Wii overtakes Xbox 360 in US – now leads the world

Mike Bantick
Friday, 18 July 2008 11:10

Your IT - Entertainment

Despite a somewhat lacklustre showing at E3 this year, folks are flocking to the Wii’s wares as Nintendo takes a grip on the US market.

Via 1up come the June NPD sales numbers figures for gaming software and hardware in the U.S market.

In a nutshell, the Wii has now surpassed the Xbox 360 in total sales and spurred by rampant Metal Gear Solid 4  purchases, the PlayStation 3 was doing its own hotcakes impersonation.

June 2008 Hardware Sales

1. * Nintendo DS -- 783,000
2. * Wii -- 666,700
3. * PlayStation 3 -- 405,500
4. * PSP -- 337,4000
5. * Xbox 360 -- 219,800
6. * PlayStation 2 -- 188,800

For PS3 the June figures reflected a rise of almost 100 percent over the May shipments of 208,700 units.

The bundling marketing strategy also seems to be working for Sony, with MGS4  hitting the top of software charts, with the bundle representing pretty much the increase in PS3 hardware sales since May.
North Americans obviously have a soft spot for Indiana Jones, with the LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures snaffling 3 top ten places.

June 2008 Software Sales

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