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The Nintendo Wii easily outsold the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 last month in Japan

Tokyo-based research firm Enterbrain Inc. publicly announced the Nintendo Wii game console and DS handheld portable continued their domination of Sony last month.  April sales figures indicated the Wii outsold the PlayStation 3 4-to-1 in Japan, and the sales gap widened last month, with the Wii outselling the PS3 5-to-1.  Nintendo sold 251,794 Wii game consoles in Japan last month.

Enterbrain, which publishes the Famitsu video game magazine, implies Sony only sold 50,000 PS3 units in Japan, the latest string of disappointments for Sony.  Furthermore, analysts predict Nintendo will continue to see strong sales figures in Japan.

Microsoft quietly sold 11,082 Xbox 360 game units last month.

Although the PlayStation 3 has more powerful gaming hardware, the Wii's lower price and innovative game play continues to attract gamers.

Enterbrain research revealed a similar trend with the DS handheld, with the Nintendo product outselling the PSP -- Nintendo sold 620,670 DS units, compared to only 123,673 PSPs sold.

In a published interview last month, George Harrison, Nintendo of America Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communication, boldly predicted up to 35 million Wii consoles will be sold on the U.S. market by 2012.  

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what games are there to play on it?
By bubbacub616 on 6/5/2007 7:23:37 AM , Rating: 4
other than wii sports (which is great fun if you have friends around and have lots of controllers) what is there worth playing?

IMO zelda is pretty naff (to be honest i've only played zelda on the n64 and died of boredom 2/3 through)

what else is there? i'm not being anti-wii I am wondering what other dailytechers actually play on it.

Bubba




RE: what games are there to play on it?
By blueflash2o on 6/5/2007 7:49:53 AM , Rating: 2
In my collection I have to say the best games are either excite truck or red steel other than wii sports. Once you get used to the controls excite truck is awesome and i couldn't stop playing it fortunately i didn't buy red steel and excite truck at the same time because red steel is just as good.


By dome1234 on 6/5/2007 9:41:35 AM , Rating: 2
wii-controller-game-wise, wii sports. Excite truck's decent but redsteel's not good.

zelda and mario. The usual suspects.


RE: what games are there to play on it?
By h0kiez on 6/5/2007 11:41:24 AM , Rating: 2
Interesting you say that...both were pretty much panned in reviews (Red Steel moreso than Excit Truck). I agree with the sentiment...I'm all for the Wii's novelty and I hope it does well, but I'm waiting for a few killer aps before I get one. Maybe Metroid will do it.


RE: what games are there to play on it?
By therealnickdanger on 6/5/2007 1:36:11 PM , Rating: 4
Game reviews are like buttholes: everyone's got one and it smells a bit different than yours. It's so subjective. Reviews are often too harsh on games that aren't trying to be the next Game Of The Year blockbuster. I know some people that won't even RENT a game if their favorite magazine/website gives it less than 8 out of 10.

Reviews are the last place I go to for info on a game. Hands-on is the only way to know. I would have missed a lot of gems over the decades if I paid attention only to reviews.


By encryptkeeper on 6/5/2007 4:14:01 PM , Rating: 2
They're a good reference for the games you may never have heard of though. Take Eternal Darkness for example. There's a definite sleeper hit, and it was received extremely well by critics. Unfortunately, I have to usually agree with places like www.ign.com's reviews. The thing you have to remember is that a game may get a score of 5 or 6 out of ten, but finding it fun to play may still result in your thinking, "wow this game is something that very few people would like". Take Etrian Odyssey for example, or Majora's Mask. Typically the ratings on websites that are obviously not heavily biased towards one manufacturer (like Gamespot being VERY pro-Microsoft) are pretty accurate for how the general gaming population will receive them.


By h0kiez on 6/5/2007 11:41:28 AM , Rating: 1
Interesting you say that...both were pretty much panned in reviews (Red Steel moreso than Excit Truck). I agree with the sentiment...I'm all for the Wii's novelty and I hope it does well, but I'm waiting for a few killer apps before I get one. Maybe Metroid will do it.


RE: what games are there to play on it?
By spwrozek on 6/5/2007 8:32:42 AM , Rating: 2
Super Paper Mario is fantastic. My favorite game so far.

Mario party 8 just came out and I like what I have played so far.

Red steel was pretty decent minus some control issues.

Zelda is really good.

Metal Slug is also a great buy for some sweet arcade/wii action.


By Mitch101 on 6/5/2007 1:32:44 PM , Rating: 3
Ditto on Super Paper Mario, Mario party 8, Wario is good I hear, and Zelda. Havent tried the others yet. EA sports linup is coming and Need for Speed is available.

Lets face it the majority of us had PS2 and some had X-Box. There are also a lot of Gamecube games which were Nintendo exclusive worth playing and they are super cheap to buy. Pikmin anyone?

WII COOL STUFF you dont hear about.
Play Gamecube games and since you probably had a PS2 this is a nice treat.

You can create your own Mii. Sounds silly but its a playschool like representation of yourself which is funny and adds a level of fun to some of the games. Funny when boxing or playing tennis. I have fun making my friends and family in the game. I hope they can add pets.

I hear a copy of your Mii is stored in the remote control so if you go to a friends house with your remote your Mii can go with. (Havent verified it)

SD card slot instead of proprietary overprices memory cards. You can also do some picture stuff and upload them and share with friends through web links.

Lose weight - A lot of people with Wii's have lost weight. I know I have worked up a sweat boxing.

Its $250.00 but I would spend another $50.00 for Wii-Play where you get a second controller. Expect to spend $300.00.

There is sound in the Wii controller.

I think you can game together with friend somehow and share Mii's. Ive only had it for a short time so I cant tell you all the features yet as I only have one friend with a Wii so far and he just sent me his Wii console ID. Would be cool to do boxing with him online.

The Wii-Remote is really something that you really have to try to enjoy. I suggest adjusting the sensitivity up and do like they recommend and stand 3-10 ft from the sensor for maximum effectiveness.

There is nothing like watching your girlfriend/wife doing the weird physical things you need to with the Wii. With Baseball I tricked my wife into running around the room after the player hit the ball. Cheap Baywatch but everyone falls for it. Dance Dance revolution is funny but watching others do this stuff is sometimes hillarious.

ITS FREAKIN FUN!!!


By RamarC on 6/5/2007 8:52:34 AM , Rating: 4
Remember that there are LOTS of japanese market only games. Supposedly, there are 4 times more japanese language games than english language games.


RE: what games are there to play on it?
By RandomFool on 6/5/2007 11:08:54 AM , Rating: 3
Warioware and Rayman: Raving Rabbids are great games too.

If I ever get my Wii back I plan on picking up Super Paper, Mario Party 8 and Wii Play too.


By aGreenAgent on 6/5/2007 12:18:15 PM , Rating: 2
Wario Ware and Mario Party are both awesome with friends!

Wario Ware gets me drunk every time, and I just got Mario Party so I haven't found out how drunk that drinking game will get you.


RE: what games are there to play on it?
By AndreasM on 6/5/2007 1:11:53 PM , Rating: 1
Personally, I like Elebits, Kororinpa and to some degree Cooking Mama, which is too easy but reminds me of Harvest Moon for the SNES. I will be getting Super Paper Mario as soon as it is released in Europe.

I have Zelda, but it is far inferior to the previous Zelda game I had which was the SNES version. I played Twilight Princess up to a point where you're supposed to protect a caravan from raiders and birds dropping bombs. I spent 2(!) hours trying to hit the birds with a bow before eventually succeeding in getting past that spot. The inherent randomness in the IR tech used to pinpoint the location you're aiming at made shooting the bow at fast moving targets almost impossible. This incident made me so disgusted that I didn't touch the console for 4 months, and started playing with it again only recently.


RE: what games are there to play on it?
By tedrodai on 6/5/2007 2:33:33 PM , Rating: 2
I got to the snow area in Twilight Princess before finally deciding to just turn off the remote pointer in options. I'm enjoying the game much more using the nunchuck analog stick to aim, sadly. Wii Sports and Wii Play (only other 2 games I have atm) make MUCH better use of the controller.


By AndreasM on 6/5/2007 6:17:45 PM , Rating: 2
That's a good tip, I'll have to try it out.


By encryptkeeper on 6/5/2007 1:24:12 PM , Rating: 2
Nintendo's handheld DS player outsold Sony's PlayStation Portable five to one in May, Enterbrain said. The company sold 620,670 of the touch-screen players, compared with 123,673 PSPs.

Clearly, raw power isn't everything. Sorry fanboys.


By Samus on 6/5/2007 3:20:24 PM , Rating: 2
Mario Soccer and Mario Party 8 are amazingly good games. My dad plays that PGN Tour 07 Golf game (something like that) because he grew out of Tiger Woods.


By Parhelion69 on 6/5/2007 3:26:10 PM , Rating: 2
Well, Zelda Ocarina of Time is widely considered to be the best game ever, so just by saying that, lots of people will disregard your comment.

However, I agree that the Wii lineup is lackluster, Zelda is just an expansion pack to Zelda 64, it doesn't offer anything new (no, the wolf thing isnt that good). And everything else is just meh. Mario party is the same game as ever, with the wiimote.

Wii needs some high quality games, smash bros would be welcome, a mario kart, mario galaxy should help a lot as well.


By animedude on 6/5/2007 5:53:31 PM , Rating: 2
Mario Striker Charged!! Online is damn fun.


By Chocolate Pi on 6/5/2007 6:09:25 PM , Rating: 2
Well, personally I think Zelda: TP is one of the best games I've ever played (so my opinion might need a disclaimer prior to your consumption), but Wario Ware and Metal Slug are VERY good titles worth one's cash. I just started Super Paper Mario, and it is good so far.

Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy, and of course Brawl form a pretty good lineup. $29 Resident Evil 4 remake kicks it off, I'll be picking that up for sure since I didn't buy the original.

There are many good Gamecube games, now cheap but still widely available. Metroid Prime (both) are amazing adventure games, there are tons of good multiplayer games, and Tales of Symphonia is possibly my favorite RPG ever.

The Virtual Console alone doesn't make the system, but a few titles are nice additions. Ice Hockey is a must IMO, and you got all the Mario and Zelda around in case you missed them.


X360
By Egglick on 6/5/2007 10:40:47 AM , Rating: 3
Notice how poorly the X360 did, despite the fact that you would expect it to at least beat the PS3 by a small margin (it has a lower price, more games).

This type of logic doesn't always work with Japan though. They will only buy from Japanese companies, especially when it comes to things like electronics and cars.

You would need overwhelming and undeniable superiority in all aspects for a non-Japanese console to do well there.




RE: X360
By kamel5547 on 6/5/2007 11:39:36 AM