According to a report filed by Enterbrain, the Wii outsold the PlayStation 3 by more than two to one since the release of the consoles late last year. In the figures published, Nintendo sold 969,118 Wiis, while Sony pushed 466,716 PS3s out the door, from November 11 through the end of December.
The three game console manufacturers are all claiming victory for holiday sales in December in North America, although the hard figures from tracking firms have not been released as of yet. However, what can be said is that the final totals for sales overseas have been determined with some certainty. They may very well serve as an early indication of how the two major Japanese players in the next-gen console wars stack up against each other.
One factor that may have contributed to the Wii’s significant lead over the PS3 was the diversion of a large portion of PS3s slated for sale in Japan over to North America. The resulting loss of available PS3s for Japanese consumers meant that there were significantly fewer PS3s available for purchase. The Wii’s novelty and lower price point may have also contributed to its higher sales figures. Various polls conducted last year indicated that the Japanese consumer was highly resistant to the price points of the two PS3 models. In addition, the Japanese market is wide open for Nintendo, where the DS has flown off store shelves since its release, and the best-selling handheld is still hard to find.
Reports have come in from Sony confirming that they are well on their way to producing larger amounts of PS3s–current goals are to produce 6 million units worldwide by the end of March. However, the most important sales data for Sony will be gathered during the next several months, as it will clearly show whether or not Sony’s next-gen console has been able to sustain momentum and interest since its launch last November. Additionally, it will help to determine if the strategy by Sony–to produce a high-end, sophisticated next-gen game machine–has hit its mark with consumers.
