According to NPD Group here are the top selling gaming system of 2007:

1. Nintendo DS – 8.5 million
2. Nintendo Wii – 6.3 million
3. Xbox 360 – 4.6 million
4. Sony PS3 – 2.6 million

Imagine what the numbers would have been had the Nintendo Wii been widely available. They are still very difficult to find even a year after launch. I wonder how many people went looking for a Wii, couldn’t find one, and decided to buy a 360 or PS3 instead? 

Nintendo has proven once again that quality game play is king. Xbox 360 had the top selling game in Halo 3, but what must-have game was available on the PS3 that wasn’t available on other platforms?

Nice job, Nintendo. Now when can we expect the next Zelda game?

Take a look at the chart below which represents total lifetime, worldwide sales of the big 3 consoles. (Found at VGChartz)

A few thoughts come to mind:

1. The 360 has bombed in Japan. Less than 500K sold.
2. Imagine how much further ahead Wii would be if they were available. They are still hard to find most places.
3. Sony is barely in the game. Good thing they still have the PS2.
4. Looking only at Japan sales, the Wii beats the combined sales of Sony and Microsoft.

It’s funny to see Nintendo and Sony swap places going back just a couple of years. Nintendo has shown that innovative games still rock and will sell well. People will pay to be able to play franchise games like Zelda and Mario that aren’t available on the other consoles.

I love seeing Nintendo kick some Sony and Microsoft butt. Nintendo is also the only company to make money selling their console. Both Microsoft and Sony sell theirs at a loss. Nintendo is in a good position to further their lead over the next year. Sony has no momentum and Microsoft is taking a $1 billion hit to replace defective 360’s, effectively scaring away many potential buyers.

Update: Microsoft wireless racing wheel overheats. Someone needs to start a contest to see who can guess the next 360 part to overheat. My money is on the HD-DVD player.