The South African Times recently announced its yearly special of the "Coolest Gadgets for the Young." Apple's iPod was number one on the list, followed by the PlayStation 3, then Xbox 360, with the Wii in fourth place. This is especially interesting considering the Wii has 51% of the local market share and so outselling the rival consoles combined, according to The Times.

With a majority of the local market share, Nintendo's ranking is a matter of taste, and could be affected by an unknown number of affluent youth who often opt for higher priced, cutting-edge technology. Nintendo's share and ranking is also impressive because of the excessive delays in launching the system in South Africa. The Wii launched in mid-October of 2007 but has exceeded expectations.

"It’s popular with youngsters and older people because of its ability to translate a player’s physical movement onto a screen. This is not just a machine for hardcore gamers (which tend to be young males); it takes video gaming beyond that select group. Adults love it too," says Liesl Loubser, CEO of HDI Youth Marketeers.

The Times special found the common theme of the year was an increased desire for "multifunctional" gadgets (PSP was number five). The Times' Greg Gordon concluded the article with certainty, "And it doesn’t take a soothsayer to see that Nintendo’s Wii console will climb the chart in the year ahead."