500,000 Wiis sold in Australia

  • By James Kozanecki, GameSpot AU
  • Posted Jul 23, 2008 3:42 am GMT

The Wii claims another sales record down under.

The Nintendo Wii can claim another feather in its already impressive sales cap this week, with Nintendo Australia announcing that as of July 20, the Wii has sold more than 500,000 units to the Australian market. The hardware took a mere 84 weeks to reach the half-million mark, making it the fastest console to reach the sales milestone. The previous record holders, Sony’s PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo DS handheld, both reached the figure in 107 weeks of sale. Independent sales tracker GfK Australia confirmed the figures to GameSpot AU.

Nintendo Australia also took the opportunity to announce that over the same July sales audit period, its other popular console, the Nintendo DS handheld, had surpassed the 1.2 million units sold mark. The figures reinforce the continued dominance of the products in the Australian market, and in one week at the beginning of July, the DS sold in excess of 49,000 units--the highest single number of consoles ever sold in a week down under.

The figures are in line with significant sales growth outlined by the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) earlier this month--numbers which saw Australia surpass the A$1.57 billion sales mark and game hardware sales grow by 74 percent.

In the press release, future Wii and DS games were also given release dates for Australia. Trauma Center: Second Opinion is opening for surgery on August 28, while Wario Land: The Shake Dimension (formerly known as Wario Land: Shake It! in the US) will arrive on the Wii on September 25. On the DS, Etrian Odyssey comes out on August 14; Make 10: A Journey of Numbers is set for a September 4 release; and Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir is due in October.

41 Comments

  • lampshade820

    Posted Dec 8, 2008 1:57 pm GMT

    I love my wii

  • lampshade820

    Posted Dec 8, 2008 1:57 pm GMT

    My mom out of nowhere gave my wii to my stupid cousins one day. Made me quite miffed. Luckily, I got a new one.

  • Peach100

    Posted Oct 27, 2008 9:54 am GMT

    The only reason so many were sold is because of the false demand that was created. Compared to the 360 the Wii is crap.

  • boobush

    Posted Jul 25, 2008 9:40 am GMT

    Ooh, hardcore games! If you know it doesn't have hardcore games and you still buy it, don't complain. It's kind of masochism.

  • mykel77

    Posted Jul 24, 2008 7:12 pm GMT

    i sold my wii for a 360. had it for awhile and am just sick of it, no hi def, dvd, and no hardcore games to play on it. its not for hardcore gamers. the novelty did where off. ill regret in it in 3 years when mario and zelda come out im sure, but at least i get Banjo Kazooie(n64 and new one) and fable II. better than wii music and wii cheer. derrrrr

  • Sonicplys

    Posted Jul 24, 2008 6:17 pm GMT

    And the world domination continues......

  • Gwottalegend

    Posted Jul 24, 2008 3:49 am GMT

    i couldnt agree more with flossie, and also i got the wifi thing but all the gamespot competitions are held before the games released here!
    (Mario Kart, Brawl)

  • FloSSiE_RuLz

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 9:45 pm GMT

    I live in Australia and have a wii. and its really annoying how games are delayed here and more expensive. and rite now the Auzzie dollar is about 95 US cents so games prices should have dropped alot, but they never do

  • koin999

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 9:32 pm GMT

    Hopefully this means Nintendo will stop treating Australia like a last priority and actually release games on time...

  • lamprey263

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 6:12 pm GMT

    that's pretty good considering they pay a lot more for their consoles in Australia

  • Pete5506

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 11:14 am GMT

    Good job nintendo

  • taddia

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 10:47 am GMT

    uhm how i would like that the same situation would be like that here in italy eheh 8(

  • SSlater413

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 9:18 am GMT

    That's good for nintendo. Hopefully the Wii will remain strong into the future.

  • moose3469

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 8:53 am GMT

    So everyone has one down there?

  • Sonicpower451

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 8:46 am GMT

    IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAAAAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • King_Jeremy_77

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 7:44 am GMT

    Good for Nintendo.

  • xbox360progamer

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 7:38 am GMT

    thats amazing never heard of any console doing anything like that..

  • Willy105

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 6:24 am GMT

    Crikey! There are more Wii's down there than Koalas!

    Seriously, save the Koalas.

  • theclaw135

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 3:11 am GMT

    Not surprising. Wii is the fastest selling hardware platform of all time, in terms of total global units sold. Including handhelds and personal computers.

  • whacker40

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 2:58 am GMT

    heh, the wii australian sales are set to overtake the 360's japan sales in due time.

  • gstyle1975

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 2:49 am GMT

    about time..whoo hoo..nintendo kicking ass..lets hope more developers come on board..

  • Cbok

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 2:29 am GMT

    Fisher Price - My first console

  • jjr10

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 2:16 am GMT

    OH MY GOD.
    TRAUMA CENTRE.

  • -CheeseEater-

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 2:02 am GMT

    For a country of 21 Million in Population, and a AU1.57 billion sales mark is just tatally insane. This country pours cash into this market, and yet many publishers couldn't give a rats.

  • Mattyrock

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 12:53 am GMT

    An impressive mark. Although hope to get better games.

  • devildemondruid

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 12:42 am GMT

    there are 21 million aussies living down here. so an average 1 in 42 people have a wii.

  • Erebyssial

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 11:47 pm GMT

    We love our Wiis.

    Glad to know Wario Land isn't getting delayed, I hope it turns out well.

    @ShadowLaguna: It's heaps for a population of just over 20 million.

  • mariokart64fan

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 10:42 pm GMT

    agreed the more console nin sells , more we get like AND IT ALREADY HS OVER 900 TITLES, for only a year on the market thats the fastest growing game library weve seen since nes, over here in he us that is ,

  • Nintendo_Man

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 10:36 pm GMT

    The Wii has already more than doubled the total lifetime sales of the GC here, remarkable turn around after the success of the PS2 and X-Box here last gen. This actually means our market is now catching up to many smaller European countries after over 130% increase in hardware sales in just the last 2 years.

  • mikethemonkey

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 9:52 pm GMT

    The more consoles they sell the more and better games we will get.

  • ivanfred

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 9:46 pm GMT

    mikemetroid5565: 60% percent of those is probably for Super Smash Brothers Brawl.
    ===============================
    You are probably right. I bought the Wii for my niece so that we could play it as well.

  • ShadowLaguna posted Jul 22, 2008 9:41 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    ShadowLaguna

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 9:41 pm GMT (hide)

    500,000? That's tiny!!

  • roll450

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 9:13 pm GMT

    Amazing, on how the wii could sell that well in the Aus.

  • king-kill33

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 9:04 pm GMT

    well deserved

  • tuznecote

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 9:01 pm GMT

    I love how this console is sweeping up...

  • mikemetroid5565

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 8:31 pm GMT

    60% percent of those is probably for Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

  • Jaz0

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 8:21 pm GMT

    WOW

  • robx360

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 8:16 pm GMT

    Hey I remember that commercial. I think I might look it up on youtube.

  • sonic0491

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 8:13 pm GMT

    make that 500 001, im yet to get mine.

  • stoner02

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 7:51 pm GMT

    Does anyone remember that ad for Super Mario 3 on the NES where everyone was standing shouting "MARIO! MARIO!" as it zoomed out to show the whole world in a Mario formation? Whoever would have thought it was such a premonition?

  • kbplayer

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 7:49 pm GMT

    wow

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