Wii Continues to Outsell Xbox 360

The Nintendo Wii is outselling the Xbox 360 by more than double despite Microsoft’s excellent performance on Black Friday.  The Wii shipment numbers totaled a whopping 2.04 million in November while only 836,000 Xbox 360 consoles were shipped in November.  The Playstation 3 was basically dead in the water with less than 400,000 units shipped.

I own both a Wii and an Xbox 360 and I have to say that I’m pretty shocked that these two aren’t closer in sales.  I know that the Wii is more innovative to users since it uses those sensor remotes and it also appeals to a wide range of people since games like Wii Fit can be used by toddlers and senior citizens. 

If Microsoft is going to remain competitive, they are going to have to figure out a way to tap into the demographics that Nintendo has captured since I doubt many elderly men are buying Gears of War whereas those same men may be inclined to purchase Wii Sports as a simple, indoor method of getting some physical fitness. 

Something Microsoft can do is really promote the Xbox 360 as more than a console.  I know that I use it on an almost daily basis by connecting it to my Windows Media Center and watching movies and television shows I recorded using my TV tuner. 

Focus on the things the Wii can’t do.  Remember those great Sega Genesis ads (the ones that pointed out all the things that “Genesis Does” and all the things that “Nintendon’t”)?  In case you feel like walking down memory lane, here’s an example.  Let’s hope Microsoft comes up with something that’s just as memorable 15 years from now:

image: nintendo.ca