Wii keeps top spot, but for how long? More analysis of next-gen sales figures

The most recent statistics from the NPD Group have just revealed that the Nintendo Wii seems to be the next-gen console of choice among gamers. For February alone, the Wii had sold 335,000 units, as compared to the Xbox 360’s 228,000 and the PlayStation 3’s 127,000. Taking the overall lifespan of the console though, undoubtedly, Microsoft has gained ground with their full year’s head start in the market. Right now, the big MS has 5 million units sold in U.S. alone, while the Wii and PS3 are trailing behind with 1.86 million and 1.1 million respectively.

Statistics are statistics. Numbers can always change and they do not, in any way, instantly dictate any “winner” among competitors. However, statistics still show us some possible insight at what the market is currently clamoring for, if anything else. Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter Research gives us a bit of his analysis of the whole situation though:

We’ve seen Nintendo expand the marketplace and grow it beyond the traditional gamer. They really redefined the videogame experience […] Microsoft and Sony clearly have larger aspirations for the game console in the living room as a portal for some of the other services they’re trying to sell. The hardcore gamer may be the one purchasing the console, but other family members may use the other features. Nintendo’s approach has been to get non-gamers playing games.

True, the Wii remote is one astounding innovation to get non-gamers into the whole phenomenon. But that’s not to say that Sony and Microsoft aren’t trying to attract non-gamers as well. As Reuters put it, Sony and MS are marketing “their respective new-generation consoles by positioning them as home entertainment hubs.”

David Riley of the NPD Group has also voice his sentiments, saying that the Wii’s “gaming comes first” nature seems to be easier for the non-gamers to grasp rather than Sony and Microsoft’s home entertainment message. Riley explains: “While they have that capability, it’s not that easy to use. It’s going to be a ways off before that capability becomes mainstream.”

Further market analysis and statistics insight behind the Full Article link below.

The most recent statistics from the NPD Group have just revealed that the Nintendo Wii seems to be the next-gen console of choice among gamers. For February alone, the Wii had sold 335,000 units, as compared to the Xbox 360’s 228,000 and the PlayStation 3’s 127,000. Taking the overall lifespan of the console though, undoubtedly, Microsoft has gained ground with their full year’s head start in the market. Right now, the big MS has 5 million units sold in U.S. alone, while the Wii and PS3 are trailing behind with 1.86 million and 1.1 million respectively.

Statistics are statistics. Numbers can always change and they do not, in any way, instantly dictate any “winner” among competitors. However, statistics still show us some possible insight at what the market is currently clamoring for, if anything else. Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter Research gives us a bit of his analysis of the whole situation though:

We’ve seen Nintendo expand the marketplace and grow it beyond the traditional gamer. They really redefined the videogame experience […] Microsoft and Sony clearly have larger aspirations for the game console in the living room as a portal for some of the other services they’re trying to sell. The hardcore gamer may be the one purchasing the console, but other family members may use the other features. Nintendo’s approach has been to get non-gamers playing games.

True, the Wii remote is one astounding innovation to get non-gamers into the whole phenomenon. But that’s not to say that Sony and Microsoft aren’t trying to attract non-gamers as well. As Reuters put it, Sony and MS are marketing “their respective new-generation consoles by positioning them as home entertainment hubs.”

David Riley of the NPD Group has also voice his sentiments, saying that the Wii’s “gaming comes first” nature seems to be easier for the non-gamers to grasp rather than Sony and Microsoft’s home entertainment message. Riley explains: “While they have that capability, it’s not that easy to use. It’s going to be a ways off before that capability becomes mainstream.”

Well, different companies have different prospects for their consoles. Microsoft has their booming Xbox Live Marketplace, whose downloads have seen an increase ever since they included TV and movie content. Sony has their own strategy, with their own Blu-ray DVD and the much-awaited PlayStation Home. And for Gartenberg:

All of these strategies are viable. It’s not a question of one over the other. Nintendo has demonstrated that there are multiple ways to get into the hearts and minds of other family members. Their challenge going forward is to make sure this is not a passing fad by getting a stream of content into the market. The game console purchase driver is still going to be first and foremost games. The secondary stuff is the icing on the cake.