It seems that, rather than being affected by the economic recession, Nintendo is actually selling more Wiis than before, hitting 2 million units in November and an overall 8.6 million since it was launched back in November 2006. They are doing pretty good, since PlayStation 3 recorded a 19% decline in the same period.

Recent analysis from NPD Group showed that that last month there has been a 10% increase in gaming console, games and accessories in the U.S. What is rather surprising is that Wii accounted approximately three quarters of this increase, leaving its harsh competitors, Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation3 with a mere 3% or even less.

The outstanding sale increase is justified by the fact that the Wii is a somehow different console. Nintendo has never wanted to impress with high-definition graphics, the core-gamer’s ultimate dream because they knew that they couldn’t beat PlayStation 3’s impressive hardware and its Blu-Ray availability. As a result, they focused only on the user’s experience with the game by creating the motion-sensor controller which revolutionized the way people play games. The appeal of the WiiMote not only attracted average people, but also a consistent fraction of the intensive gamers. There are also other devices and accessories that kept Nintendo on pace, like the WiiFit and the games developed for it. Nintendo had made a bet and won it. The company proved that it’s not the latest physics algorithms implemented in games that matter, but the way people can have fun in a simple and intuitive way.

Many analysts say that buying the $400 PlayStation 3 these times may be a little too much for many buyers. On the other hand, at a $250 price tag, the Wii is a steal compared to the PS3 and cheaper than some versions of Microsoft Xbox. Besides, it’s also worth mentioning that a recent report pointed out that, on Black Friday, the sales of Nintendo Wii outdid the ones of Xbox and PlayStation3 combined. Nintendo also outdid Sony in the portable gaming device market. While the Nintendo DS sold 1.57 million units and recorded a 2.6% increase from last year, the PSP sold only 421.000 units, 26% less than last year.
 
Even the staff at Nintendo is impressed by how well the Wii managed to perform in units sold, as executive vice president of sales and marketing at Nintendo America, Cammie Dunaway, stated that "everything about the Wii is unprecedented." She also pointed out once more that the Wii targets families which seek simple, cheap and intuitive ways to have fun together.