Microsoft can now lay claim to having the best selling game console worldwide in 2011. Geekwire points out that Microsoft has admitted, via its own financial reports, to worldwide sales of 14.9 million Xbox 360 units for 2011. It"s the first time that Microsoft has the number one best selling game console for a full calendar year.
The Xbox 360 sales numbers for 2011 narrowly beat Sony"s Playstation 3 console, which had worldwide sales of 14.1 million for the past year, and Nintendo"s fading Wii console, which generated worldwide sales of just 10.33 million for 2011.
For the current console generation, Nintendo"s Wii is still on top with overall sales of 95 million. However its current sales slump will likely continue as Nintendo plans to launch its successor, the Wii U, sometime in late 2012.
The Xbox 360 has had overall worldwide sales of 66 million, even though the console has almost non-existent sales in Japan. Sony"s PS3 is dead last in the current console war with total sales of 62 million units worldwide. That"s significant since Sony dominated the previous two console generations with the PS1 and PS2 consoles. Perhaps Sony"s new CEO Kazuo Hirai needs to announce plans for the PS4 in the near future, even though he"s already said Sony has no plans for any generation console announcement at E3 this June.