Wii… are number 1.

In a stunning turn of events, Nintendo is now the world wide leader in the home console business. Yes. I’m not kidding you. This is the first time since 1994 when Nintendo dominated the market with its Super Nintendo and Game Boy devices.

The Wii sold 10.57 million units as of August 23, surpassing Microsoft’s XBox 360 console which sold 10.51 million units, and placing it on number 2. The Wii sells faster then the most successful console up until this point, the PlayStation 2.

As weekly data from vgchartz.com shows(**), the console outsold Microsoft’s Xbox 360 by a margin of 2.3 : 1 worldwide on average each week since its release, selling at an even faster rate than the most successful console ever created, Sony’s Playstation 2, despite still being sold out in most major markets.

This is the first time that a company has been market leader in the home console and the handheld market since 1994 when Nintendo’s Super NES and Gameboy dominated worldwide.

The Wii has been released in December last year, and is spearheading innovation regarding the game play experience, and may define the controlling standard of future consoles from Nintendo as well as others. With this official note from Video Game Chartz, the Wii now is the market leader.

The Press Release at Video Game Chartz