Microsoft XBox outselling Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii, considered the leader in the field of games consoles, has been overtaken in sales by Microsoft's Xbox.

Sales of the Xbox have been bolstered by the introduction of the new Kinect controller, a camera sensor - the latest advancement in motion gaming. Nintendo had previously held a dominant market position but now faces the challenge of Microsoft and Sony, as they attempt to emulate and overtake Wii's success, with the Kinect and PlayStation Move, respectively.

Prior to official figures announced by the NPD research firm, auditors at Wedbush Morgan Securities predict Xbox 360 consoles are up 31 percent on this time last year, with sales of 1.075m. Wii, however, is down 23 percent over the same time frame with 975,000 units shifted. Coming up third, it is expected Sony PlayStation 3 sales have decreased by 8 percent with 650,000 sold.

The Kinect add-on was released for retail by Microsoft on November 4 in the US, and November 10 in Europe, and the Asian release date arrived November 18. According to The Financial Times, within the first ten days of release, Kinect had reached sales of 1 million; after 25 days, 2.5 million. It seems more than feasible that the firm will achieve its initial estimated international sales for Kinect of 3m; shortly before the launch, the figure was projected as 5m.

In comparison, Sony's counterpart, the PlayStation Move (launched in September) has attained sales of 4.1m to retailers which converts to 2.5m sales to consumers, according to Sony.

Meanwhile, Nintendo is hoping for a surge in sales over the holiday season in the US, with many retailers offering the console at a reduced price. Also, the more advanced Motion Plus controller for Wii and popular titles such as Donkey Kong could perhaps prove beneficial. Red and black versions of the Wii could also boost sales.