Sales of 16-Bit Video Game Players Still Strong

The curtain has not yet fallen on the older generation of video game players. This holiday season, the 16-bit players seriously upstaged the 32-bit models, resulting in a shortage of the older machines.

Nintendo and Sega officials estimate they will have sold around 4 million of the 16-bit players this year, with the lion's share of the sales occurring over the last few weeks. The companies also reported that they could have sold another 200,000 units if they had been available. In contrast, analysts estimate holiday sales of the 32-bit machines will fail to reach 1 million.

Price is clearly a factor in the reluctance of some consumers to buy into the newer machines. The 32-bit models sell for around $200 more than their 16-bit counterparts, which retail for around $100.