Nintendo has sold over nine million Wii consoles across the globe, new figures from Japan state.

We reported recently that the motion-sensing games machine has broken the million mark in the UK, and world-wide sales have been similarly strong.

Nikkei Net Kansai says the Wii has overtaken the Xbox 360 as the current leader of the next-generation console war.







The economics co combined figures from Enterbrain in Japan, NPD in the States and GfK in Germany to come to the nine mil total.

Proving the cyclical nature of the games industry, this is the first time Nintendo has bagged the top spot since its heady SNES days.

Overtaking Microsoft's Xbox 360 is significant as the 360 was the first of the next-gen consoles to market and had s year's head start over the Wii.




Sony's PlayStation 3, has only sold 3.7m within the timeframe that Wii have hit nine.

However, if rumours of a stripped down, cheaper PS3 in time for Christmas are true, this will give Sony a massive boost in sales.

Product Description

Nintendo's Wii video game system (pronounced "we") brings people of all ages and video game experience together to play. This simple yet ground breaking idea is expressed not only though the system's evocative name, which is easily pronounced in a variety of languages, and suggests two players side by side, but also through its innovative list of features and extensive list of playable titles.








Wii with Wii Remote

Wii with Wii Remote. View larger.
A Little Box With Plenty of Power

As with every console, much of the buzz surrounds the specs. The Wii boasts 512 MB of internal flash memory, two USB 2.0 ports, and a slot for SD memory expansion. The system’s technological heart -- a processing chip developed with IBM and code-named "Broadway" and a graphics chipset from ATI code-named "Hollywood" -- deliver stunning performance. And instead of a tray, Wii uses a single, self-loading media bay that plays both 12-centimeter optical discs used for the new system, as well as Nintendo GameCube discs.





Revolutionary Control

No bigger than a small traditional remote control, the wireless Wii Remote is a truly multi functional device. The magic of the Wii Remote's design lies within; acellerometers inside the controller measure movement in all directions and at all speeds. In a tennis game, it serves as your racket as you swing away. In driving games it serves as a steering wheel, allowing you to swerve to avoid obstacles or pickup power-ups. In first-person shooters, it acts as a firearm that you can point directly at an on-screen enemy. The controller also has a force feedback "Rumble" feature and an expansion port for use with accessories, such as the Nunchuck, which adds an analog thumbstick and trigger buttons. The system allows for up to four controllers to be linked at a time and utilizes standard Bluetooth wireless technology. For those who prefer the feel of a traditional controller an adapter is available that fits over the Wii's remote.



 

Wii with cradle.

A Channel for Everyone

More than just a game machine, Wii also provides information and entertainment suitable for every member of the family. Some of the channels available include:

  • Mii Channel - Miis are cute little caricatures you create to use as characters in a variety of Wii software. Store Miis on your Wii or load them onto your Wii Remote and take them over to a friend’s house to use on their Wii.
  • Everybody Votes Channel - The Everybody Votes Channel is packed with national and worldwide polls. Answer interesting questions and have your say. Up to six members of your family can vote. Just choose an answer and check in later to see the results.
  • News Channel - Wii might be great for games, but you can also use it to get updates on the latest news from across the Internet organized into
  • Forecast Channel - Your Wii can automatically update you on the weather from around the globe.
  • Wii Shop Channel - Download the Opera web browser and access games from classic consoles from the past. All you need is a Wii Points account.
  • Virtual Console - Every Virtual Console game you download from the Wii Shop Channel appears in the Wii Menu as a separate Channel ready to select and play any time you like.
  • Wii Message Board - Leave or receive messages for other family members on the calendar-based message board or use WiiConnect24 to send messages to people outside your home.
  • Internet Channel - Just download the Opera browser for 500 Wii Points and within minutes, you’ll be a professional sofa surfer, pointing-and-clicking your way around the web with your Wii Remote.
  • Photo Channel - Show off all your digital photos on your TV. Just insert an SD memory card into your Wii and away you go.
  • Disc Channel - The Disc Channel is backwards compatible with Nintendo GameCube, so you can play all your new Wii discs, along with all your classic Nintendo GameCube discs too!


 

Wii Sports is Included

This is what video games should be: fun for everyone. Wii Sports offers five distinct sports experiences, each using the Wii Remote controller to provide a natural, intuitive and realistic feel. To play a Wii Sports game, all you need to do is pick up a controller and get ready for the pitch, serve or that right hook. If you've played any of these sports before, you're ready for fun!


GameCube controller and memory ports.

The Depth of the Nintendo Game Catalog

Each Wii comes with a game compilation called "Wii Sports," including tennis, golf, baseball and bowling games, that show off the console's intuitive new controller, but Wii also plays games developed specifically for it as well as fan-favorite games from Nintendo's 20-year-old library. Its drive is compatible with GameCube discs, and select Nintendo titles from the original NES of the 1980s all the way through the Nintendo 64 are available for download through the "Virtual Console" for $5 and $10 respectively. To support this backwards compatibility the Wii includes four ports for classic Nintendo GameCube controllers and two slots for Nintendo GameCube Memory Cards. As if that weren't enough, the Virtual Console will also make available a few titles from SNES console contemporaries, Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx 16.

Also, Wii utilizes Nintendo's newly-announced wireless feature, WiiConnect24. This worldwide feature allows players to receive content such as Wii Message Board messages sent from other Wii consoles, Miis, e-mails, updated channel and game content, and notification of software updates even while the console is on standby, keeping the fun going even when you are not online.