Nintendo has outsold its competitors for the fifth consecutive year by selling over half a million consoles in 2010 in Australia according to GfK data.
The Nintendo DS range of handhelds including the Lite, Dsi and DSi XL sold over 520,000 units, bringing the total to over three million units sold. This makes the Nintendo DS range the highest selling gaming console in Australia so far.
Sony and Microsoft did not release specific numbers from the recent GfK data on their own consoles. Instead, Sony said the PlayStation 3 made up 26.5% of all console sales in 2010. Microsoft said that its Xbox 360 console achieved its best year in 2010 with sales up 20% since 2009.
Nintendo’s Wii console took its own merits too, surpassing the DS in November as the fastest selling console by selling two million units in 47 months, ahead of the DS’s 52 months.
While the DS outsold the rest of the gaming market, Wii still maintained its reign at the top of home consoles specifically, ahead of the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Australian gaming industry rep Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (iGEA) recorded sales of around $1.7 billion for 2010 – a decline of 16% from 2009.
2011 will see new competition hitting the gaming market with the PlayStation’s portable range getting a tablet makeover and Nintendo releasing the 3D handheld, the 3DS.
