Global sales of Nintendo's Wii console have passed 50 million, the company's boss Satoru Iwata has said. The Wii is now the fastest-selling games console in history, surpassing the PlayStation 2.
Mr Iwata also said that the Nintento DS had shipped 100m around the world.
"Almost no one expected them to reach the current level of mainstream acceptance. It's even beyond what we possibly hoped for," Mr Iwata said.
"The market has expanded as videogames have been accepted by more consumers than ever before," added the Nintendo president, speaking at the Game Developers' Conference.
"It's a cliche but it's not just the 18-year-old kid, it's the mom on the train, it's the high school girl after she's done with her homework, everyone plays games. The Wii and DS have made games more accessible," said Tameka Kee of PaidContent.org.
While Mr Iwata was highlighting the success of the Wii and DS, he pointed out to the thousands of developers flocking the packed hall for his keynote speech "one rule always remains the same: Software sells hardware".
More third-party games were sold on Wii last year than on any other platform, he said.
And for the DS he revealed that last year 47% of sales were made by women.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Nintendo Wii sales hit 50 million
Nintendo Wii sales hit 50 million
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