Wii winning the battle

2007-06-05 13:31

Tokyo - Nintendo's Wii video game console outsold rival Sony's PlayStation 3 by more than five to one in Japan in May, a research company said on Tuesday.

Nintendo sold 251 794 Wii consoles last month, while Sony sold just 45 321 PS3s, according to Enterbrain, a Japanese publisher that tracks video game console sales.

The figures indicate that Nintendo is extending its lead over Sony on the Japanese electronics giant's home turf. In April the Wii outsold the PS3 by about four to one in Japan, according to the research firm.

Sony and Nintendo - along with Microsoft, maker of the Xbox 360 - are locked in fierce competition in the next-generation home game console market.

Nintendo, which has long dominated portable consoles, has enjoyed brisk sales of the Wii console, known for its innovative motion-sensitive controller.

In total, Nintendo has sold about 2.49 million Wii consoles in Japan since it was launched last December, while Sony has sold 928 642 PS3s since it was introduced here last November.

Sony was forced to delay the global launch of the PS3 by about six months due to problems with the high-definition DVD player and pushed back the rollout again until March in Europe and some other markets.

- AFP