http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2009/05/66504339/1

Note - Are VGchartz numbers undertracked for Wii, if this holds true?

USA Today article-

Perhaps the hottest video game device on the market, the Nintendo Wii, has sold more than 50 million units globally since its debut in November 2006, according to a statement from the company.

Nintendo revealed the figures during its earnings announcement Wednesday, in which the house of Mario posted record sales and profit for the fiscal year.

Equally staggering: More than half of those sales -- 25.95 million -- came during the last fiscal year ending March 31.

Nintendo also reports the Wii now boasts 54 games hitting the one-million sales mark, led by Mario Kart Wii, which sold 15.4 million, and Wii Fit at over 16 million.  As for Wii Music, a game panned by critics at its launch late last year, it sold 2.65 million worldwide.

The big question for the Nintendo Wii now is what's next?  Other than the release of MotionPlus next month and Wii Sports Resort in July, little is known about how Nintendo plans to continue its incredible momentum.  Don't be surprised to hear big news during the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June.  Game Hunters will be there to deliver the latest from E3.

Readers, can the Wii continue this blistering sales pace?

By Brett Molina

Depends on if the the 50 million figure is shipped (ie. sold to retailers). Most likely, that's what it is.

It is shipped. It's always shipped.

I think.

Hmm, though wouldn't they say shipped then?

Probably shipped, yeah. 54 games, huh? VGChartz has 51. Guess those other 3 are the ones really close to the mark. Should mean shipped there, too.

No they wouldn't. This is from Nintendo's end of year accounts, and a sale for Nintendo (when the money hits their accounts) is a sale to a retailer or distributor, not to us.

What we think of as sales is sales to real people. That's sales made *by* retailers and distributors.

Fair enough, Im just recalling past reports where Nintendo has directly said "shipped" vs "sold through".

Wonder what the PS3 and Xb360 shipped numbers are at.

Wow almost 26 million consoles in a single fiscal year - amazing.

OMG!!!

NO WAY!

I totally didn't see this coming.