Wii beating PS2's lifetime sales - possible or not?

I don't have the most up-to-date figures, but as of December 31, 2010, the Wii has sold more than 84 million units sold worldwide over a period of 4+ years and counting, whereas the PS2 stands at around 150 million worldwide since 2000. So far, despite the recent introduction of the Kinect and the PS Move, the Wii has still managed to hold onto its own andonce the next generation approaches, it will be interesting to see how it will fareespecially once Nintendo takes the price down a couple of notches further. So.....do you think its possible that the Wii has what it takes to knock the PS2 out of its throne and become the best selling home console of all time? Explain your reasons why or why not.

It's definitely possible. The only thing that would prevent it would be if Nintendo were to release a new system and completely drop all support to the Wii.

It's definitely possible. The only thing that would prevent it would be if Nintendo were to release a new system and completely drop all support to the Wii.

Lionheart08

Yeah, in about 2 years I reckon that the Wii's successorwill already be out which would definitely hurt the Wii's sales.

it might, but the PS2 numbers keep going up as it's still selling, last figure I think is at 150 million, and it'd be significant if it did because the PS2 pretty much had no competition last gen with the Xbox only selling some 25 million and the GameCube only selling like 22 million, right now the Wii is at like 85 million and that's with the Xbox 360 selling 52 million and the PS3 selling 48 million, so if the Wii does beat PS2 lifetime sales that'd be pretty significantlamprey263

Well what they both have in common is that they're both cheap gaming experiences (I assume this will happen to the Wii once the Wii2 comes out anyway).

But the PS2 also had the fact that it was a DVD player, which I think gave it longer legs and more of a reason for people to keep one in their rooms.

So I don't think the Wii will surpass the PS2. It has a long way to go yet, and people are feeling the next generation coming on soon (from Nintendo anyway).

it might, but the PS2 numbers keep going up as it's still selling, last figure I think is at 150 million, and it'd be significant if it did because the PS2 pretty much had no competition last gen with the Xbox only selling some 25 million and the GameCube only selling like 22 million, right now the Wii is at like 85 million and that's with the Xbox 360 selling 52 million and the PS3 selling 48 million, so if the Wii does beat PS2 lifetime sales that'd be pretty significantlamprey263

You know I have towonder when Sony's gonna pull the plug on the PS2. Are there still new games coming out for it? That darn little boxisso ancient that everytime I look at it on the store shelf, I find myself ruminating about the days when the Dreamcast was still around.

In case anyone's wondering, no, I don't blame the PS2 for the Dreamcast's demise.

Well what they both have in common is that they're both cheap gaming experiences (I assume this will happen to the Wii once the Wii2 comes out anyway).

But the PS2 also had the fact that it was a DVD player, which I think gave it longer legs and more of a reason for people to keep one in their rooms.

So I don't think the Wii will surpass the PS2. It has a long way to go yet, and people are feeling the next generation coming on soon (from Nintendo anyway).

trugs26

I actually know people that bought the system just to play movies...kinda like in the same way that people bought the Wii just to play Wii Sports.

I really doubt that the Wii can overcome the 150 million mark, but the DS on the other hand might.

I really doubt that the Wii can overcome the 150 million mark, but the DS on the other hand might.

ZIVX

Its at around 144 million I think.

It's definitely possible, but unless Nintendo decides to follow Sony's 10-year lifespan approach, I don't think it could manage to topple the PS2's overall sales. The constant software support from both Sony and third-party developers is what's kept the PS2 selling. If Nintendo were to do the same with the Wii when its successor comes out, whenever that may be, it could very manage to surpass the PS2. Given Nintendo's history of leaving consoles to die after launching new hardware, however, I'd say chances are strong that the Wii will at best fall just short of surpassing the PS2's sales. I'd think it would at least cut it real close, though.

Are there still new games coming out for it?

BladesOfAthena

Not much these days, but yes. From browsing the next couple months of releases here on GameSpot, the PS2 had three games listed as coming out between now and the end of May: a couple baseball games and a wrestling game. So nothing special. Pretty crazy how its still pulling itself along, though.

Its possible,but I really dont see it happening. The PS2 is still on the market selling,although not like it used to. But still,every unit sold will just widen the gap further for the Wii to pass it.

It might happen if Nintendo continues to give it a bit of support after their next console is released.

They might have had a higher chance of making it if Wii had the failure rates of the PS2. :P

Seriously though, I still can't tell at this point in time.

wow i just checked...wiis are going for 180 dollars. probably old news but i havent checked on the wii price in ages. anywho i dont think so. the wii needs another system seller that makes more headway into other markets or a game that gets the PS3 and 360 crowds buying. now maybe ninty have a big surprise at e3 to tackle this but its going to get harder from here on in. a price drop to 149.99 for christmas would spark off a buying frenzy but an y price drop needs to be backed by a new killer app to realy push it forward. the wii is putting in decent numbers now (by no means dead as some seem to think) but its losing momentum now. it needs new headline grabbing games (the price drop is not higely necessary but always nice :) ).osan0

There's quite a few games on the Wii that cater to the PS3/360 crowd, namely Call Of Duty: Black Ops, Metroid: Other M, Monster Hunter, and Goldeneye. What's problematic for the Wii is, the PS3/360 crowd know that there are much better alternativesto be found on the HD consoles, coupled with the fact that online play/achievements is a huge part of their gameplay experiences.

It's possible when you consider the fact that more people game now than did in 2000, or 2004 for that matter (4 years after PS2's release), however it still has a long way to go.

It has already taken up a huge portion of the casual audience, so at this point I imagine the majority of sales are going to more dedicated gamers, who want to add a Wii to their collection and enjoy the now more expansive library it offers.

The determining factor will be to see what kind of legs it has after the Wii 2's (or whatever they're going to call it) release. I imagine another Nintendo console will be released within 2 years, and the Wii will not have passed the PS2 2 years from now barring a serious price cut (like down to $50-$99). So the question remains how much will it sell during the next generation.

[QUOTE="ZIVX"]

I really doubt that the Wii can overcome the 150 million mark, but the DS on the other hand might.

BladesOfAthena

Its at around 144 million I think.

However with the 3ds out, I seriously doubt the DS is going to be making anymore sales...

It's possible when you consider the fact that more people game now than did in 2000, or 2004 for that matter (4 years after PS2's release), however it still has a long way to go.

It has already taken up a huge portion of the casual audience, so at this point I imagine the majority of sales are going to more dedicated gamers, who want to add a Wii to their collection and enjoy the now more expansive library it offers.

The determining factor will be to see what kind of legs it has after the Wii 2's (or whatever they're going to call it) release. I imagine another Nintendo console will be released within 2 years, and the Wii will not have passed the PS2 2 years from now barring a serious price cut (like down to $50-$99). So the question remains how much will it sell during the next generation.

TacticalDesire

Nintendo don't really have a history of pumping out a console after they put out a successor.

I don't have the most up-to-date figures, but as of December 31, 2010, the Wii has sold more than 84 million units sold worldwide over a period of 4+ years and counting, whereas the PS2 stands at around 150 million worldwide since 2000. So far, despite the recent introduction of the Kinect and the PS Move, the Wii has still managed to hold onto its own andonce the next generation approaches, it will be interesting to see how it will fareespecially once Nintendo takes the price down a couple of notches further. So.....do you think its possible that the Wii has what it takes to knock the PS2 out of its throne and become the best selling home console of all time? Explain your reasons why or why not.

BladesOfAthena

The Wii2 might hit as early as this Christmas and the release of its successor will probably be sooner rather than later. The DS is outselling the Wii worldwide and has less competition (the PSP is only a strong competitor for the DS in Japan) but Nintendo recently released the 3DS. The Wii is currently being outsold by the PS3 in Japan and the X360 in the US and Europe (in part due to the success of Kinect among casuals) so in fact the only surprise to me is that a successor to the DS was announced before a successor to the Wii.

Skyward Sword is the only thing mitigating against an E3 announcement and a Christmas launch for the Wii 2 and that might suffer the fate of Mario 128 or Twilight Princess.

It'll never happen. The Wii isn't in the same universe as the PS2 in terms of game library.

I think its possible, but it mostly depends on how quickly Nintendo puts out a new console, and if they stop supporting the Wii when they do. I think the Wii still has a long way to go before it gets to the PS2.

With graphics and processing power moving at such an advanced rate I don't think the Wii can stay in the market as long as the PS2 has been going. Isn't the PS2 still breathing on life support by sports games even now?