Wii flies in Japan

Monday, 4th December 2006 at 10:00 am

The launch of Nintendo’s Wii in its home territory of Japan over the weekend went without a hitch – with a reported 400,000 units flying off the shelves.

Games blog Joystiq is reporting that the launch of the console has led to far fewer eBay sales than were seen with the PS3 launch a few weeks ago. Currently Wii hardware is being sold on online auction sites for only a little higher than the console’s retail price.

Early indications suggest that the console’s software tie-in ratio was higher than PS3 too, with copies of Zelda, Wii Sports and Wii Play proving most popular with Japanese Nintendo fans.

MCV media partner Famitsu has also stated that the Tokyo Ikebukuro branch of Bic Camera sold its 1,200 consoles straight away. While UK stores won’t have quite as many on launch day in Europe (December 8th, as if you needed reminding), hopes are nevertheless high for a problem-free launch when it arrives on these shores this coming Friday.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/24977/Wii-flies-in-Japan