US: 5m Wii units sold this year

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has said that 5m Wii units have been sold this year so far.

He told US television channel CNBC that this figure equalled the entire amount that our competitors have sold over the previous 12 months.”

Fils-Aime also said that almost 1m had participated” on Netflix since its launch in March. The video streaming service allows US users to watch TV and films online through their Wii.

Fils-Aime didn’t explain what qualifies as a participation” however – the figure could include subscribers and whose who have requested a one-month free trial disc.

Netflix currently has around 14m US subscribers and the Wii has a global install base of roughly 26m.

Recent research has shown that the Wii is the least connected console, with 54 per cent of consoles online. In contrast, 78 per cent of PS3s and 73 per cent of Xbox 360s are online.