Nintendo crushes it in 2008 console sales

The Wii is the winner for 2008

(Credit: Nintendo)

The latest data from research firm NPD Group shows that while Sony's PlayStation 2 retains the top lifetime sales spot, Nintendo's Wii and DS topped the U.S. game console sales chart for 2008.

The big shocker in the 2008 numbers is the fact that Nintendo sold nearly as many DS units as Wii units. DS sales accounted for nearly triple the amount of PS3 units sold. Who would have thought that Nintendo would become a dominant force again?

Total U.S. hardware sales for 2008

1. Wii - 10,224,400
2. Nintendo DS - 9,951,500
3. Xbox 360 - 4,735,200
4. PlayStation Portable - 3,829,300
5. PlayStation 3 - 3,685,000
6. PlayStation 2 - 2,106,100*

Lifetime U.S. hardware sales, as of December 2008:

1. PlayStation 2 - 43.22 million
2. Nintendo DS - 27.60 million
3. Wii - 17.60 million
4. PlayStation Portable 14.30 million
5. Xbox 360 - 13.89 million
6. PlayStation 3 - 6.94 million

Via Shacknews.

[gsmiller88]

Looks like Nintendo has a real Wiiner.

[BK216]

wiik

[goblynn1013]

*lols*

[terminalblue]

that was pretty wiicked

[drbyte]

I don't own one, but I've seen it in action and it does bring the whole family around for 'wii fun'. I've also noticed with people I know who own one that they still own tube tv's. Many people still feel it's crazy to spend $2500 on a TV even if you got it, and you need one to play a 360 or ps3 properly. The Wii will dominate for some time now until they make this hi-def stuff affordable.

[sting7k]

Maybe Sony should just go back to selling only the PS2 and give the PS3 a break for awhile.

[alskiontheweb]

Where's the original Xbox on the all time list? That has to have done better than the PS3 and the 360...correct?

[xcal78]

Doubt it passed the original nintendo system or gameboy. The first xbox wasn't anywhere on the ranking.

[alskiontheweb]

Also, in terms of a TV, go by a BestBuy / Dynex 32" LCD for $450...HDMI in for the xbox and component for wii....great combination.

[snoop911]

According to numerous articles*, the xbox360 has sold over 25 million consoles (as of Nov. 2008). The original xbox has also sold 25 million lifetime, where is that on the chart?

Also, according to the latest Nielsen report just published*, more people still play the original xbox than they do the ps3. I'm not a M$ fanboy (I own a wii), but there seems to be some major discrepancies/omissions going on.


*http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/11/25/xbox-360-hits-25-million-consoles-sold-a-full-2-years-faster-than-original-xbox/
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/56579

[DrtyDogg]

25 million worldwide. These are US numbers.

[Splashes]

Note that if you combine PS2 & PS3 sales, Sony sold more consoles than Microsoft. Obviously Microsoft is doing well, but I still find it amazing that millions of PS2s are still being bought.

[Don Key]

I can't kick your butt by myself in a fight but if I get my brother to help me, we both can kick your butt so you must be weak.

Seriously???

[DrtyDogg]

I can't kick your butt by myself in a fight but if I get my " (little) " brother to help me, we both can kick your butt so you must be weak.

Seriously???

[CrashPad63]

The is some spinning going on here. Wii is outselling all. Xbox numbers though arent where theyve been reported for almost 6 months now for the 360 and the Original Xbox lifetime is 25million. Makes you wonder.

[tarikur]

I Love WII, PS3, PS2, PSP.

GO buy them.

[1eye1]

I bought a Wii because of the innovative controls. However, I have noticed recently that most of the new games have become an unplayable mess and a lot of it has to do with the controls. I was playing the Star Wars game where you battle with Light Sabers and the control was non existant. After getting beat repeatedly, I taped the buttons down and started tossing the controller in the air. Now I'm unbeatable....It works with almost every game. Unfortunately, I now consider myself one of the millions of suckers that bought a Wii to only play Wii Sports (i don't feel too bad though, I believe that this is the case with a lot of other Wii owners). I wish Nintendo would have let me purchase Wii Sports for $50 and threw in the Wii for free.

[shahnyboy]

Over 2 mil. for PS2?!

Who are these people still buying it? And why??

[sanenazok]

I dunno, maybe the price and large number of games...in other words perfectly fine reasons. Not everyone needs the latest HD blood splatter.

[xcal78]

$80 bucks for a dvd player or $100 bucks for a PS2. Not hard to see why people buy a PS2 still. Plus they can play PS1 games so 2 game systems and a dvd player for the price of a dvd player. PS3 lost millions of sales because they used blue-ray instead of making it backwards compatible with PS2/PS1 games.

[puterhead]

This is US sales only and also those reported by NPD which as mentioned previously does not total all of North America together as the companies themselves do by region, nor do they report sales from retailers not part of thier "network".

Lifetime world-wide sales numbers from the manufacturers tell who the real winners are, which is pretty much every one of these companies for moving this many units.

PS2 - 140 Million units (all versions)
DS - 84 Million units (all versions)
PSP - 41 Million units
Wii - 34 Million Units
XBox 360 - 28 Million units
Xbox - 24 Million

[megustansalchichas]

Sony is retarded. they could have continued making the 60gb model of the ps3 with backward compatibility and focused on improving the manufacturing process to bring the cost down and marketing to all those 140M ps2 owners that their games would still be playable. Instead they are wanking consumers around with all the different models they keep putting out that lack backward compatibility. What's next, making the ps3 incompatible with DVDs? can you say i am sofa king wii tar dead?

[Inconnux]

Until console developers get rid of the crappy controller, I wont consider them. I detest console controllers but the Wii is different, I actually have fun with the Wii... and looking at the sales I would say that I am not alone.

Nintendo proves once again that it is not expensive graphics that make a game fun.