8.3 million Wiis were sold in Europe last year – a 58 percent year-on-year increase – while the DS Lite amassed annual sales of 11.2 million for the same period. The figures mark the DS as the biggest selling console in Europe for a single year since records began, while the Wii becomes the highest selling home console for the same region and period.
The new data shows that the Wii now has a European install base of 14.2 million, with the DS install base climbing to 31 million.
"The sales trend on both Wii and Nintendo DS, hardware and software during 2008 shows that more and more people in Europe are enjoying video games as part of their daily lives," said Nintendo’s European Managing Director of Marketing Laurent Fischer.
"This proves that Nintendo's wish to expand the gaming population has strong potential in Europe," he added.