Nintendo Wii: Rewrote the History of Consoles

The Wii, the fifth home video game console from Nintendo, is the direct successor to the Nintendo Game Cube. The console was launched targeting a broader demographic than that of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3, its competitors. The distinguishing features of the console are the wireless controller, and the Wii that can be used as a handheld pointing device and could detect acceleration in three dimensions. It was in the 2004 E3 press conference, that Nintendo first spoke of the gaming console model and later unveiled the system at the 2005 E3. The gaming console was known by the name of "Revolution" until April 27, 2006, immediately prior to E3. It is the first home console has marketed outside Japan without the company name featured in the trademark. Despite the justifications from Nintendo for the name, there were a wide preference among some game developers for the name Revolution and members of the press initially reacted negatively towards the change.

It was in September 14, 2006 that the company announced the release of the Nintendo Wii gaming console for Japan, North and South America, Australasia, Asia and Europe including dates, prices, and projected unit distribution numbers. It was announced that the majority of the 2006 shipments would be allotted to the Americas and that 33 titles would be available in the 2006 launch window. Nintendo announced that it would release its console in South Korea at the beginning of 2008.

The launch of the console showed remarkable results in the sales. The monthly sales numbers of the console crossed its competitors across the globe. As per the NPD Group, the Wii sold more units than the Xbox 360 and Play Station 3 in the North America combined in the first half of 2007. In Australia, the Nintendo Wii exceeded the record set by the Xbox 360 by Microsoft, becoming the fastest selling gaming console in Australian history. This is the first time this console has led its generation in sales since the Super Nintendo Entertainment system. The Company warned that the it would remain in short supply throughout 2007, while the company produces approximately 1.8 million Wii consoles each month. At a time when Microsoft and Sony experienced losses producing their consoles in the hopes of making a long-term profit on software sales, Nintendo reportedly has optimised production costs to obtain a significant profit margin with each Wii unit sold. As per the Financial Times, this direct profit per Wii sold may vary from $13 in Japan to $49 in the United States and $79 in Europe.