The phenomenon that is the Nintendo Wii continues to set new records and break new ground. It has just been revealed that the immensely popular games console has now sold more than 50 million units across the world, a phenomenal figure that just shows what an impact it has had on the games industry.

This latest statistic makes the Wii officially the fastest selling console in history, taking the crown from the PlayStation 2. At the same time as the announcement was made, it was also revealed that the Nintendo DS is not doing too badly either, having sold 100 million units globally, albeit over a longer time period than the Wii.

Satoru Iwata, the head of Nintendo, said that the success of the Wii was “beyond what we possibly hoped for”, and stated that its success was down to the expansion of the games market and the Wii’s ability to attract fans who were previously unfamiliar with gaming.

Commentators have agreed with this argument, claiming that it is the difference between the Wii and the other consoles on the market that has made it more popular across the globe. To put the figure into perspective, Wii sales are about the same as both PlayStation and Xbox sales together.

At the same time as the announcement was made, Iwata also revealed that the Wii is to get a new storage system, as well as a number of new games to add to the list. He also said that the Wii Fit, the board that gamers stand on to control some Wii games, has now sold 14 million units.

He also made some interesting points, saying that 47% of Wii sales were down to women, and that 20% of Wii owners had never owned a console before. This goes to show the wide appeal that the Wii has and its ability to attract different types of fans.