Xbox 360 Outsold Wii U and Wii Combined in November 2012

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 outsold the Wii U and Wii combined in the US during November 2012, despite Nintendo launching its new home console during the same month.

According to NPD sales figures released at the time, Microsoft sold approximately 1.26 million Xbox 360 consoles during November. Nintendo recorded 425,000 Wii U sales and another 420,000 for the original Wii, giving the two Nintendo home consoles a combined total of around 845,000 units.

The result meant Xbox 360 remained the best-selling home console in the US for the 23rd consecutive month.

The achievement was particularly notable because the Xbox 360 had already been available for seven years. Microsoft launched the console in North America in November 2005, while the Wii U had only arrived in the US on 18 November 2012.

Nintendo’s launch was still strong in isolation. The Wii U sold through more than 400,000 units during its opening week and reached approximately 425,000 US sales during the November reporting period.

Microsoft also reported that US consumers spent approximately $1.2 billion on Xbox 360 hardware, software and accessories during November, more than on any other console platform that month.

The wider US video game market was less positive. Overall consumer spending on tracked physical video game products declined compared with November 2011, despite major releases arriving during the period.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II led the month’s software rankings, followed by Halo 4 and Assassin’s Creed III.

In retrospect, the November figures captured two consoles at very different stages of their lives. Xbox 360 was enjoying one of the strongest periods of its generation, while Wii U was only beginning its time on the market. Nintendo’s system ultimately struggled to maintain its initial launch momentum and was succeeded by the Nintendo Switch in 2017.