The Wii has become Nintendo’s second best-selling console of all-time, beat out only by the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) which made Nintendo a house-hold name in the mid-80’s.
The numbers are a bit complicated, but essentially the Super Nintendo had sold 49.1 million units between November 1990 and September 2003. Believe it or not, even in 1999 Nintendo was still selling SNES, as it had shipped 970,000 SNES consoles worldwide.
But as of December 31st, 2008, Nintendo had sold 44.96 million Wii consoles to retailers. Nintendo projects to ship 26.5 million Wiis for the year ending this month, March 2009, and if it succeeds the numbers would end up at 50.95 million Wii’s shipped, topping the SNES.
And if things stay on pace, then Nintendo should top the Nintendo Entertainment System by September 2009, at which point it will have become Nintendo’s best-selling system of all time. The NES meanwhile, has sold 61.91 million units between August 1983 and March 2003.
For more information on this and exact numbers, be sure to check out VGChartz.