Nintendo Stops Wii Production in Japan

The console famous for bringing motion to millions worldwide sees its production lines stop. Nintendo’s Wii, released to North America on November 19, 2006, is no longer being produced in Japan, according to a report from Joystiq. The company’s Japanese website now lists the console as “discontinued,” though there is no word that this will have an effect outside of Japan.

It was announced earlier this month that Nintendo would halt production of the Wii, although no further details were given at the time. The Wii sold over 100 million units in its lifetime, becoming the third best-selling home console of all time, and the fifth best system of all time, accounting for handhelds. Nintendo announced last year that they will be making no more games for the system.

With the Wii U on store shelves, this news is far from a surprise, but still signals the end of Nintendo’s most successful modern era, and one that the next generation will be hard-pressed to match. Nintendo’s Wii does live on through its successor, as the Wii U is fully backwards compatible with all Wii games, controllers and accessories.

[Image Credit: Gamezone]