Report: It's going to be a Wii Christmas

Ho ho ho--Screen Digest predicts that the Wii is going to have a good Christmas. The analyst firm reports that there are 86 games coming out for Nintendo's console in the fourth quarter, compared to 47 for the Xbox 360, and 38 for the PlayStation 3. Of the Wii games, a quarter are console-exclusive, compared to eight for the 360, and five for the PS3.

Screen Digest believes that the number of Wii games on the market will surpass the number currently available on the Xbox 360 in early 2008. The industry-analyst company states that this is because, "The Wii is proving attractive to publishers not only because of its rapidly growing installed base, but also thanks to lower development costs and the relative ease of transferring development resources to the platform compared with its counterparts."

The report predicts that the Wii will be the winner this Christmastime--not only for the reasons above but also due to the release of Super Mario Galaxy. Screen Digest says the Wii will be followed by the 360, which has a well-established user base in the US and has also been buoyed by sales of Halo 3. The PS3, says the report, will come in last because, "Sony's release schedule lacks the firepower to command consumer attention during this crucial trading quarter, and it is difficult to see how the catalogue will drive hardware sales in such a competitive environment."

Screen Digest analyst Ed Barton commented, "Given the PS3's release schedule this Christmas, it's not a surprise that Sony is focusing on lowering the cost of entry to the PS3 platform to maintain parity with its rivals this Christmas."

The report also lists the UK as a key territory for game development, saying that it "more than holds its own" against the US and Japan.