In this regard I do agree, but this is a Nintendo problem that has existed for 3 generations now. It didnt hurt Nintendo yet this generation, but is starting to now.  The problem is Nintendo with how they do business has these large lapses without compelling software (although SMG2 is hard to argue wasnt compelling).  This doesnt only harm them during the lapses but afterwards as well.  Thus my tag line.  Console manufacturers need to make sure that compelling software is always coming or the consumer sees a concern with the hardware.  Be that 1st, 2nd or 3rd party the compelling software must always be coming or people lose faith.  So with a couple of compelling titles coming during the holidays is no hardware driver because all of the consoles have compelling new software available for the holidays.  The software has to be coming all year.

So .95m games in a couple of days in EMEAA and aaround 50k HW boost for Reach.  I agree that it could have been more on the larger userbase but most of the world is suffering economically right now and overall sales have had less of a dip in Am. and Japan.  If 1m is a magical number indicating success then maybe you'll get a nice adjustment.  This looks pretty good to me but I did expect another 15 or 20% on both SW and HW. Reach will outperform most of the guesses made here on VGC over the last few years that's for sure.      

A similar drop for a game like GT5 where EMEAA is home turf would mean a lot more money left on the table.  GTs aren't as front-loaded though so it could sell more in a year or two as the recession abates.  The biggest issue then is when do they push out GT6?  My 10.5 LT guess looks a little less likely.  

I haven't done an in-depth analysis on the relative strenghs of the regions during the downturn obviously but it makes sense that the countries with a larger middle-class and higher standards of living would retain more disposable income.  Places like northern EU, UK, Aus. and ROK can't hold up the overall WW sales numbers.  Here's a comparison with Sept. 20, 2008; 3rd on the Others chart sold 110k vs 44k here (Wii Sports on both),  20th was 22k in 2008 vs 13k now and around 12k nabbed the 50 spot.  Heavy Rain charted this week at 6.2k.  Nice job Maddy.  I believe I would find similar drops if I did this for hours.  It seems to me EMEAA is making up less of the WW% than a few years ago as well.  I'll check further on my little theory when I get the chance.   

Edit: Changed my no. for the HW boost, HW wasn't as low as I thought last week or falling as fast.  I stand self-corrected. 

Gah, you people are keeping me busy in this thread!

As people can see, there's been quite a bit of use of the word 'fanboy' in this thread. Calling a specific user a fanboy is something that is subject to moderation. However, there is a difference between a fanboy and a fan. A fan is capable of looking at things logically, and some people here are doing that. A fanboy is someone who blindly thinks that their preferred item is best, and will twist thing however they can do prove so. For instance, in this thread, there's a post about it being fanboyish to see something not going their way as a statisicaly tie, but something of a smaller margin percentage-wise is still a victory. That's a reference to twisting information. Anyway, let's steer this away from a general PS3 vs Wii thread; this is the sales discussion, not the general area. Get back on topic, please.

After catching up on this entire thread and enjoying the debate I get to this comment and got completely sidetracked to the fact that I do not make enough money to support my gaming habits for next year. PS3 has plenty of cards left to play.

Robust XB360 boost from _Halo: Reach. Were there bundles?

PS3 more than decent too.

Shopping around, I walked by a GameStop and noticed that in the shop window and on the sides of the entrance they were heavily advertising Halo:Reach, Starcraft II and XB360, but there was almost nothing about Wii and offers on it and absolutely no advertising visible from outside for PS3 and Move.

Anyone who doesn't think NSMB was the reason wii killed last holiday is in denial.

The first sidescrolling console Mario in a couple generations is what boosted hardware.

Just like DKC will to a lesser extent.

7 million copies during the holidays? That moved HW

price cut very little it wasn't that expensive to begin with.

But a game that sold that much had to move a ton of HW

the game that nintendo refused to make for 2 generations the game people like me have been waiting for  IMHO

yes :). if you read my other post massive is halo in the us, and big is halo in europe.

While I do agree with you that NSMB Wii definitely was a big part of the surge, a $50 can make a pretty big difference.

DKCR...that game is a wildcard, really. It could be a smash hit just like the first, or sell just like its successors. I think perhaps it'll get in between, if not as high as the first.

Reach is a monster. Should have around 4.7 - 4.8 Million WW opening.