my wife would love the Wii though. I think I'd get it to play games with her.
clo1_2000 @ Nov 28th 2007 11:34AM
If you don't have a Wii then you haven't played:
Legend of Zelda
Excite Truck
Mario Strikers Charged
Metroid Prime 3
Super Mario Galaxy
Zack and Wiki
Raving Rabbids
Super Paper Mario
Elebits
Batallion Wars 2
All those games are rated 8 or above in most places. How in the hell is that a lack of games? I can understand people that already own the system feeling that way, but if you don't own it you have a shitload of games to play, most of which you can get at nice prices.
Noshino @ Nov 28th 2007 11:54AM
Kevin, don't pull numbers out of nowhere...
PS2:
1509 games
314 rated 80+ (20.808%)
988 rated 74- (65.474%)
123 rated 49- (8.151%)
Wii:
129 games
14 rated 80+ (10.853%)
104 rated 74- (80.620%)
18 rated 49- (13.953%)
while we are at it..
PS3:
106 games
37 rated 80+ (34.906%)
53 rated 74- (50%)
5 rated 49- (4.717%)
360:
307 games
82 rated 80+ (26.710%)
174 rated 74- (56.678%)
21 rated 49- (6.840%)
NGC
502 games
127 rated 80+ (25.299%)
310 rated 74- (61.753%)
40 rated 49- (7.968%)
XBOX:
856 games
220 rated 80+ (25.701%)
517 rated 74- (60.397%)
82 rated 49- (9.579%)
Larz @ Nov 28th 2007 2:45PM
Elebits was retarded, but it might be loads of fun for an 8 yr old.
Excite Truck was really enjoyable to me. A lot of people hated it but I really really liked it.
Geometry Wars Galaxies is a must-have. Simply awesome. It's only surpassed by one other dual-sticker, Everyday Shooter.
Guitar Hero games are always fun, especially with a buddy. Rock Band is simply amazing and a step above the GH games though (is that coming to Wii?).
Mario Party 8 I actually thought was kinda fun. Like a board game on your TV. Not worth full price though, wait till it's cheaper.
Metroid Prime Corruption, yeah, just simply amazing. I never thought I'd see a good console FPS until this came along.
Super Mario Galaxy was meh.
Wii Play is well worth it. The games are simple, yeah, but can be a lot of fun with friends. I probably played that tank game with my buddy for about 20 hours.
Wii Sports is good clean fun. The enjoyment does wear off after a while though.
Jake @ Nov 28th 2007 10:12AM
The Wii is doing this with a relatively weak game library, which is quite amazing. And to be honest, if Nintendo had decided to exit the console market, I don't think the 360 or PS3 would be doing much, if any, better. Nintendo is selling the Wii to people that would not have bought a $400+ console, period.
JerJerBinks @ Nov 28th 2007 1:56PM
People arent buying Wiis for the game library, they are buying them for Wii Sports and Wii Play. What is the attach rate on the Wii? 2-3 Titles maybe?
They sell a cheap console that everyone in the family can play. I think single player games are not as attractive to these Wii owners, nobody wants to sit around and watch other people play. The overwhelming majority of people buy the Wii for the family and friend multiplayer games, not the lackluster 3rd party library, or the strong first party single player games.
chris @ Nov 28th 2007 10:13AM
This is slightly off-topic, but it ties in with the console wars theme.
I don't understand why people continue to compare the Wii console sales to that of PS3 and Xbox360. Beyond the fact that they all play video games, the Wii is too different to really be considered in a 'race' with the Xbox or PS3... at least the way I see it.
I see the Wii as the 'Honda Civic' of the video game consoles. It is a mass market, general appeal product. People of all ages and demographics like it because it gets the basics done. The Xbox360/PS3 are like the 'BMW M3' of the console market. They appeal to a specific enthusiast market, have great performance, wow people with looks/style/speed and are more expensive.
With this in mind, I would hope that the Wii (i.e. the Civic) would sell more. Because it appeals to everyone, thats what it does. Why would we expect grandparents, uncles, aunts and non-gamers to be buying the Xbox360? I wouldn't expect a person needing a commuter car to buy an M3, nor would BMW want them to. The same logic can be applied to the Xbox/PS3/Wii.
Sure, MS and Sony want to sell as many consoles as possible, but I think this generation has shown, more than any other, that there are two distinct markets in the video game world now. The casual gamer and the hardcore gamer. If Nintendo wants to cater to the casual gamer and sell more units with less attach rate, good for them. If Xbox and PS3 want to go after the enthusiast, selling less units, but with a higher attach rate, good for them.
I just don't see a connection in comparing unit sales for consoles that are so different (again, besides the fact that they play video games.) and declaring a 'winner'.
-C
jorojoserojas @ Nov 28th 2007 10:22AM
They're compared BECAUSE they all play video games.
Thing is, it's hard for developers to ignore that massive sales of any console. When the Wii's massive success first came about, devs were caught by surprised, and rushed out games just to catch onto the hype, hence the craptacular selection of third party games out there.
I imagine that this next year (and really, from here on out) the Wii will finally get some major AAA games from third parties who have had the time and the experience with the Wii.
No, this won't stop third party devs from developing for the 360 or PS3, but a good game is a good game regardless of the console it's played on.
TwEE @ Nov 28th 2007 10:26AM
It's just like the story of the grasshopper and the octopus. All year long, the grasshopper kept burying acorns for the winter, while the octopus mooched off his girlfriend and watched TV. But then the winter came, and the grasshopper died, and the octopus ate all his acorns. And also he got a racecar. Is any of this getting through to you?
JJ Rooster @ Nov 28th 2007 10:35AM
Totally agree, and this has always been my sentiment as well. I don't hate the Wii, but I don't consider it an equal to the PS3 or 360. It did not take the same big leap in graphics, sound, broad online features and multimedia as the others did.
Zsavior @ Nov 28th 2007 10:39AM
Chris your points and post are valid, but you have to take in account the minds of the people who keep doing it. On the one hand you have certain gamers who built themselves up to believe what they play is the best no matter what. Upon the WII out selling their console of choice the fanboy side just took over and there is a certain contempt for the system.
Case in point many sony fans will attack the WII before the xbox360 because it would be admitting that the Xbox360 beat their console of choice in the demographic they are competing for. Back to your car analogy if I have my BMW that is stock not top of the line and you roll up in a Aston Martin with all the bells and whistles my feelings may be hurt. TO remedy the situation of my pride becoming hurt I ride around the block and pick on a civic, to try and get that feeling of superiority back. That can explain the individual gamers. To a point the second side I see is MS fans angry that the Masses don't chooses what they have chosen which goes into the next side.
The older games, and gaming industry, that for years spurned and ridiculed Nintendo for not directly catering completely to a hardcore gamer market aren't to happy about this abrupt change. Everybody loved the WII when they thought it was the underdog. Furthermore everybody thought the premise of making a game console for casuals was silly but good for Nintendo. Now that Nintendo has garnered the number one spot, they are the competition because gaming media, and designers are quickly losing their power and say in the industry.
If you are an MS fan you keep thinking Xbox360 would be number one if not for the WII, because you are just not happy with it being the higher end gamers favorite. You want some sort of recognition for having the best system, yet Wii owners really don't care about your system of choice. If you are actually in the industry it is a matter of money. If the new casual gaming demographic doesn't care about what the media says about games they aren't needed now are they? Also if you are a game designer, your old iterations of games become meaningless because nobody knows who you are, which means now a Miyamoto, or a Kojima has to think up new appealing IPs to tap into a new market that their company wants to be a part of.
Imagine making games your whole life, and being acclaimed for it just to be told that now the open majority of gamers aren't really impressed by it and want something different. It is even worse if you can't think of something new to create and tap into this market, because it seems like you are only able to make one kind of game. So the industry bets on this competition to try and hold on to the status quo.
Until they understand there is room for both like the car market, or music, or movies, gaming will have this silly fanboyish fascination with competition between consoles. It has always been here the Wii has just highlighted it more because it is so vastly different than the other two traditional next gen game systems.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Nov 28th 2007 10:42AM
Comparing consoles to cars is retarded because the number of Civics sold is irrelevant to the number of BMW's sold.
A better car analogy would be if Nintendo was the honda civic, x360 was a gas/hydrogen hybrid, and PS3 was a hydrogen only vehicle. Unless PS3 sales go up, there wont be a reason for gas stations to carry hydrogen pumps. If x360 sales go up, then there's a little bit of a reason to have hydrogen pumps, but if Wii's sell the most, theres no reason for hydrogen pumps at all.
Games are the fuel for consoles. In the console race, games are exlusive (wii) or multiplatform (x360/ps3). If PS3 is the most expensive and is purchased the least, there's little reason to make games (fuel) for it. However, Wii and 360 sales are up, meaning there's good reason to make sure there's plenty of fuel available for both.
Thats why you can compare the consoles, even though they approach different markets.
JJ Rooster @ Nov 28th 2007 11:16AM
Crono, as you said, they approach different markets. That's the issue some have with including the Wii in the "next-gen" console sales race.
megaStryke @ Nov 28th 2007 1:08PM
Anyone who STILL honestly thinks these machines exist in separate markets need to be smacked around a bit. Sony and Microsoft execs saying that they don't mind Nintendo's successes because they don't target the same people are simply making excuses as to why they are getting their asses kicked.
JJ Rooster @ Nov 28th 2007 2:10PM
Naturally it's two NDF guys who insist the Wii is in the same category, no surprise! Come on... you must agree that the Wii lacks many features of advanced technology and sells to a different crowd than PS3/360. Nintendo themselves have stated this. The Wii is a video game console, yes, but not "next-gen" and in the same race with PS3/360. In the same way you wouldn't include those Tiger handheld games in the portables race with DS/PSP.
TwEE @ Nov 28th 2007 2:32PM
They are all in the same category JJ Rooster, you woudnt even be trying to convince people otherwise if your console of choise was pulling in the same numbers as the wii..
Slaziman @ Nov 28th 2007 3:03PM
If you cut away all the grandpa's and grandma's, kids, and other cliche "casuals", who would never even consider getting a 360 or PS3, the Wii wouldn't be winning (yes, that is an assumption, I have no statistics to back it up, but I'm pretty certain about it). If a market that is totally irrelevant to the PS3 and 360 is boosting the Wii sales above the others, why should MS and Sony care? Just count how much Mario Galaxy sold, the "hardcore" gamer's most anticipated Wii game, it really isn't that much (relatively).
As for the tired argument that third parties are going to develop more for the "winning console", please look at the current third party game library of the Wii. It sucks humongous anus, RE4 and Zack&Wiki being the only exceptions. One year ago I would've believed the argument that they were caught by surprise and started rushing crappy games to the market, but come on guys it's a year later... it's obvious the third parties know what kind of shitty game appeals to the majority of Wii owners, and would rather put those on the Wii and save the big projects for the 360/PS3 fans.
In short, the Wii does NOT own the highest market share in the "hardcore gamer" market, and probably never will. I don't see a reason for MS or Sony to be exceptionally worried. That's not to say the Wii is not a concurrent at all, because it is, but it's not as big as some say it is.
By the way, I only own a Wii. Can't stay away from my Mario. I don't need that much games per year anyway, so a couple of AAA titles every once in a while like the Gamecube times is good enough for me.
JJ Rooster @ Nov 28th 2007 3:04PM
What is the category then? Video game consoles currently on sale? Then I guess the PS2 is winning the race.
Jerk Face @ Nov 28th 2007 10:31AM
That picture made me poop a little.
WiNG @ Nov 28th 2007 10:34AM
Well can I just say "duh?"
The Wii has been in insane demand all year, and now all the parents who wouldn't wake up at 5 am on a Sunday to camp out Target/Best Buy/Walmart have to put up with whining kiddies who still don't have their newest toy.
And since nobody in the USA takes shopping seriously until Black Friday, well, it's a procrasti-nation. Get it?
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PS: Check out Life in a Game 2-2, especially if you like Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat and... DDR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgJQ1t4Sxx8