Tag: Wii

NPD Hardware Sales Figures for December 2009

NPD Group has issued its console hardware sales data for December 2009. Capping off the year and the extremely lucrative holiday-shopping season, this is an extremely vital sales period. Let’s see how Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony performed.

  • Wii: 3,810,000
  • Nintendo DS: 3,310,000
  • PlayStation 3: 1,360,000
  • Xbox 360: 1,310,000
  • PlayStation Portable: 654,700
  • PlayStation 2: 333,200

Okay, tell me again how the Nintendo Wii is a fad? It has been whomping the competition for years and posted ridiculous numbers in December. Microsoft and Sony would kill for these “fad” numbers. As for those guys, both companies did well in December and should be proud of the numbers. In the pointless fanboy argument, the difference wasn’t really notable. Sony will have to hustle in 2010 to close the gap between the PS3 and Xbox 360.

What do you think of NPD’s December 2009 console sales figures? Any surprises? Any predictions for the new year?

Netflix Coming to Wii in Spring 2010

Nintendo has announced that the Netflix movie service will be available for its Wii console this spring. Already available on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems, the streaming movie service has been one of the most popular non-gaming features on consoles. Now it will be available on the most popular console in the world. Today’s press release stated:

Netflix is scheduled to go live on the Wii console this spring in the United States at no additional cost to Netflix members who have a plan starting at $8.99 a month, a Wii console and a broadband Internet connection.

I’m curious to see how Netflix will do on the Wii. Obviously the installed base is enormous, but I wonder how many casual gamers even have their systems connected to the Internet. For enthusiasts gamers that have multiple consoles, there’s no reason to use the service on the visually challenged (but environmentally friendly *snicker*) console; they’d be better of using the PS3 or Xbox 360 for a superior image. I’m sure Netflix will do well on the system, but I’m not sure how well.

Any thoughts on the matter?

Nintendo Serves Up Lame Response to Greenpeace Report

After being ranked the least environmentally friendly consumer electronics company by Greenpeace, Nintendo offered up some pretty lame excuses to defend its position. The most hilarious was this little tidbit:

The Wii console is notably the most energy efficient of its generation, and we have improved the design of some of our latest products, such as the Nintendo DSi, to minimize their energy consumption when in use.

So let me get this straight — Nintendo should be lauded for being environmentally friendly by having weaker consoles than the competition? That’s rich. While I think it’s foolish to judge the quality of the Wii or the DS solely based on processing power, it’s even more foolish to claim that their relatively underpowered capabilities are a form of environmentalism. Ha!

Source

This Week’s Videogame Releases

It’s still a light week in the videogame-release department, but there are a few titles of interest that you might want to keep an eye on. EA brings back its brothers of destruction in Army of Two: The 40th Day. That is, by far, the biggest release of the week. Outside of that, there’s an interesting DS RPG and a game for fans of winter sports…and that’s about it. As always, let me know if you’re picking up any of this week’s video releases.

PlayStation 3
Army of 2: The 40th Day — I’m pretty sure Kane and The Undertaker would wreck these guys.
Vancouver 2010: Offivial Video Game of the Olympic Winter Games — I totally forgot that the Olympics are happening this year. I guess I pay more attention to the summer games than the winter games.

Xbox 360
Army of 2: The 40th Day
Vancouver 2010: Offivial Video Game of the Olympic Winter Games

Nintendo Wii
Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces
Walk it Out — Base on the hit song by The Beatles…oh wait, it’s not.

PlayStation Portable
Army of 2: The 40th Day

Nintendo DS
Daniel X — A interactive retelling of one of the most powerful civil rights leaders in America. Okay, I totally made that up.
Sands of Destruction

Behind the Scenes Videos of Atlus’ Trauma Team for Wii

Here are two excellent videos that will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the voice-over sessions for Atlus’ Trauma Team. The first video introduces you to the voice actors in the game, while the second clip takes you inside the VO sessions at PCB Productions. If you were ever curious about the inner workings of videogame voice acting then you definitely want to check these videos out!

NPD Console Sales Figures Top 10 Games of November 2009

NPD Group has released its console software sales information for Novemer 2009. Activision’s Modern Warfare 2 put up some ridiculous numbers. While nobody should be surprised that MW2 topped the charts, some analysts were surprised by its complete ownage of November (it’s a financial term). All in all, the big titles did what they were expected to do, but there was one oddity in the top 10. Check it out!

New Super Mario Bros

  1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360): 4,200,000
  2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3): 1,870,000
  3. New Super Mario Bros (Wii): 1,390,000
  4. Assassin’s Creed II (Xbox 360): 794,700
  5. Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360): 744,000
  6. Wii Sports Resort (Wii): 720,200
  7. Wii Fit Plus (Wii): 679,000
  8. Assassin’s Creed II (PS3): 448,400
  9. Dragon Age: Origins (Xbox 360): 362,100
  10. Mario Kart Wii (Wii): 315,000

As a BioWare mark, I’m disappointed that Dragon Age didn’t do better. Sure, RPGs aren’t as popular as action titles and it’s a new IP, but I expect people to have better taste. Hmph. Nintendo has to be thrilled with its November. It sold a ton of new and old games. With so many new and excellent games released in November, I was surprised to see something as old as Mario Kart hit the top 10. To steal a line from Keanu Reeves or Joey from Blossom, “Whoa.”

Any thoughts on the November software top 10?

NPD Hardware Sales Figures for November 2009

NPD Group has issued its console hardware sales data for November 2009. As you know, November is a huge month for gaming, with several retailers running “Black Friday” specials and lots of people shopping for holiday gifts. Let’s take a look at the numbers.

PS3 vs Xbox 360

  • Nintendo DS: 1,700,000
  • Wii: 1,260,000
  • Xbox 360: 819,500
  • PlayStation 3: 710,400
  • PlayStation Portable: 293,900
  • PlayStation 2: 203,100

As expected, Nintendo trounced the competition with its Wii home console and DS handheld system. Nintendo topping the charts is nothing new. What’s more interesting is the battle between Microsoft and Sony. While both companies did well, Sony has to be slightly disappointed that its PS3 lost out to the Xbox 360 after outselling it in September and October. That’s just a short-term concern for Sony; things are still looking up for the PS3, which had its third-best month ever. Overall, hardware sales were down 13.4 percent from November 2008, but keep in mind that all three consoles were more expensive last year.

What do you make of November’s numbers? Anything surprise you? Any predictions for December?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

This is probably the last week of the year that “big” games are being released. For PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, there’s The Saboteur, which has been getting mixed reviews and some interesting attention for its unlockable nudity. On the Nintendo DS, Link returns in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Finally, the Nintendo Wii gets a dose of frights 38 days after Halloween with Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.

The Saboteur

Any of you guys and dolls planning on picking any of these games up? I have my eye on Spirit Tracks, but will probably wait until it goes on sale.

Coffee Talk #37: Console Wars XXVIII — Black Friday

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Saints beating up on the Patriots, banning Canadian boxing judges Alan Davis and Benoit Roussel, or the Shakespeare play you want to see in videogame form, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As expected, it was a huge week for the “big three” console companies. All three did well during Black Friday weekend. Let’s take a look at some of the (American) results.

PS3 vs Xbox 360

  • Nintendo claimed that it sold more than 550,000 Wii systems. Adding in the DS and DSi, the company said that it sold more than 1.5-million pieces of hardware. To steal a line from Shelton Benjamin’s music, “Ain’t no stoppin’ me, now!!!”
  • Sony claimed its best week ever (not EVAR!!!) for the PlayStation 3, selling more than 440,000 units. With a recent price cut and the introduction of the PS3 Slim, Sony has a huge opportunity to gain marketshare. It looks like the company is making the most of it.
  • Microsoft hasn’t cited numbers yet, curiously. The company is putting on a positive front, claiming that it has its best week of 2009 and sold twice as many Xbox 360 systems during Thanksgiving week than it did the previous one.

Nintendo’s continued success isn’t surprising. Most people expected Sony to do well, but the company probably exceeded many expectations. Microsoft’s statements were the most curious. By not citing numbers and using the “we did better than last week” stance, the company looks lame. Maybe its number crunchers are behind and it will put out a strong press release later today, but for now MS looks like a chump.

What are your thoughts on the latest round of the console wars? Will Sony be able to continue its momentum this holiday season? I know you Wii haters out there are hoping for a sharp decline from Nintendo, but do you really think that’s going to happen? And what’s up with Microsoft’s weak-sauce statements?