Wii U Sales Reach 7.3m, 3DS Sales Hit 45m

Global Wii U sales have reached 7.29 million units ahead of the console's two-year anniversary, Nintendo has revealed.

That means it's fairly likely the Wii U is still outselling the Xbox One, but perhaps understandably so considering its twelve-month head start.

Sales momentum is on an upward trajectory too, with Nintendo shipping 1.1 million units during the six months to September, compared to the 460k it shipped during the same period last year.

However, the number offers more insight into the scale of the challenge Nintendo faces replicating past success. By this stage in its life cycle, the Wii had sold 34 million units.

In terms of software, 41 million Wii U games shipped worldwide, with the latest success being Mario Kart 8, which sold nearly 3 million copies in its first month.

Meanwhile, Nintendo 3DS sales have slowed significantly in the past year as the device reaches maturation. Overall global hardware sales are now at 45.4 million, with 186 million games shipped.

The 3DS is now in its fifteenth financial quarter since release. By this stage in its cycle, the original Nintendo DS sold 77 million units.

Nintendo will be looking to continue the 3DS's sales momentum in 2015 with the release of the New 3DS console.