Wii U sells over 308K units during launch weekend in Japan

The Wii U launched in Japan on Dec. 8, selling 308,570 units during its first few days available, according to statistics collected by Japanese magazines Famitsu and Enterbrain via GamesIndustry.biz.

The top-selling title for the Wii U was New Super Mario Bros. U, which was purchased by 55 percent of those who bought the console and totaled 170,563 units sold. Closely following is Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate with 110,159 units sold.

By comparison its predecessor the Wii sold 371,936 units over its launch weekend, with Wii Sports as its top-selling game.

According to Famitsu, the Wii U is the seventh most successful gaming hardware launch in Japan. The most successful launch was that of the PlayStation 2 in 2000, which sold 630,552 units during its launch week. The Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Wii and 3DS come next, and in line just above the Wii U is Sony's PlayStation Vita, which sold 321,407 units at launch.

In North America, the Wii U sold 400,000 units during its launch week. Nintendo of Japan has yet to confirm Famitsu's numbers.