Wii wins in US for Nintendo

Nintendo's Wii games console has overtaken Microsoft's Xbox 360 as the leading games device in the US, having now sold 10.9 million consoles.

Already outclassing the Xbox in the UK, the unexpected giant-killer has overhauled the Microsoft device in the US despite having only been on the market since November 2006 while the Xbox has been on sale since 2005.

Sony PlayStation 3 has also had a boost in the past month from the release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, which helped the company sell 405,500 of its device, almost double the 220,000 Xbox 360s that were sold in the US in the month.

Sony's PS3 sales hit 10.5 million globally at the end of 2007. It had stumbled when it launched the expensive console 18 months ago, and trailed its competitors for months - an unusual position for Sony, which was clear market leader with its old PlayStation 2.

The Wii has caught the imagination of less-sophisticated players with its easy-to-play games and interactive handheld wand.