Wii could surpass US Xbox 360 install base this month

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 16th 2008 at 4:00PM }

It's a good thing that Microsoft got its gloating in about selling 10 million units in the US, because the Wii will not only hit that number, but probably surpass it this month. Deutsche Bank analyst Jeetil Patel did the math and found that the Wii currently sits at about 9.5 million units in the US. If Nintendo's console sells another 700k units (like it has been) this month and the Xbox 360 sticks to its 200k level, the Wii will blow right past its competition's US install base.

It'll also be interesting to see the impact Wii Fit has on the numbers when it launches next week. Microsoft can take solace in knowing that it can always fall back on saying the Xbox 360 still has the "largest global install base of any current gen, high definition gaming console" ... right?

Tags: deutche-bank, install-base, nintendo, npd, patel, sales, us, wii, xbox-360

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Scump @ May 16th 2008 4:04PM

And thats before the Wii gets released in its supercharged black coating.

Jacksons @ May 16th 2008 4:06PM

Great. Will that mean more games, I hope?

Vidikron (FU) @ May 16th 2008 4:40PM

You mean better games?

Dirty @ May 16th 2008 4:47PM

Mo betta games! Serial. Im sick of this shovelware, I never play my wii anymore, although boom blox looks fun.

Foetoid @ May 16th 2008 7:33PM

So Dirty, i guess

Guitar Hero 3
Mario Kart Wii
Mario Galaxy
Metroid Prime 3
Zelda
RE4
Battalion Wars 2
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Super Paper Mario
The Godfather
No More Heroes
Smash Bros Brawl

aren't good enough? Thats just off the top off my head, given a few minutes i could muster up another half-dozen. Plenty of good games on the Wii, i dont see what the issue is.

Chimaera @ May 16th 2008 8:32PM

Guitar Hero 3 - No
Mario Kart Wii - Recycled franchise
Mario Galaxy - Yes
Metroid Prime 3
Zelda - Recycled franchise
RE4 - Port
Battalion Wars 2 - No
Sonic and the Secret Rings - No
Super Paper Mario - No, Recycled franchise
The Godfather - Port
No More Heroes - Yes
Smash Bros Brawl - Recycled franchise

Alot of what you listed is Nintendo's games or ports from other consoles. There's not enough good third party developers for the Wii.

Case and point: http://tinyurl.com/5jw9jk

Purple Haze @ May 16th 2008 9:03PM

I'm gonna say that the Wii hasn't been doing too badly recently, with Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Boom Blox and soon Wii fit. Unfortunately I still can't play Smash Bros for another month because I'm in New Zealand.

Grog @ May 16th 2008 10:35PM

Mario Kart Wii - Recycled franchise
Zelda - Recycled franchise
Super Paper Mario - No, Recycled franchise
Smash Bros Brawl - Recycled franchise

So I guess you're taking GTA IV, FF II-XIII, Halo 3, MGS4, Gran Turismo 5, etc. are just recycled franchises, huh? The fact that all of those games have reviewed well (Wii and otherwise) is irrelevant to your claims of recycled franchises?

chez @ May 17th 2008 4:03AM

Hahahaah

Grog just pwned your face off

Burnt Meatloaf @ May 17th 2008 6:38AM

A recycled franchise is not a bad thing. What's bad is when they literally recycle game code, models, graphics, audio, and other materials from previous games.

Double Dash with a few more tracks, motorcycles, and no snaking? I'd expect more effort for $50, thank you.

Curtis the Claw:PSN-ctclaw @ May 16th 2008 4:07PM

*insert generic comment about fanboys and popcorn*

JakubK666 (Ninja Defence Force) @ May 16th 2008 7:51PM

Touché!

vidGuy @ May 16th 2008 4:07PM

I like how MS reissued the statement as "any current gen, high definition gaming console" as if there were so many to compete with. Wow, you have a bigger install base than the one console which released a year later than yours at almost twice the price, congrats.

Anyhow, the Wii's success should have been expected. What is surprising is how long this wave has lasted. If they can keep selling like this through the holiday, who cares if the Wii looks outdated?

Count Noobula @ May 16th 2008 4:15PM

I agree with you 100% about the Wii, people who own it don't care about the other systems in terms of graphics. It is the games. Granted there is a ton of shovel-ware, but I enjoy mine quite a bit. And its the best multi-player console when you have friends over.

As for the xbox 360..... I own one, as well as a PS3, and I have a feeling that the PS3 will overtake the 360 by Christmas. My theory has always been that new 360 games may slow down people buying other systems, but for those that WANT a system will get it no matter what.

mian @ May 16th 2008 4:24PM

I was thinking the exact thing about their phrasing of "than any" hd console. Shouldn't it be "than the other" hd console? Or does all that accuracy cloud the spin?

Microsoft has plenty to brag about. As a Wii owner, I drool over the 360 library. 3rd party developers have to be happier with the 360 ecosphere than Wii or PS3. But c'mon.

Curtis the Claw:PSN-ctclaw @ May 16th 2008 4:27PM

I think that people who base their enjoyment from a system on how good the graphics are, are pathetic. Believe it or not, yesterday I played Chrono Cross on my PS1 and enjoyed it! I also started playing Metal Gear Solid 1/2 again and have been enjoying them even though their graphics suck compared to a 360/PS3...for some reason I was able to enjoy a game despite knowing that there are games with better graphics.

AoE @ May 16th 2008 4:30PM

wow you guys are thick. MS didn't say that, that was the blogger making jokes about what they're going to have to say. ;)

Nein @ May 16th 2008 4:31PM

The majority of people that own Wii not only don't care about graphics, but they don't care about games either. Look at what sells well on Wii. There's no tie to actual game quality.

I think that's the problem most gamers have with the Wii.

vidGuy @ May 16th 2008 4:44PM

@AoE,

Wow, are you new to this site or did you miss this bit Wednesday?

Direct quote from MS: "we apologize for any confusion. Xbox 360 has the largest global install base of any current gen, high definition gaming console"

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/microsoft-10m-xbox-360s-sold-in-us-the-first-this-generation/

I may be thick but at least I'm informed.

Roto13 @ May 16th 2008 4:44PM

AoE: I read about it on Kotaku. They did say current gen HD game console. :P

AoE @ May 16th 2008 4:51PM

ah, sorry guys, my bad, missed the update >_

Ninjakamster (PSN: Chin-Poh) @ May 16th 2008 4:09PM

I'm surprised that teeny tiny case of the Wii's can belch out so much money, that can't be healthy.

BPM [MKWii: 2578 3585 8392] @ May 16th 2008 5:27PM

I think the Wii is pregnant with money...

Buckshot @ May 16th 2008 4:11PM

480p is not hi-def, they should have put better video in it.

Haggard @ May 16th 2008 8:12PM

I think what a lot of people sneer at is that 480p still looks pretty good on a TV - I was playing my sister's Wii on her (ironically HD with nothing that outputs HD in her house) telly, and it's a fairly big screen, yet Super Mario Galaxy didn't look bad at all.

Being a PC gamer I've been used to HD gaming for nigh on a decade - but I think people look back on the poor resolution of PS2 games (I'm looking at you, San Andreas) and assume that the Wii is like that because it's standard definition too.

Burnt Meatloaf @ May 17th 2008 6:46AM

That's because standard TVs aren't that sharp. Plug the Wii into a native 720p LCD and it looks like CRAP.

The least Nintendo could have done is make anti-aliasing standard, but everyone knows that's not realistic since individual pennies are precious when you're selling millions of consoles... at tens of thousands of pennies each.

I could care less about HD. What I care about is at least *good* SD. Bad SD is made ten times worse on almost any HDTV. The moire effects alone are painful to watch.

Tone @ May 16th 2008 4:14PM

WiiFit will ensure the Wii's sales dominance for easily the rest of the year.

Kadamon @ May 16th 2008 4:16PM

Psh. High Def gaming? What's that?

Most of the gaming population doesn't even have a HD TV, so what the hell is the point?

I play my games on a 33" SD TV with some component cables. Good enough for me and most everyone else out there. The systems are more expensive then said TV, I only paid 300 for it.

MS needs to get off it's wannabe high-horse and realize they're not the best of the friggin' best.

That and Nintendo hasn't released it's traditional multiple color BS, when they do, you know the Collector's are gonna jump all over that and an increase of sales will happen again.

Oh well. I play my PS3 more. I'm playing FFX-2. :D

Kizzle @ May 16th 2008 4:24PM

"I play my games on a 33" SD TV with some component cables"

Wow. It sucks to be you.

Kadamon @ May 16th 2008 4:25PM

That's what everyone says Kizzle.

My mother has 3 HD tv's she bought for fun...one for her Nintendo Wii. 56" 1080p type for Mercury Meltdown and such.

I wept.

Zertoss @ May 16th 2008 4:35PM

I've got my 360 and Wii hooked up to my 42" HDTV via HDMI and component cables respectively. Wii games look absolutely great for Wii games on it, and 360 games look absolutely fantastic for 360 games on it. I occasionally play PSP and PS2 games on it too, though not very often. That'll probably pick up when I get a PS3 and go back to God of War 2 (can't believe I never finished it) and some other unfinished PS2 games. It'll be nice to play them upscaled.

HD TV shows and movies are also very nice. I'm glad I could afford a $1200 HDTV. But that's just me. I used to be perfectly happy with an SD set too.

AoE @ May 16th 2008 4:49PM

"Most of the gaming population doesn't even have a HD TV, so what the hell is the point?"

Um, those of us that have HDTVs? Believe it or not there are a lot of us gamers in our late 20's and 30's with disposable income enough to get the occasional tech toy. Also, HDTVs are still relatively new to the market and the prices are continually dropping, and the install base is continually growing. Keep in mind that modern game console life cycles are about 5-6 years, so we've got a few more years to go, and I'm willing to bet HDTV install numbers will go up, not down. So probably releasing something that keeps pace with people's other entertainment electronics was... you know... the point.

I'm glad you're happy with an SDTV, in that You kind of remind me of a friend who clung to vhs years longer than most everyone else claiming she preferred the picture vhs produced to dvd.

Also, MS isn't on a high-horse here, they're in a fierce competition with a couple of serious competitors. You'll notice that just about every single company in existence, regardless of industry, issue press releases tooting their own horn; it's not a new practice and frankly I'm a little surprised you haven't noticed this kind of thing before... or if you have, completely mystified why you'd get up in arms about it, please explain?

Kadamon @ May 16th 2008 4:58PM

Clarification:

"Most of the gaming population doesn't even have a HD TV, so what the hell is the point?"

I should've probably expanded on that. I'm more towards the comment that whomever it was at MS said that.. Sure I know a lot of people have HD TV's. People younger and older than I having more money and such, which is cool for them. Hell I'd really love a TV like that too.

I'm in complete agreement with you, it's just that it bugs me that they ignore more then half of their install base with a lot of things. It feels like we're being completely ignored and that gives rise to flame to begin with.

I probably wouldn't be ignored if they weren't being total self-serving idiots half the time.

As for the high-horse comment, that stems from them saying the HD comment, if that hadn't been brought up, I probably couldn't've cared less.

Zsavior @ May 16th 2008 4:17PM

* Grabs marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate, and waits for hot crackling roaring fire* This is going to get toasty.

Count Noobula @ May 16th 2008 4:18PM

I'm a very fit person, but even I am getting Wii Fit just so I can track my BMI and have fun doing it rather than trying to use calipers all the time.

Haggard @ May 16th 2008 10:58PM

Whereas I am a lazy and minorly chubby gamer, who will find years of entertainment in the Wii Fit - watching the whole planet go crazy for them and force themselves on a 'fun' workout. While I gaze on in amusement.. with my cookie dough.

rip @ May 16th 2008 4:19PM

Microsoft can take solace in knowing that it can always fall back on saying the Xbox 360 still has the "largest global install base of any current gen, high definition gaming console" that comes in white with green accents and a name that starts with the letter x. So there. :P

Further proof that Microsoft is run by people with an emotionally stunted, adolescent mindset.

Further proof? Steve Ballmer.

SWAT Kats are back! @ May 16th 2008 4:22PM

Every company is like that, though

PR departments are meant to portray an air of victory

Zertoss @ May 16th 2008 5:02PM

Steve Ballmer portrays an air of batshit insanity.

Nein @ May 16th 2008 4:20PM

MS can just say they have the best selling non-crappy system this gen.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ May 16th 2008 4:28PM

Oh man. You're so witty. I bet that took you awhile to think of that.

Microswirl @ May 16th 2008 5:50PM

"best selling non-crappy system this gen"

Sorry, that category doesn't exist. All three consoles are crappy in some way. Wii has crappy graphics, PS3 has a crappy price tag, and 360 has crappy reliability.

Kizzle @ May 16th 2008 4:22PM

"Microsoft can take solace in knowing that it can always fall back on saying the Xbox 360 still has the "largest global install base of any current gen, high definition gaming console" ... right?"

Yeah. Or the largest global install base of any current gen, fun gaming console.

Roto13 @ May 16th 2008 4:47PM

Oh man. You're so witty. I bet that took you awhile to think of that.

JJ @ May 16th 2008 4:22PM

Congrats to the Wii, everyone i know who is a gamer has one....

But then they have PS3's and 360's they play too So i guess its a wash from my perspective.

I have one, and to be honest i dont play it Much, but its the defacto party system (when we're not playing Buzz or Scene it)