Topic: Wii Fit Makes History with UK Launch

[Yoshidious]

Nintendo's fitness tool bests Mario Kart Wii as its fastest selling piece of software ever in the UK, generating the third-most revenue for a game launch in British history.
 http://nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=15868

 Only two weeks after the runaway success of Mario Kart Wii, Nintendo UK has made history once again as Wii Fit has displaced the multiplayer racer as the company's fastest selling game for the British market. The "body awareness" software and Balance Board accessory have generated the sixth most sales and third most revenue ever for a game launch in the UK during its first two days after release.    

Priced at £69.99, Wii Fit has found its way into the hands of about one in ten British Wii owners since its debut across Europe on April 25, earning Nintendo approximately £16.3million. Only Halo 3 (£16.9m) and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (£24.2m) have managed to out-gross Wii Fit in their launch periods, though the release of Grand Theft Auto IV may add to that list shortly.    

With Mario Kart Wii occupying the no.2 position (despite a 62% drop in sales from last week), Nintendo held the top two spots of the UK All Formats Chart for the first time since the 2003 launch of Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire for the Game Boy Advance. The Sega-published Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games rounded out a clean sweep of the top three positions for Wii, cementing the platform's current dominion over British software sales.

[Nick DiMola]

Well it looks like Nintendo has another bona fide success on their hands. Hopefully this will saturate the market with enough balance boards that 3rd parties consider making games that use the peripheral.

[Enner]

1080 Wii : with balance board support.

What would be crazy if some game uses it for automobile throttle and brake or airplane rudder control.
What would be really crazy is if a game needs it as foot control for some mecha game, seeing as how the board isn't a simple left or right pressure pad if footage from the tilt board minigame is any indication.

[DAaaMan64]

1080 Wii : with balance board support.

What would be crazy if some game uses it for automobile throttle and brake or airplane rudder control.
What would be really crazy is if a game needs it as foot control for some mecha game, seeing as how the board isn't a simple left or right pressure pad if footage from the tilt board minigame is any indication.

I was orgasming about 1080 Wii as I driving home today. Although it has always been a thought of mine, I would LOVE to see it.

[EasyCure]

if its done that well in the UK i guess i have no choice but to pre-order for when this thing hits the states...

[GoldenPhoenix]

I can't preorder the board anywhere here. Does anyone know of a place that is taking US preorders? Me want.

[EasyCure]

gamestop unfortunately

[Ian Sane]

Ah f*ck it.  I'm totally wrong about Wii Fit and I'll admit it.    It'll probably sell huge in North America.  It still is expensive and sounds boring as hell to me but if the mainstream thought like me Miley Cyrus wouldn't have a career and Starbucks would have never gotten off the ground.

Nintendo will probably reveal their next "Wii _____" game soon and I'll wager it will require the use of some special peripheral.  With this and stuff like Guitar Hero it appears the market is very willing to buy games that require speciality controllers despite higher prices.  Might as well go for it while they can.

Funny how the remote was designed because controllers were supposedly too intimidating and here with the Wii they sell remotes, nunchuks, classic controllers, the zapper and now this board (on top of supporting Cube controllers) and the non-gamers that were supposed to be easily confused are eating it up.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Wii is more than just controllers.

Wii is about Us.

[NWR_pap64]

Ian: The next Wii game is going to be "Wii Music", and so far it will only use the Wiimote and nun-chuck.

[KDR_11k]

Peripherials sell if the game can make a good case for using them and is of high quality. AFAIK Nintendo's success with all those training games comes in a large part from them being fun to play despite being exercise.

[Kairon]

Funny how the remote was designed because controllers were supposedly too intimidating and here with the Wii they sell remotes, nunchuks, classic controllers, the zapper and now this board (on top of supporting Cube controllers) and the non-gamers that were supposed to be easily confused are eating it up.

It's not confusing to buy something new. It's confusing to hook it up and use it. Actual operation is where peripherals really shine, be it a Guitar Hero controller or the Wii Balance Board.

[oohhboy]

Good to see something that's not GTA, hell, not even a game get some press time. There is more to life than shooting hookers.

[Caliban]

Today I went to get me some games. I wanted to pre-order Wii Fit, but they were no longer accepting pre-orders. Ah well.