GDC: Wii shipments hit 50 million

By Robert Purchese Published 25 March, 2009

That's faster than PS2.

UPDATE: Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata has confirmed during his GDC keynote address that global shipments of the Wii have now reached 50 million worldwide.

ORIGINAL STORY: Nikkei, the Japanese Financial Times, predicts that Nintendo will break 50 million worldwide Wii sales this month (thanks Kotaku).

If correct, that means the motion-sensing console will have amassed more worldwide console sales than Xbox 360 and PS3 combined. At last count - December 2008 - Microsoft counted 28 million global sales, while Sony's flagship machine tallied 21.3 million sales.

The Wii will have also reached the milestone faster than PS2. The race will then be to 100 million units, which PS2 managed to shift after five years and nine months on sale.

The Nintendo Wii entered the market in November, 2006, which gives the machine until October, 2012 to break that Sony record.

Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata delivers his GDC keynote address this afternoon from 9am PST (4pm GMT). He's rumoured to be making some announcements, and we'll be reporting every word live from the event.

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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 (22) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

  • Sanzai #1 3 years ago

    It would be unlikely to surpass the Xbox 360 and PS3 combined sales at the present time though, given that they were at 49.3 million in December 2008.

    Still, that's an admirable feat especially given the position they were in with the GameCube.

  • Thunderbolt #2 3 years ago

    Not that I'm bothered by the Wii is far more mass market than the PS2 ever was.

    For example by boss who is in hes 40s got it for Wii-fit, many of my non-gaming workers are getting it for similar reasons. Something that would have never happened on the PS2.

    So the target is not that unrealistic

  • wittynic #3 3 years ago

    Fair play to Nintendo, they have sold to a much more diverse market. But i know so, so many people who have bought a Wii and regretted it. Either Gamers who find the lack of core games to be offputting, or complete non-gamers (my aunt) who bought it on a whim and after a few goes never use it.

    I wonder if this is the line Nintendo will be taking with every home console from now on? They dont seem particularly fussed to release core games other than Mario and Zelda.

  • El-Dev #4 3 years ago

    About 25m are played regulary I'd guess.

    Also wasn't the PS2 £300 when it came out? I know it took a steep drop in it's first year but the wii is still cheaper than that.

  • DoctorZoidberg #5 3 years ago

    Well done ninty. Now use all that cash to make a decent console to follow up, back to basics please.

    Interesting point El-Dev. Surely one must look to the PS3 and wonder why, (at a similar price point to the PS2 on its day) it's not doing so well?

    In my opinion, the real winner here is Microsoft for producing a console, that is not only matching the Playstation brand, but in many ways suppassing it.

    Looking back at the PS2 / Xbox, Who would have thought the roles would be reversed here? You got to give Microsoft credit even if you are a sony fan boy.

  • Burkey123 #6 3 years ago

    Well done Nintendo! Truly deserved!
    I love my Wii!

  • robson_wii #7 3 years ago

    @wittynic: There's probably a bell curve there somewhere as software sales suggest the Wii is still being used by the majority of those that buy it.

  • bmxbandit #8 3 years ago

    I would be happy for Nintendo ... if it wasnt for the Wii being such a pile of stinking ass.

  • JediMasterMalik #9 3 years ago

    this would be exciting for gaming, if it actually meant more people were genuinely playing games. It really doesn't seem to be spreading gaming at all. Sure the system sells, and people play it for a bit, but then they never touch it again.

  • zedzee #10 3 years ago

    Congratulations to Nintendo (despite the fact that I hate their guts) but right now they're the undisputed console war winners.

    And to be honest, I don't see that changing, not when you consider that they've made something that's been more attractive than the PS2's mass appeal was all those years ago, judging from the rapid rate of sales that the Revolution (I'm sorry, but I just can't bring myself to call it by its crap marketing name) has clocked up.

    I really don't see the 100m units marker being any harder to reach; when you consider that a handful of games have sold it so far, it's just waiting for your neighbour who hasn't got one right now to go out and get it, so I don't think it will be too much of a problem.

    If Nintendo manages it BEFORE the PS2 deadline in this article, then Microsoft and Sony will need to concede defeat and settle for second and third place, respectively. Although, if the BBC Micro Model B was to make a comeback right now, it would probably stand a good chance to stealing the third spot from Sony!

  • Rash' #11 3 years ago

    DoctorZoidberg, no the real winners are definitely Ninty. Comparatively cheaper R&D and manufacturing costs and making profits all round. It may be built on mediocrity but that hasn't stopped it being the confirmed winner in sales that it is. Relatively speaking the HD consoles have yet to make the sort of impact the Wii or indeed the PS2 did.

  • Darren #12 3 years ago

    Very impressive hardware sales figures for the Wii, well done, Nintendo. Shame that the Wii is the least interesting console this generation for games for me though because of its lack of decent games. Last one I bought was over nine months ago now and there's been nothing else of interest on the platform since.

    The PS3 and Xbox 360 might be selling less but at least they have a steady stream of quality games. I mean that's the reason we buy consoles, right... for the games?

  • CitizenGeek #13 3 years ago

    I don't get why we're still comparing the Wii to other games consoles. It's not a videogames console, at least not in the traditional "it has videogames" sense.

  • FogHeart #14 3 years ago

    I like my Wii, but it's taking too long for third party games with depth and high production values to come through - particularly platform exclusives. The tide is turning, but soooo....slllooooowwwllllyyyy. Recently we've seen Shaun White, HotD:o, Madworld and before then some games like Okami and No More Heroes. You may not like some or even all of these titles but you can't say the developers were lazy or slapdash.

    The titles for the Wii *are* selling, and paradoxically you can tell because there's a lot of dross being released. If sales of Wii games were slow, they'd have to put in more effort to gain market share.

    Wait...I suppose you could argue that low production values guarantee a profit even when sales are low....

    /worries

  • Ceatlan #15 3 years ago

    I think that is pretty impressive, but makes the statement from Iwatas conference elsewhere on the site where its says that 3rd partys have sold 1 million games for the Wii sound astounding.

    If its true that Ninty have sold 50 million consoles, but that 3rd party developers have only managed to sell 1 million games for it, that is a shocking and a sad indictment of the how 3rd party developers are struggling with the Wii.

    I can't believe it personally, it must be a miss quote or a typo or something. Third party developers must have sold more than a million games for the Wii.
    Edited by 1 at 25/03/09 @ 16:54

  • bad09 #16 3 years ago

    I'm happy for them, but I've said before, while I couldn't care less about who is selling how many consoles and perfectly happy for N to go on their path I do have concerns that the other two will see this success and follow big N next gen (lets be honest if they want the mass market profit they will and are even now). A whole generation of Wii type consoles and software battling for the big non gamers cash makes me shudder and depresses me.....

    As soon as Sony and MS announce waggle (and they will) for the next round of consoles I'm off to buy top spec PC.
    Edited by 1 at 25/03/09 @ 18:13

  • oerhoert #17 3 years ago

    <em>"the Revolution (I'm sorry, but I just can't bring myself to call it by its crap marketing name)"</em>

    Wow, somebody still saying this. Yeah, what a crap name. "50 million units" crap.

    To me, it decidedly looks like Nintendo knew what they were doing.

  • smelly #18 3 years ago

    "A whole generation of Wii type consoles and software battling for the big non gamers cash makes me shudder and depresses me..... ""

    Funny - i feel the same about the thought of a whole generation of games being brown fps games.

  • bad09 #19 3 years ago

    "Funny - i feel the same about the thought of a whole generation of games being brown fps games. "

    / laughs at predicted Smelly reply.

    / then laughs that Smelly, so hating of brown FPS, defended "on rails because the Wii can't handle anything better than RE4 (oh shooter on Wii)" brown FPS Dead Space (shooter on Wii) in another Wii thread....

    / turns on SF4, plays online, thanks god he paid for something more powerful than a Gamecube this gen....and is not Smelly

    The "on rails because the Wii can't handle anything better than RE4" thing was just a red flag to set you off for everyone really Smelly, I'm off to finish RE5 on my 156th 360 (that's one less than you isn't it?) - may be Gears Of Evil but it's better than Umbrella Chronices eh Smelly? (Oh, Umbrella Chronicles another crappy shooter, not on Wii though surely???). ;)
    Edited by 1 at 25/03/09 @ 20:48

  • BonzoBanana #20 3 years ago

    Up until recently I thought the sensor bar was actually some clever sensor and not just a few leds and a bit of cable. I've heard the whole motion sensing system costs almost nothing to make and the wii console is incredibly cheap to make too being just a slightly faster gamecube with 48meg of extra memory. I love Nintendo but still can't get my head around why people are paying huge sums for a very retro powered console.

  • Zaltan #21 3 years ago

    Why didn't Gamecube do well? It actually had games!

  • Zomeguy #22 3 years ago

    / laughs at predicted Smelly reply.
    Yeah, the mindless Wii hate in this thread was completely unexpected though...

    I love Nintendo but still can't get my head around why people are paying huge sums for a very retro powered console.
    Get a second job. Oh wait...

  • BonzoBanana #23 3 years ago

    Lets face it nintendo are going to dominate from now on. They have massive financial resources now so their next console will be technically capable as well as offering an enhanced controller over wii. Microsoft and Sony continue to lose shit loads of money. I mean a reliable, capable console with a great controller and that nintendo game design magic it will be awesome and the original wii no doubt dominating in the sub £100 price bracket. I think if Microsoft and Sony are struggling now, they are going to be in real trouble in the future. Not that Microsoft really struggle but they don't have waste an absolute fortune on subsidising their xbox division.