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Though it may seem like Wii owners only play Wii Sports, apparently, Nintendo sold more games per console in December than either of their competitors.  For those not in the know, the ratio of games per console is known as the “Attach Rate” or “Tie Ratio”, and in December, the best attach rat belonged to the Wii.  Nintendo finished December with an attach rate of 8.1, meaning that consumers bought 8.1 games for every Wii console purchased.  The Xbox 360 was close behind, at 7.8, and the PS3 finished last with an attach rate of 5.0.  

Over the lifetime of the consoles, the Xbox 360 holds a respectable lead with an attach rate of 7.0, as compared to Nintendo’s 4.6 and Sony’s 4.3.  Generally, attach rates get higher and higher the longer the console is around, which explains why the 360’s rate is so much higher; they had a year head start.  For another example of this, take a look at th PS2’s attach rate: 11.3.  

While the December numbers barely make a dent in Microsoft’s overall lead, it is certainly a promising trend for the Wii.  The console has been extremely popular, but many owners have complained that there simply aren’t enough games available for use with their motion-controlled console.  The same can be said for the PS3 as well, but this year’s impressive slate of PS3 games may change that.  

The Wii’s December numbers may be a bit inflated because of retailers bundling the system with multiple games (not to mention Europe's inexplicable fascination with Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games), but this is definitely a step in the right direction for a system that is known for poor third party support.

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