Over the past many years, Nintendo has dominated combined hardware sales worldwide with its Wii + Wii U + 3DS consoles. But last fiscal year, Nintendo hardware sales fell by 31% to 16.3 million units combined, which resulted in dropping to second place in the worldwide hardware sales race.
Nintendo’s Japanese rival Sony took the top spot by selling almost 19 million hardware units, comprised of the new PlayStation 4, the PS3, and PS Vita. This is the first time that Nintendo isn’t the top selling hardware maker in 8 years — since 2006.
Microsoft sales rose as well last fiscal year, selling 11 million Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles. While the Wii U has been struggling, Nintendo’s 3DS sales have picked up since last Summer. But that still wasn’t enough to retain the top spot as the best selling console maker in the world. It’s not all bad news though, as just last week, the Wii U outsold the PS4 and PS3 in Japan, thanks to Mario Kart 8.
E3 is next week where all major console makers are expected to unveil new games and franchises for their respective systems. Nintendo will be showcasing a Super Smash Bros game for the Wii U and 3DS, and it’s rumored that we’ll get a glimpse of a new Zelda Wii U game as well.
Stay tuned to full E3 coverage from Wii U Daily next week!
