Nintendo Outsell Microsoft and Sony... Again!

[Dave]

Those comments came after Nintendo put out a press release boasting that it had sold 550,000 Wiis in the U.S. during Thanksgiving week, leading Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter to estimate that the company may have sold about 1.1 million of the consoles for all of November.

Last November, Nintendo moved 2.04 million Wiis, so if Pachter is correct about this month's data--his estimate was based on a formula in which November sales numbers are equal to roughly double the Thanksgiving week sales figures--the company sold only a little more than half the units it did a year ago. Still, Pachter estimated that Microsoft and Sony will have sold about 700,000 Xbox 360s and PlayStations, respectively, during November.

Before I get started on what I think about this news, let me first say that I am a Microsoft fan boy and that I own an XBOX 360. I very rarely endorse another console to my friends and I try my best to ship more consoles in my job as a sales assistant dealing with consoles and technology. However, I am about to endorse the Nintendo Wii, so buckle up and have read at these figures.

Now, as I say, I am a Microsoft fan and I have always thought that the XBOX 360 is the best console around for gaming. I think it gets better exclusives than Nintendo and Sony and I think that it does much more for it's online customers. It could be because they are the only ones paying for it but it doesn't really matter much. However, I am not shocked to see that the Nintendo Wii has again outsold Microsoft and Sony. It could be down to the fact that they have marketed the console very well and have made it the must have accessory of the last two or three years. Personally though, I like to think it is because of the way they have managed to keep the console very relevant and have capitalized in leisure gamers and have really tried to make the Wii the alternative to the Sony and Microsoft's systems. I know that might sound very obvious but I really do think that they have tried to distance themselves from Sony and Microsoft's way of creating games and have done a fantastic job of making their console very appealing.

As I say, I deal with sales in technology and so far, Microsoft has been doing a bit better in selling their consoles in my store. However, it is not because they have done anything spectacular to draw in people who are undecided. They have brought out a pack that you get "Pure", "Lego Batman" and "Fifa10" for free when you buy an Elite console. That is a good deal but Nintendo have done nothing and the demand for the Wii is still higher in my store. I have no idea what is causing it but they are obviously doing something right. I fully expect them to come out on top at Christmas too.

But what do you guys think? What do you think of the November numbers and who do you think will be dominant at Christmas?