Nintendo's Wii beats Playstation and Xbox

The Nintendo Wii has become the fastest-selling games console in UK history, with more than one million consoles sold since it was released in December, latest figures show.

The Wii passed the milestone just 38 weeks after going on sale, 11 weeks faster than the PlayStation 2 took to reach this target, and 22 weeks faster than the Xbox 360, according to Chart Track, an independent sales tracking company for the gaming industry.

The console has taken the gaming world by storm, thanks to its innovative motion-sensitive control system and family-friendly games, such as Big Brain Academy and Wii Sports, in which you use the "wiimote" to participate in games of tennis, bowling and baseball.

The sales figures are particularly impressive because the Wii was in short supply following its much-heralded launch just before last Christmas [ie, Xmas 2006], and has only recently become easily available again.

David Yarnton, general manager of Nintendo UK said: "The non-stop demand for Wii, even in the traditionally slow sales period for video games in the UK, is clearly behind this record-breaking achievement.

"With the increasing number of unique software titles for the system from Nintendo and third parties, [the Wii] is being enjoyed by both avid and new gamers of all ages."

It is another blow for Sony, whose latest console, the PlayStation 3, is lagging behind both the Wii and Xbox 360 in terms of sales.

The next-generation device, which offers high-definition gaming and an integrated high-definition Blu-ray DVD player, has been criticised for its high price (around £400), and has suffered from slow sales in the UK.

Around 165,000 PS3 consoles, which went on sale in the UK in March, were sold in the first two days, but sales fell by 82 per cent in the second week, according to Chart Track.