The United States consumed 600,000 Wii unites and Europe follows up with 350,000 units in a two day period. That adoption rate is huge and shows everyone that "casual gamers" are gamers too.
Market research has truly paid off for Nintendo as they realize there are more casual gamers than hardcore gamers. Microsoft and Sony battle for the coolest, most powerful console while Nintendo grabs a larger pool of gamers.
Will Nintendo's traction into the market hold for many years? The debate is still out on that, however, it's apparent early adopters are ready to game on a Wii. Sony fanboys, Xbox zealots and the religious war over "best console" has not hindered Nintendo's ability to bring mothers and fathers into the gaming circle with interesting easy to grasp games using innovative control schemes.
Novelty or real console? The Wii remains hard to find in stores regardless to the unit sales and the dust has yet to settle on just how much a novelty the system will become. If game developers continue to utilize the Wiimote in creative ways but stay strong in the realm of fun and exciting games the console should prove to be an entertainment device instead of a trinket.
Should Sony and Microsoft worry about this little console? Definitely! Every Wii sale can interrupt possible sales for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 with a cheaper price point and games to attract the larger demographic: the casual gamer. This might be more of a secondary console for the hardcore gamer but it could easily become the primary console for a larger pool of gamers which translates into big sales numbers.
The most important point to the recent sales across the world: The device isn't limited by "western" and "eastern" game cultures. Everyone finds the game system enjoyable regardless of culture preferences.
source: www.1up.com
