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Wii breaks annual console sales record

Platform passes the 10 million mark as Nintendo is "responsible for 99%" of industry growth

Nintendo has praised the success of the new game concepts which have helped the Wii to record the highest ever annual console sales numbers in the US in a single year.

The platform was the first to break the 10 million barrier during a 12 month period, selling 10.17 million units in total, while the DS handheld was close behind on 9.95 million. The previous record-holder was the DS in 2007, which sold 8.52 million.

The good news seems to keep coming for the Mario Factory, as the Wii took 55 per cent of console sales across the year, while the DS accounted for 72 per cent of handheld consoles sold.

Additionally a Nintendo statement claimed that while the industry grew by 19 per cent overall, the company was "responsible for 99 per cent of those additional retail dollars" spent. The Wii also claimed the third party sales prize in December for the second consecutive month.

"Our type of entertainment has now moved to the point where there is no longer a question that if you offer consumers an expanded definition of what a videogame can be, and deliver that idea with quality and affordability in mind, millions of new people will start playing videogames," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive VP of sales and marketing.

"Concepts like Wii Fit, Guitar Hero, and Rock Band never would have seemed feasible just a few years ago, and now they’re driving growth for our the entire industry."