One third of Japanese Wii owners have Wii Fit

by Candace Savino { May 14th 2008 at 3:00PM }

Every week, sales charts show us that Wii Fit is popular among Japanese gamers. To give you a sense of just how well it's doing, though, Enterbrain recently reported that two million copies of the fitness title have been sold in Japan. Matched with recent reports of six million Wii consoles being sold in the region, that means every one in three Japanese Wii owners bought a copy of Wii Fit.

It hasn't yet caught up to its Nintendo cousin, Wii Sports, which has almost reached the three million mark. Yet, keep in mind that 1) Wii Fit was released a year after Wii Sports and 2) Wii Fit is a lot more expensive; it costs more than a usual Wii game, while Wii Sports costs less than the standard. To throw in another interesting comparison, Media Create sales indicate that there are almost as many Wii Fit owners in Japan as PS3 owners (with the PS3 currently having a 50,000 unit edge).

While we find it unlikely that Wii Fit will hit the same one-in-three ownership ratio in Europe and North America, we have little doubt that the exercise software will do well in those regions, too. Let it be said that Nintendo definitely understands the casual market.

Gallery: Wii Fit

[Via NeoGAF]

Tags: enterbrain, famitsu, gamesales, japan, media-create, sales, wii-fit, wii-sports

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Fullmetal Salchemist @ May 14th 2008 3:47PM

Meh.

stinkbug @ May 14th 2008 3:48PM

Can anyone clue me into the actual release/street dates for wii fit here in the U.S.?

Some sites mention a May 19th release date. Some places, like a local EB Games, claims they won't have it until the 22nd.

When will the wii fits be appearing on (pre-ordered) shelves?

Makalu @ May 14th 2008 9:17PM

It releases on the 21st.

koehler83 @ May 14th 2008 3:49PM

That's not true.. I'm willing to bet there are many many people in Japan who own multiple boards for their single Wii.

Its not as simple as a 6:2 ratio (3:1, whatever)

I can't wait until Wii Fit gets here so I can officially not waste my money on it. It just doesnt feel the same not buying it from Japan. I wanna not buy it from North America.

NinKenDo @ May 14th 2008 4:46PM

I don't think you gain any functionality by having two balance boards (no 2 player simultaneous racing etc.) and it only comes with Wii Fit, so I the attach rate is pretty much right on. And it's only a waste of money if you don't use it. If you bought it and used it every day, that seems like a pretty sound investment. Personally, I plan to get a lot of mileage out of mine, but to each his own.