If Nintendo has a sales alarm at its headquarters for the Wii, it is ringing off the wall about November. According to a report from the NPD Group consumer-research firm, Nintendo sold more than two million Wiis last month, doubling its numbers from the same time last year.
And the Wii’s little brother, the DS handheld game unit, also had a boffo month, with more than 1.56 million units sold. Nintendo systems are driving the industry, accounting for 59 percent of all console sales and 79 percent of all portable game devices.
But Sony’s PlayStation 3 did not have a happy November. Its sales were down about 19 percent from the same month last year — 378,000 sold versus 466,000 in 2007. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was up a bit, with 836,000 units sold compared to about 777,000 a year ago.
Consumers Seeking Best Value
The two million Wiis are a sales record for consoles for any month except December, pointing to a possibly very happy holiday season for Nintendo.
Cammie Dunaway, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Nintendo of America, said the record-breaking sales in November came because consumers are looking for the best value, “not only among video games, but also among all entertainment options.” She added that shoppers are looking for gifts that the whole family will enjoy. The Wii’s price of $250 is also seen as relatively cheap in the game-console market.
Michael Gartenberg, vice president for consumer strategy at Jupitermedia, agreed with Dunaway, noting that people still spend money in a bad economy, but with even more of an eye toward long-term value.
He said video games in general, and the Wii in particular, have a perceived long-term value. He added that the Wii “is seen as being for the whole family, not just gamers,” which also increases the…