| slashydrunkard said: Pretty much. I hate it when people say "Why do you care about sales?" Sales are how we measure a console's success. The more successful the console, the longer its lifespan, which equates to more games to play. |
Well... not exactly. Many declared the Wii as the winner of the 7th generation (even if it is not finished yet), because it sold the most hardware units.
Had it the longest lifespan? When were the last noteworthy titles released?
- Wii = Skyward Sword (60 months after launch), Xenoblade Chronicles (64 months after launch), The Last Story (68 months after launch)
- PS3 = Diablo 3, GTA5, FIFA14, NBA2K14, Battlefield 4, AC4, R&C: Nexus, XCOM: Enemy Within, NfS Rivals, MineCraft, TWD Season 2 (82 - 85 months after launch), further support at least 18 months (Thief, Destiny, Persona 5...)
- Xbox360 = Diablo 3, GTA5, FIFA14, NBA2K14, Battlefield 4, AC4, XCOM: Enemy Within, NfS Rivals, TWD Season 2 (94 - 97 months after launch), further support at least 9 months (Thief, Titanfall, Destiny...)
Had it the most good games? No, on both other platforms there are many more quality titles... and they will get even more in 2014
- 90+ metascore: Wii = 14, PS3 = 51, Xbox360 = 53
- 85+ metascore: Wii = 43, PS3 = 170, Xbox360 = 178
- 80+ metascore: Wii = 106, PS3 = 374, Xbox360 = 404
- 75+ metascore: Wii = 199, PS3 = 577, Xbox360 = 677
Had it the most sold games? If we only count retail games, then yes... so far.
Wii = 912 millions, Xbox360 = 865 millions, PS3 = 795 millions... these are not big gaps and they will close over time (due to the better software support in 2013 and 2014). All three platforms will probably reach around 1 billion retail sales in 2015. And if we add digital sales (not a forte of the Wii), it will lose its pole position even faster.
Had it the highest hardware revenue? Probably not... it sold more units, but at a lower price. On the other hand: if we consider over 42 million sold Balance Boards, the overall Wii revenue should be higher than the 360 revenue (80+ million consoles and 24+ million Kinect) or the PS3 revenue.
Had it the highest profits? Yes, by far! Everything was highly profitable from the start: the console hardware, the accessories (wiimotes, nunchuks, balance boards), the software (much less development costs than for HD games). But from a consumer perspective, the Wii had the shortest lifespan and the fewest good games.
