A million Nintendo Wiis sold in the UK

The Nintendo Wii has become the fastest selling video games console in UK's history after one million of the consoles were sold 38 weeks after the Wii was launched.

The Nintendo Wii achieved the one million landmark in a shorter time than the Sony PlayStation 2, which, after a difficult launch in 2000, went on to become the world's most successful console so far, selling more than 115 million units worldwide.

The Wii, designed to attract casual gamers, is outselling PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 by at least two-to-one.

Last month Nintendo announced that its first-quarter net profits soared more than five-fold, further vindicating the Japanese group's declared policy of making video games for "people who don't like video games".

The new data from Chart Track points out that the PS2 took 50 weeks while the Xbox 360 took 60 weeks to top the magical figure. The diminutive Wii now controls a whopping 68% of the UK console market, while Nintendo’s other little earner, the DS dominates the handheld market with an 86% share.

Nintendo put the console's runaway success down to the fact that it has been selling regardless of seasonality, and due to the new, nontraditional gaming audiences that the Wii attracts.