“The NPD Group in the U.S. and GfK of Germany in Europe, claims that consumers around the world have purchased a total of nine million Wii’s, 8.9 million Xbox 360 units and 3.7 million PS3s.”

Link to article.

Here’s our take as to why Nintendo is #1 and will be for several years and perhaps until the next generation.

Of course, we’re just pointing out what consumers already know but seems to have escaped Sony & Microsoft … From a recent study by Consumer Insight Monitor,

“Wii was found to have the highest purchase intent scores and appears to be “appealing to a broader consumer base due to its price, innovation and ease of use … BrandIntel said that the Wii is “poised to become consumers’ choice for next-generation gaming” and the console “generated very positive levels of appeal and brand image and came highly recommended by consumers.”

As it does become #1, it then becomes a self perpetuating cycle* because developers are naturally inclined to develop more games for the #1 seller – no matter who it is – just as EA basically tried to ignore the Wii, thinking it would be another GameCube and is now playing catch-up … just imagine how many Guitar/Drum/Bass Heroes Activision can sell for a motion sensor based system … AND of course, what doesn’t hurt is how much cheaper it is to develop for the Wii.

In case you missed our buying advice on the Wii bundles but I have actually seen it on the shelves in two stores so supplies are starting to meet demand.

* This time, Nintendo has to remember not to be an a** to 3rd party developers. Other than that, they have clear sailing.