Wii sales trounce PS3 in Japan

Nintendo's Wii games console outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 by a ratio of more than 6 to 1 in June in Japan, a game magazine publisher said, solidifying Nintendo's leading position.

Nintendo sold 270,974 units of the Wii in the four weeks prior to 24 June, compared with 41,628 units for the PS3 and 17,616 units for Microsoft's Xbox 360, according to data from Enterbrain.

The Wii's lead against the PS3 was 4 to 1 in April and 5 to 1 in May.

The Wii's strong performance, coupled with continued brisk demand for Nintendo's portable game gear, the DS, helped the Kyoto-based company shoot past Sony in market capitalisation last week and become one of Japan's ten most valuable companies.

The Wii has won more customers than its two rivals since its Japanese launch late last year by offering innovative ways of playing console games.

The device features a motion-sensitive controller that allows users to direct on-screen play by swinging it like a baseball bat or wielding it like a sword, opening a new avenue of gaming.

Sony, which has dominated the $30bn global games industry over the past decade with its PlayStation and PlayStation 2, saw a slow start for the PS3 due mainly to its high prices and lack of attractive software titles.

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