Wii becomes best-selling US console

By Robert Purchese Published 18 July, 2008

PS3 doubles 360 sales for June.

Nintendo has boasted about Wii becoming the best-selling current generation console in the US.

June sales of 666,700 units took its lifetime total to nearly 10.9 million, according to NPD data (spotted by Kotaku), which puts it in front of previous leader Xbox 360.

"As we have demonstrated this week during the E3 Media & Business Summit, Wii continues to pioneer new ways for people to interact with their video games and with one another," said Nintendo marketeer Cammie Dunaway.

The DS lead the overall pack with 783,000 units sold, followed by Wii and then PlayStation 3 with 405,500 units sold.

The Sony figure was boosted largely by the release of Metal Gear Solid 4, which was head and shoulders above competition for June in the software chart.

"The PlayStation brand is truly hitting its stride on its long-term opportunity across all three platforms. Our strong June numbers serve as proof to the continued momentum of the PS3 and affirms that we're exactly where we expected to be," said Sony US speaker Jack Tretton.

The PSP was next with 337,400 units sold, while Xbox 360 dwindled with 219,800 units shifted throughout June. Its representatives in the software top 10 were Ninja Gaiden II at three and Battlefield: Bad Company at six.

The PS2 rounded out the list with 188,798 units sold, taking its lifetime US total to over 42.4 million consoles shifted.

June US software chart

  1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) - 774,600
  2. Guitar Hero On Tour (DS) - 422,300
  3. Ninja Gaiden II (360) - 372,700
  4. Wii Fit (Wii) - 372,700
  5. Wii Play (Wii) - 359,100
  6. Battlefield Bad Company (360) - 346,800
  7. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 322,400
  8. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (Wii) - 294,500
  9. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (DS) - 267,800
  10. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure (PS2) - 260,300

June US hardware chart

  1. DS - 783,000
  2. Wii - 666,700
  3. PS3 - 405,500
  4. PSP - 337,400
  5. Xbox 360 - 219,800
  6. PlayStation 2 - 188,798
Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (64) Latest comment 4 years ago

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

  • TurboBailey #1 4 years ago

    Surely these stats mean MGS4 was worth more than 8/10 eurogamer!!

    Anyways - Congrats to Nintendo, it shows there strategy is working. Even my folks want to buy one. Now that's casual gaming

    Edited by 2 at 18/07/08 @ 16:38

  • monkie_king #2 4 years ago

    Stop it, you!

  • peterfll #3 4 years ago

    Wii Fit is now being sold in the US as a stand alone title and is no longer packaged with the console?

    Those greedy, dollar-counting, playing-card-making bstards.

  • monkie_king #4 4 years ago

    Wii Fit is the new one with the balance board. You're thinking of Wii Sports.

  • influenceuk #5 4 years ago

    Didn't MS say they were beating the Wii and PS3 in sales? mmm i think Ms need to check their figures again.

  • peterfll #6 4 years ago

    What is the matter with me today?!

    Ive been been having a massive "doh!" all day.

    Perhaps I'm due on?

    \ponders

  • Widge #7 4 years ago

    omg I have teh foamz!

  • bad09 #8 4 years ago

    Glad MGS4 is still selling well over there. It's dropped some over here hasn't it?

    At the moment it's the only thing I'm playing really (well a bit of AITD as well). Hard level no kills, no alerts, no continues great fun!

    although crying wolf is proving difficult, damn frogs everywhere!

  • mattigan #9 4 years ago

    O Noez Xbox = teH DooMzorred

  • GamesConnoisseur #10 4 years ago

    Yes certainly proof that MSG4 is a system seller and proven Konami right that its always been more popular in West and more so in USA!

    Sony just need to make sure Konami wont do a Capcom/Square-Enix!

    One month doesnt declare the winner of this generation, so look at how the trends change over the long term and would be interesting to see if PS3 can sells consistently better than previous averages after the June's MSG4 release.

  • Widge #11 4 years ago

    Too much pro-Sony bias today
    >:(

  • monkie_king #12 4 years ago

    Sony will need to do this consistently until Summer 2010 to catch up in the US, though. Depends how much MGS is a blip.

  • seasidebaz #13 4 years ago

    "Didn't MS say they were beating the Wii and PS3 in sales?"

    No, they said software sales. Then clarified it as "3rd party revenue".

  • mossychops001 #14 4 years ago

    Microsoft did not have much to say about the NPD sales yesterday, wonder why?

    hint.

    PS2 188.798.

    xbox360 219.800.

  • callum9999 #15 4 years ago

    Funny how so many people who disagree with a view then brands all news items as bias.
    Edited by 1 at 18/07/08 @ 17:10

  • bitesize #16 4 years ago


    ^ you're just biased against people who disagree with views!!

  • spazmo #17 4 years ago

    "Wii becomes best-selling US console"

    WHAT!!?? The expensive niche?

  • canIdoyabombsforya #18 4 years ago

    Sony will catch up, when their next firmware allows their Blumediatelly to wash your dishes ;)

  • Doctor_What #19 4 years ago

    Well, we all know that this means who's going to win the console war. With innovative and challenging titles, great graphics, and the right price point. Who'd have thought that the Dreamcast would make such a late comeback?

  • miiiguel #20 4 years ago

    "Funny how so many people who disagree with a view then brands all news items as bias. "
    Although he was joking, you should take a look at the infamous 8/10 review of MGS. Talk about "bias complaints"...

  • DanWhitehead #21 4 years ago

    Funny how so many people who disagree with a view then brands all news items as bias.

    I was tickled by the idea that the bias varies from day to day.

  • BartonFink #22 4 years ago

    Nintendomination!!!

    Console games industry is teh d00med!!

  • Steroyd #23 4 years ago

    GTA does bugger all to hardware sales on both platforms, MGS4 sees PS3 do a huge bump.

    Hmmm Sony is an idiiot for letting FFXIII exclusivity slip or sad that despite MS's efforts, FFXIII is probably going to do for hardware what GTA did.

    I think MS is concentrating too hard on beating Sony. *sigh*

  • Beano #24 4 years ago

    "Nintendomination!!!

    Console games industry is teh d00med!! "

    666K.. number of the beast-(console) ;)

  • LetsGo #25 4 years ago

    Apart from a small increase around Gears 2, can only see the 360 figures going down from here on in.

  • messiahtj #26 4 years ago

    Nintendo should be more than grateful with all that soccer moms, little kids and old people who likes to be the "party clowns" for support them buying their Wii. But i'll always say Nintendo hate the hardcore gamers.
    Edited by 1 at 18/07/08 @ 19:00

  • SeesThroughAll #27 4 years ago

    @ bad09:

    Crying Wolf is easier than Laughing Octopus. Hide under the tank, and equip a sniper rifle. Piss easy.
    Edited by 1 at 18/07/08 @ 19:14

  • chris_ace #28 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 11:55:13 13-12-2011

  • spekkeh #29 4 years ago

    But i'll always say Nintendo hate the hardcore gamers.

    You'll always say that won't you. Have been playing games for over a year now, haven't you.

  • BartonFink #30 4 years ago

    @Ja_Long - wouldn't say they are complaining too much with game sales.
    Not sure a MS handheld would be received very well tbh.

    But yea both Sony and Ninty are raking it in :D

  • messiahtj #31 4 years ago

    " Have been playing games for over a year now, haven't you."

    Lol, no. I have been playing games since I was 7. Now im 25. And Nintendo amazed me with the Wii and not because the Wii was as good as the Nes, snes, gameboy or even the N64. The Wii is a expensive gadget with gimmick controls obviously focused at people that think they must have all the hottest gadgets. Its the same case as with the iPhone.

    Good games for the Wii?? I can count them all using my hands fingers. So no, Nintendo its sucessing about solding consoles but with that crappy games, they all just make hardcore gamers laugh at their Wii and go back to play with the high- tech visuals and old schools pads. At least ps3, pc and 360 have more AAA games than the Wii without the need of a "revolutionary" crap that only make the developers' job harder.

  • Oh-Bollox #32 4 years ago

    "..I can count them all using my hands fingers. So no, Nintendo its sucessing about solding consoles but with that crappy games..."

    Another one for the remedial English class.

    Let's face it, if you can't even put a basic sentence together correctly, how on Earth are we supposed to listen to what you have to say?

  • BartonFink #33 4 years ago

    Do you muppets not think that perhaps English is not their first language?

    Oh and he probably has a point about being able to count the number of good Wii games on one hand.
    Mario Galaxy
    Mario Kart
    Zelda
    errr hmmm eh

    ;)

  • messiahtj #34 4 years ago

    "Do you muppets not think that perhaps English is not their first language? "

    Lol, correct, english isn't my first language but hey im trying. And if I do it wrong, help its always appreciated. xDDD

    "Let's face it, if you can't even put a basic sentence together correctly, how on Earth are we supposed to listen to what you have to say?"

    So, your only resource to try to defend the overrated Wii its insulting my bad and awful english??? Wow!! I know now why a lot of people its called a Wiitard :).

    Hey maybe i cant write proper english but i can read it. So if you are going to defend the Wii make it in the right way, with facts, not with that kind of "insults" because doing that you only demostrate me you are not just a Wiitard but a fag too.

  • BartonFink #35 4 years ago

    lol - Wiitard

    I like that one

  • Pulsar_t #36 4 years ago

    +1 for Nintendo humiliating the PS1 casual gamer generation

    :D But what about us 8-bit casuals? Nobody's thinking of us anymore..

  • AlcohollicA #37 4 years ago

    Mario Galaxy
    Mario Kart
    Zelda
    Wii Sports
    Wario Ware
    Mario & Sonic Olympics
    Smash Bros Brawl

    Thats all the games I have. All great. Cant count them on one hand......... or can you?

  • WinterSnowblind #38 4 years ago

    If this keeps up then Microsoft are in trouble.

    However, I think most of this can be attributed to the release of MGS4. Look back at the release of Halo 3, the 360 sold almost double the amount of the Wii that month.

  • bad09 #39 4 years ago

    @ SeesThroughAll

    Yeah, I tried that one but she never seems to come my way so I end up getting impatient and venturing out! :) I might try to lure her over with some smoke grenades

  • drumbaby #40 4 years ago

    Maybe next time Msoft won't rush out a broken system while ditching their original one? Twats killed any chance of sustained growth with the RROD thing, which incidentally still affects the Elite...

    Oh, and their nabbing PSX exclusives and then crowing about it only highlights they want to be like Sony but with broken hardware. Selling a pale knackered imitation with pay-for online doesn't really cut the mustard anymore, does it Msoft?

    XboxLOL etc etc

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #41 4 years ago

    The Wii is after a completely different (retarded) market.

    Of course it is. The Wii is a games machine, the 360 and the PS3 are devices will end world hunger, raise all peoples out of poverty, cure cancer and make the tea.

    C'mon people, let's not get into a 'my format is better than yours'. Either acknowledge that each platform has great titles that any gamer worth their salt should play, or admit you're a troll.

  • WinterSnowblind #42 4 years ago

    @drumbaby

    I don't think they're trying to make a system anything like the PS3, infact their E3 conference showed that they're doing the exact opposite. And besides that, it's Sony that are constantly "borrowing" features to make the PS3 more like the 360. The fact Square are now developing, what used to be the biggest brand on the Playstation format, is not going to hurt MS at all, and I fail to see how you could possibly try and spin it to make it sound like it will.

    As for the Xbox sales, look at my last post. I pretty much guarantee that this won't keep up. The Xbox only had Ninja Gaiden this month, where as the PS3 has had it's biggest title yet, MGS4. A lot of people went out and got PS3's for that alone. Perhaps you should wait and see if these trends keep up, before assuming the Xbox is on its way out?

    Also, why are the only people still complaining about the RRoD.. people like you?

  • GordonJ #43 4 years ago

    Laughing at the "hardcore games" list with Wario ware, Wii Sports and Mario&Sonic Olympics in it :)

    Wasn't there a wii metroid game?
    Edited by 1 at 19/07/08 @ 12:09

  • chris_ace #44 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 11:55:13 13-12-2011

  • Vin #45 4 years ago

    I don't have enough brains for all the wii fanboys.

  • Sid-Nice #46 4 years ago

    If this keeps up then Microsoft are in trouble.

    However, I think most of this can be attributed to the release of MGS4. Look back at the release of Halo 3, the 360 sold almost double the amount of the Wii that month.

    Did you not mean the Xbox 360 hardware sales doubled on the release of Halo 3?

    September 2007 NPD Hardware Sales Data.

    Microsoft Xbox 360: 527.8K (6.8 million total)

    Nintendo Wii: 501K (4.5 million total)

    Nintendo DS: 495.8K (13.2 million total)

    Sony PlayStation 2: 215K (39.3 million total)

    Sony PSP: 284.5K (8.6 million total)

    Sony PlayStation 3: 119.4K (1.87 million total)

    August 2007 NPD Hardware Sales

    Wii -- 403.6K

    Nintendo DS -- 383.3K

    Xbox 360 -- 276.7K

    PlayStation 2 -- 202K

    PlayStation 3 -- 130.6K

    PlayStation Portable -- 151.2K

    And in October 2007 it was back to business as usual for the Wii...

    Nintendo Wii: 519K (5 million total)

    Nintendo DS: 458K (13.6 million total)

    Microsoft Xbox 360: 366K (7.1 million total)

    Sony PSP: 286K (8.8 million total)

    Sony PlayStation 2: 184K (39.4 million total)

    Sony PlayStation 3: 121K (1.9 million total)




    Edited by 1 at 19/07/08 @ 13:04

  • sjmlondon #47 4 years ago

    I love my Xbox 360 and wouldn't dreaming of swapping it for a PS3, but if Microsoft want to boost new sales I think it is time to rejig the basic unit to include built in Wifi, an internet browser, possibly a blu-ray drive or alternative a significantly bigger hard drive if they want to push movie downloads. Their non standard hard drives are a rip off and you shouldn't have to fork out £60 for a wifi attachment.

    I'm sure the casual punter might question the need to pay £40 for Xbox live although I still feel it represents good value for money as it's an excellent service. If Microsoft can bring out an equivalent of a wii remote that would help tremendously but not necessary 'kidify' the front end. The adult gaming nature of the 360 has always been another appeal of the Xbox brand.

    The PS3 is selling on the back of having a built in blu ray player, it still doesn't touch the Xbox 360 for overall quality of games/ online gaming experience.

    How many people buy a Wii to just play Wii sports and that's it. No wonder Microsoft can claim their software sales outstrip the other consoles in value.

  • justMe #48 4 years ago

    The error most self-entitled "hardcore gamers" make is to separate the gaming public into categories. They are the ones that only play a certain kind of game (generally "mature" FPS, RPG, or MMO). A "true gamer" plays the whole spectrum of genres and production levels, everything from solitaire to the most "hardcore" game in the market.

    Hardcore in the previous sentence is also a dubious interpretation of the word. Most so-called hardcore games today are anything but. Hardcore is a highly complex or difficult game, most mainstream shooters today are paint-by-numbers easy games with high production values and "mature" (as in sci-fi violence and teenage fantasy role-playing) themes.

    The casual console of the last generation was the PS2. And I'm not talking about singstar and buz. I'm talking about 90% of people that bought it only to buy the anual football/driving game and play it when friends come over.

    Embrace new gaming experiences, Nintendo is showing the way to the next level. Not only a game for every person, a game for every moment.

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #49 4 years ago

    "People need to accept the new reality of the games market. Quite simply, core gamers are a niche, the mass market is all about casual / lifestyle titles.

    That's basically why Nintendo are destroying everybody else.

    The delicious irony is that the hardcore fanboys to whom "winning" the console war is more important than anyone, are actually pretty much irrelevant to the outcome because they are outnumbered 20:1 by casuals. "

    Wow. That's pretty much the first thing I've ever seen you say on here that wasn't total pish. Well done.

  • eepic #50 4 years ago

    who cares how much ps3 sells in ONE month??? its still doomed compared to XO ask any dev

    and mgs4 is basically just a overly long movie anyway with minimal (and boring) gameplay copied striaght from GOW

    btw u heard it here first: GEARS OF WAR 2 GOTY 2008!!! go ms

  • penguin_overlord #51 4 years ago

    With the 360's price cut in the US to $299 only temporary until the 20GB units are all sold, I don't see what Microsoft can do to compete against the PS3 in the months ahead. What is more appealing to consumers? A $349 360 with a 60GB hard drive or a PS3 at just $50 more that includes an 80GB hard drive, built-in Wi-Fi, free online access, Blu-Ray and, let's face it, better build quality and reliability. I know that people will keep saying again and again that it's all about the games and that's partly true but with most consoles essentially having the same multi-platform games, can it really be said that the 360's library of exclusives before Christmas are better? Fable vs LittleBigPlanet, Gears of War 2 vs Resistance 2. And the 360 has no exclusive racer to compete against Motorstorm 2.

    The 360 looks set to keep slipping against the PS3 this year.

  • Sid-Nice #52 4 years ago

    What you have to remember is that the Xbox 360 was out a whole year before the PS3 and Nintendo Wii; so it is understandable that sales are higher on the newer consoles, the Wii is just a fad and by 2010 people will have lost interest in the little gimmicky machine.

    Meanwhile I predict by 2010 Microsoft will bring us the ultimate gaming machine with built-in Wifi, Blu-Ray drive, 100 GB HDD and an adult version of the Wii-mote.

  • menschenfracht #53 4 years ago

    ...And nine rings of death

  • winnah #54 4 years ago

    360lol. also the wii is hardly a console so...

  • canIdoyabombsforya #55 4 years ago

    "People need to accept the new reality of the games market. Quite simply, core gamers are a niche, the mass market is all about casual / lifestyle titles.

    There is no new reality, Console are Toys. Most males up to the age of 60 like buying new toys, thats what everybody needs to accept.
    Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are all trying to sell to a broader range of toy buyer as possible, Nintendo are in a different league as they've made their toy more accessable to the masses, something they've always strived to do. Something Sony and Microsoft are constantly monitoring.
    Trying to break people up into core and casual gamers is just snobbery, the Playstation brand is still the brand of choice amoung school age kids. Do your own surveys, I'm surprised how many school kids already own PS3s (and know nothing or care about about Blu-Ray BTW)

  • azz0r_cod4 #56 4 years ago

    Why do so many idiots keep buying the Wii?

    Seriously. Its a pile of junk with terrible games that don't control well.

    Stop fueling Nintendo!

  • electrolite #57 4 years ago

    "the Wii is just a fad and by 2007 people will have lost interest in the little gimmicky machine"

    "the Wii is just a fad and by 2008 people will have lost interest in the little gimmicky machine"

    "the Wii is just a fad and by 2009 people will have lost interest in the little gimmicky machine"

    "the Wii is just a fad and by 2010 people will have lost interest in the little gimmicky machine"

    "the Wii is just a fad and by 2011 people will have lost interest in the little gimmicky machine"

  • electrolite #58 4 years ago

    @ canIdoyabombsforya

    Hurray for someone using logic! Come on in. You won't last long on here. Witness 'azz0r_cod4'....

  • InsoFox #59 4 years ago

    We'll all be home by christmas.

  • bonker #60 4 years ago

    I think MS' big strategic blunder this generation is coming home to roost. They wasted a lorra time, effort and money trying to woo the Jap's who have basically dropped out of this "HD" gen, nobody is getting their money this time round other than Nintendo.

    If MS had invested less in UBER-niche stuff such as Blue Dragon etc and more in games that could broaden the appeal of the XBOX brand (Viva Pinata can't do it on its own) then they'd be heaps better off now ...

    I'm not surprised Peter Wot-his-face 'left' to go to EA ...

  • Artemis_Matsas #61 4 years ago

    No matter what anyone is saying, Nintendo is laughing all the way to the bank since the Wii's launch. Whether you like it or not, they pulled an "Ipod" in the gaming industry.
    Brilliant marketing and some damn good games too.
    They won back the people that were too scared to grab a regular controller in their hands, probably thinking that it is a tool of the devil due to the complexity. With Nintendo's initial pricing policy (being the cheapest of the lot) they are selling the Wii like hotcakes.
    I am not claiming that the "Wii rulez", but you have to give credit to Nintendo anyway.

  • prolific8 #62 4 years ago

    If Sony keep up this kind of momentum, they'll outsell the 360 in about 8 years...

  • rgame1 #63 4 years ago

    bahahahahaha

  • MilkYMoO #64 4 years ago

    It is you blig_merk, as in the "blig_merk". Haha!, you must of been laughed out of the neogaf forums. Your rants are legendary thanks to allgames interactive and your buddy scot rubin is a big fan.

  • Teamallstar #65 4 years ago

    I think that it is Sony who will be most concerned with these figures. MGS4 was meant to be their huge exclusive similar to Halo 3, but they didn't manage to shift nearly as many consoles.

    The PS3 will go back to selling roughly 200K per month after the MGS4 bump and are still about 8 million consoles behind the 360.

    Sony lose money on every PS3 they produce. MS have just started making a profit on each one.

    Sony are miles behind on the useability of the machine. It has a useless control pad built for aliens and an online system that is laughably bad.

    The majority of those people buying the PS3 will buy on average about 2-3 games in total
    Wii purchasers will purchases only just over 1 game per console.
    360 owners purchase 8-10 games per console.

    I couldn't care less about the chavs and 13 year olds who buy the PS3 because they have never played a 360 and know nothing else. Just watch the number of FIFA 09 copies that are sold on the PS3.

    I have a PS3 and think its a big ugly door stop (my girlfriend uses it to watch movies).

    The Xbox is just better, it doesn't get anymore simple than that. If you care about playing with friends online, there is no possible reason why you would buy anything else.

    Personally I think PS3 bots are about as stupid as people can get.