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Japan: Wii U’s Lifetime Sales Surpass Xbox 360

This week’s Media Create sales came as no surprise with the PlayStation 4, bundled with Knack, dominating the software and hardware charts. However, beady eyes have noted that the Wii U has now overtaken the Xbox 360’s lifetime sales in Japan. Currently, the Wii U stands at 1,643,095 units – with a steady 7-8k sold each week – while the Xbox 360 lifetime to date sales clocks in at 1,641,528 units.

Nintendo’s home console still has a few leaps to make in order to reach the PlayStation Vita’s 2.5 million lifetime sales, but there’s still many great releases around the corner, including Mario Kart 8, to drum sales up further.

57 thoughts on “Japan: Wii U’s Lifetime Sales Surpass Xbox 360”

  1. Not really a big surprise since Xbox never really has been popular in Japan, but still very nice. I’m rooting for the Wii U!

    1. it would be lot better if the online was free, i cant even fucking watch netflix without xbox live, Nintendo curbstomps Microsoft and Sony Obliterates them.

      1. The only reason it’s not free, in comparison to PSN, is that Microsoft runs the servers for online games, where Sony lets the individual companies run their servers. I would assume that, because you need gold to watch Netflix, Microsoft also runs the servers Xboxs use to run Netflix.

    2. From a person who’s only ever owned Nintendo and Sony consoles (well, and briefly a Dreamcast, but I’m trying to make a point) to an Xbox owner, I’ve been wanting to ask: what exactly is the point of owning an Xbox console, anyway? From what I understand, there are almost no exclusives (unless one wants Halo that badly), one must pay for any online service, and it’s two positive points I’ve observed or heard of (multi-platform titles with superior frame-rates and a godsend of a controller) are either ousted by or compatible with (respectively) PC. I guess there’s a chance all of one’s friends are on Xbox, but WHY are they all on Xbox? What’s the point? I’m not spiting you for owning one, I’m just asking if there might be a reason to want one.

      1. I remember a friend purchasing a xbox game only to realize we couldnt even play it without an live account. cant remember the title, but thats pretty shitty.

      2. Blue Dragon is an amazing RPG, and the only reason I got the 360. I never paid for Live since Blue Dragon has no online.

        I use my 360 as a baby sitting console when my mom’s church friends invade my house with their children. They all love Rock Band. Unfortunately, I can’t use any video steaming services because they all require Live. Fortunately, I can use Wii or PS3 for that (my WiiU is in my room).

      3. I bought mine because of instant access to all songs uploaded to the Rock Band Network. But now that the Rock Band series is pretty much dead, I don’t use it much. Now I’m mostly playing GameCube or PS2.

      4. Being an “Xbox Guy”, I find that if you were to replace the words “Xbox” and “Halo” in your post with the words “Playstation” and “Killzone”, that the argument would essentially be the same. Granted, having to pay for XBOX live gold is a major drawback, but last time I checked sony was offering their own premium online service known as Playstation Plus. playing on the PS3 network before Plus existed had it’s on pitfalls, and when paying for a premium online service you really do get a better experience (less lag, less randomly dropped connections). I think you nailed it when you said that a lot of people get Xboxes because their friends are on it, but it goes deeper than that. I don’t know if you remember, but before the Xbox/PS2 launched, the console war was between N64 and PS1. I personally loathed anything sony (what do you want- I was 13), so when it came time to hunker down on the high end new console in the early 2000’s, the Xbox was a no brainer, not to mention that when Halo was new, it was the coolest video game I had ever seen. So like many dumb Americans, I’ve spent the last 13 years of my life developing a certain brand loyalty. That’s now to say I’m an Xbox fan boy, as my true loyalties will always lie with Nintendo, but when it comes to high performance consoles, PS and Xbox are in a league of their own. I really think it’s a similar debate as “coke vs. Pepsi”, they’re basically the same thing with a few minor differences, and serve the same function, some people just prefer one over the other. In either event, I won’t be purchasing a PS4 or Xbox One until they fall below the $300 price point, there are way too many Wii U and 3DS games I need to get on before I go and blow $500+ on consoles that haven’t released any “must have” games for me.

        Sorry if that was super long winded, but I hope that clears some things up for you

        1. No apology needed, friend. I sincerely appreciate an effortfully written post, and thank you for your help. However, I question your opening point: “I find that if you were to replace the words “Xbox” and “Halo” in your post with the words “Playstation” and “Killzone”, that the argument would essentially be the same.”. I’m afraid I don’t understand. Looking at just the last console generation, Playstation has Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, multiple entries in the Ratchet & Clank series, Infamous 1 and 2, The Last of Us, the Uncharted trilogy, Journey/Flow/Flower, the fourth Sly Cooper title, Metal Gear Solid 4, and numerous Tales Of entries (though, come to think of it, it’s worth mentioning that Vesperia is a 360 exclusive in the west), and that’s just a list of exclusives I’ve purchased or taken interest in since investing in a PS3 (obviously not inclusive of the abundant multi-platform titles that fill out the rest of the generation’s worth).

          1. Point well taken with that list of PS3 exclusives, being an Xbox guy I’ve never played any of those games. Perhaps instead of waiting for the XBONE to drop in price, I should pick up a ps3 cheap and catch up on the last 7+ years of PS games I’ve missed

      5. I’m not an avid Xbox user by any means, but I did pick up a 360 a couple of years after it came out. I picked up a refurbished model at a low price point ($130 I think) so I could play Fable 2 (an exclusive) and Batman Arkham Asylum. Those two games drove me to want a 360 at the time, and they were worth it to me. The controller is nice, and if you decide to get Xbox Live (I had it for about 6 months) the ESPN app is pretty awesome.

  2. Not trying to downplay this but is this really an achievement considering how poorly the Xbox brand sells in Japan? Really no surprise there.

    I mean the PSP still sells more than the 360 every couple weeks.

    1. Do the math. 360 sells 1.6 million in Japan in 9 years. Wii U sells a little bit more than that in 1 year. It didn´t take long to surpass 360 considering how much Wii U is struggling.

  3. Pingback: Wii U Lifetime Sales Pass the Xbox 360 in Japan | PLAYERESSENCE

  4. Surprised we don’t have as many Xbots and Sonyfanfags storming the thread like butthurt noobs who can’t get they’re first kill and need a band-aid for they’re extreme butthurt and seeing even inanimate objects succeed better in life than they could with a single life in COD.

  5. XBOX doesn’t seem to be as popular in Japan. It seems to be more popular in the states, but I may be wrong. Sony and Nintendo dominate in Japan. Both are great in their own way. I wonder if the Wii U can outsell the Vita. I love them both, but it’s Nintendo, they should be able to 1-up that. (pun intended).

  6. Pingback: Wii U Lifetime Sales Pass the Xbox 360 in Japan

  7. Well this was kind of expected but I did not expect it this soon. This isn’t a testament to how well the Wii U is doing but rather how poorly the 360 sold over there.

  8. Nintendo Babies celebrating.about.the Weak U beating the life time.sales of.360

    Dumb little Nintendorks

    1st and foremost JAPAN IS DEAD to the game industry just like.the weak u

    Japanese are the leaders I’n gaming no mare and that’s not where the money is anymore

    You want proof

    Continue. To Read carefully

    Both Sony and Nintendo used to launch thier consoles In .Japan 1st.

    That pattern came to an end with the release of the Wii and Wii U which both.got released In America 1st then Japan afterwards

    Also the Sony followed the same pattern started by Nintendo with the launch of PS4

    Keiji Inafune also stated the Japanese game industry is DEAD.

    Also look at the former great IP’s that no longer exist or have being milked to death or totally changed for the worse by Japanese companies such as Crapcom,Skewsoft, lol sorry let me rephrase…

    Capcom,squareenix, Namco,Konami

    These companies are at a brink of bankruptcy and when last did you see more then one or even any of thier games in.the top 5 worldwide

    The only franchise from 3rd party Japanese development studios that will still see top 5 in the charts worldwide is MGS,

    Tekken is dead,Final fantasy is dead,Resident evil and street fighter is dead as far as top 5 In the charts is concerned, so tell me you little babies

    Why celebrate the flop of a weak console beating sales of xbox360

    Japanese are also known for being pro Japanese in thier tastes and anti American

    Reason why Apple isn’t and never will dominate in Japan, reason why you won’t see American or German cars outselling Toyota and other Japanese car makers in Japan you stupid babies

    Microsoft doesn’t car about Japan just like the rest of the Gaming industry, business wise.

    Remember what happened between Gamecube and Xbox in.Japan

    The poor failure of the gamecube outsold the lifetime sales of xbox in.Japan but what did xbox do to gamecube in the rest of the world?

    It raped GC so bad sales wise it was too sad for Nintendo

    Look up the sales for yourselves

    By December this year xboxone will have beaten Weak U life time sales

    Watch

    1. I am literally laughing at how much of your time you’re wasting by typing this mess. Nobody here cares what you say. So why spend your time typing a useless essay?

    2. Nintendo isn’t even close to dead. I just bought 2 Nintendo Wii-U’s the reason they haven’t sold so wel is because people were waiting for games and the offerings from Sony and X-Box. Now that X-box has nothing to offer and Sony and Nintendo does it will be a fight between the two. Nintendo will pick-up console sales big time but probably not first but certainly respectable. Nintendo is now bringing out the games. Recently I seen tons of posts where people are now choosing mainly the Wii-U as the game system to get, how long that will last remains to be seen. I like Nintendo because I can’t stand all the stupid shooter games are seem to be the main thong going for Xbox and PS4. I like adventure, Puzzle, arcade and RPG. the rest can to hell in my opinion.

  9. Pingback: The Wii U lifetime sales surpasses the Xbox 360 | Gamers Sphere

  10. Good to know this, but Microsoft was never popular over in Japan, I will always love Sony and Nintendo, but Microsoft, I don’t get why they need a gaming system, they have the PC, all systems have there ups and downs, I my self a Nintendo fan, don’t see a big deal with this, this is kind of sad, that its only sold this many in over a year. but Wiiu is great overall, has plenty of potential. Just people need to give it time, and work the power it has, It may not be a powerful PC, But it great for a game system.

  11. I miss those days when graphics did not make a good game great, lets look at before my time, Atari, and how you had to use your imagination for it’s graphics, of its time, the Atari 2600 had a long life spam, believe it or not. And Atari still makes games still i think.

  12. Remember the bit aura? 8 bit 16 bit, 64 bit, ahh the good old days. Good old bit wars with Nintendo and Sega.

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