The year 2007 by all means witnessed the booming video game industry. According to data from NPD Group, the total video game sales (hardware and software) through October were $10.5 billion, compared with $7 billion for the same period last year.

The three key players in the booming industry are the new-generation game consoles, such as Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. Launched on December 8, 2006 in the UK, Nintendo stunned the world with the launch of its Wii console. The Wii console went head-to-head with Microsoft’s Xbox 360, well actually, it outsold the Xbox 360 and the PS3.

Nintend wii offered a new way of interacting with games that had never been seen before. Priced at £179.99/system, Nintend wii, weighing just 1.2kg, is the lightest of the three main consoles.

Powered by an IBM PowerPC-based processor, Wii is an innovative control system and its excellent range of Wii-exclusive games puts it ahead of the pack. Two bundled controllers come with the Wii - the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk. And it’s these that really set the Wii apart from its two rivals.

The worldwide sales of Wii stood at 13.17 million units up to September 30, 2007. This figure, however, could have been so much higher had Nintendo managed to meet the demand for its system in the UK. According to the Financial Times On September 12, 2007, the Wii had overtaken sales of the Xbox 360 in the UK to become the next-generation market leader.

Experts feel that music based games were responsible for the terrific boom in the industry, and music games are set to make a real difference for this holiday season and beyond.

Along with the more than 60 songs that ship with the game, 'Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock' was one of the year's biggest music-based games. "Guitar Hero III" is poised to be the best-selling music game of the year. It sold 1.4 million units in the first six days after its October 28 release, and analysts expect strong sales through the holidays.

Some of the Top Christmas Games are – Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega), Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, The Simpsons Game (EA Games), Mario Party 8 (Nintendo), Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Sports, Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey, Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree, Link’s Crossbow Training.