DS is Europe's best-selling console

By Ellie Gibson Published 5 January, 2010

Wii's a record breaker too, says Nintendo.

Nintendo has declared the DS is Europe's best-selling console, with more than 40 million units now owned by gamers across the continent.

It's taken the DS less than five years to reach that landmark, making it the fastest-selling piece of hardware too. But when it comes to home consoles (i.e. those you stick under the telly rather than handhelds), the Wii is the winner with 20 million machines shifted in just over three years.

The figures were estimated by a Nintendo Europe internal sales panel as of 31st December 2009. Must have been a happy new year.

Nintendo's software sales are also looking healthy - around five million copies of Wii Sports have been sold since the game launched in July, and 2.5 million New Super Mario Bros. discs were sold in just over a month. Plus, half of all European Wii owners also have either Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (17) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • wizlon #1 2 years ago

    Since Wii Sports Resort has shifted five million copies can we please have some more Motion+ games... please

  • ZeroAX #2 2 years ago

    i'm not one of those 5 mil nor those 2.5 mil even though I want to. so many games so little time/money

  • gjgjg #3 2 years ago

    wow, impressive. i think mine are under the dust piles in the courner though...

    cmon zelda wii

  • KingOfMyCastle #4 2 years ago

    The Wii would also win the prize for most amount of dust on top too!

    It's a great console. I got mine on launch, used it for just over a year playing ExciteTruck, Zelda, Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid, and then sold it all for more than I paid. Hello PS3!

    The things that made me sell it (apart from wanting a PS3) were its lack of media support, no online content, unable to act as a DS download center (as promised), no decent FPS, Wiimote quite crap for many tasks, plus it didn't play DVDs. Now many of these may have been fixed and many of these may not fit a user's criteria for a console but I do feel that it could have been twice as successful if managed properly. In the end the console was sold on the strength of Wii Sports and Nintendo just got a bit lucky.

    So what, apart from Mario Kart, did I actually miss out on?

  • electrolite #5 2 years ago

    "So what, apart from Mario Kart, did I actually miss out on? "


    Have a look at the review section, there's been plenty over the last year. I think it's an underrated console, it complements my PS3 perfectly and has seen plenty of use on MK, NSMB, Nyxquest, Dr Mario Online, World of Goo, Boom Blox, HOTD Overkill etc.

  • FogHeart #6 2 years ago

    Can someone clarify - are they saying both Wii and DS have overtaken the PS2 in both cases? I was under the impression that the PS2 held the crown up until now.

    @KingOfMyCastle - not a light gun game fan then? Loads of those. But we'll probably see a few good light gun games for the Wand soon after launch.

  • cianchristopher #7 2 years ago

    Just goes to show - lowest common denominator always comes out on top!

    Yes, the DS and Wii both have some good games - but the reason they've sold so well is because they have such a large library of shit games, sadly!

  • Malek86 #8 2 years ago

    I wonder how many of those 40 millions are actually repeated owners. I know I have bought two myself (a Phat on launch day and a Lite), and I know some people who have bought even more.

    I guess this is somewhat reflected in the sales figures: there seems to be more games selling on the Wii than the DS, despite the difference in consoles (though this should also be partly due to piracy).

    The 20 millions number for the Wii is a lot more impressive, because I doubt people would usually be buying more than one (it hasn't had any revision yet anyway), except for a couple rare exceptions.

  • CallousB #9 2 years ago

    "the reason they've sold so well is because they have such a large library of shit games, sadly"

    The reason they sold so well is because of a small number of perfectly targeted Nintendo titles and a strong marketing hook. Wii sports, Wii Fit and Mario is what sold the Wii......that and they managed to change their image with the mass market from "kiddy" to "family".
    Edited by 1 at 05/01/10 @ 16:41

  • Ced_Flanders #10 2 years ago

    I don't have a Wii so I can't judge it, but the DS definitely deserves its succes, I've had so much fun playing nintendo handheld games this decade, both on the DS and the equally amazing GBA. Advance wars, Zelda, the mario&luigi series, Metroid, Animal Crossing, Mario kart DS, TONS of 2D Castlevania games, Phoenix Wright, new super mario bros, the list goes on.
    My all time favourite DS (actually gba) game though: chu chu rocket!

  • Cid #11 2 years ago

    I'm not totally sold on the Wii or motion controls in general, but the DS definitely deserves its success. Quality games are released for it on a regular basis, and although there may be a shed load of tat to go along with them, that's to be expected from such a popular machine.

  • electrolite #12 2 years ago

    "Quality games are released for it on a regular basis, and although there may be a shed load of tat to go along with them, that's to be expected from such a popular machine. "

    Always the way with the truly popular machines - NES, GB, MD (in the West), PS1, PS2

  • redneon Verified Programmer, SUMO Digital #13 2 years ago

    And X Factor is the UK's most loved TV programme.

  • Goodfella #14 2 years ago

    I've got a Wii, it has sat sheepishly in my living room since launch day and has experienced a few good times but for the most part I feel I completely wasted £180 on it, Im' not bitter as Nintendo want to make money and that's fair enough. It doesn't stop it being a fucking shite console unless you want to play games with your mum or 7 year old cousin though, etc.

    Anyway, sigmagoat gets my prize for post of the day, made me chuckle it did.

  • Zaltan #15 2 years ago

    Isn't PS2 at like 50,000,000 in Europe?

  • JohnnyWashnGo #16 2 years ago

    I blame it on people like me with more than one DS.
    Edited by 1 at 05/01/10 @ 23:43

  • BartonFink #17 2 years ago

    Thought the PS2 was somewhere around 50 million in Europe. Looks like they may have been a little early with their declaration.