GameSpot is reporting that the Nintendo Wii console has topped half a million sales in Australia.

This technically makes the Nintendo Wii the fastest selling console to this target, as it's taken only 84 weeks. The PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS, previous record holders, took 107 weeks each.

The numbers put Nintendo's performance in New Zealand to shame; industry data for the local market puts Wii sales at 16,000. That's just 3% of Australia's figures, despite New Zealand's population being 20% the size of Australia's.

Or to put it another way, Australia has more than 23 Wii consoles for every 1000 people, while New Zealand has less than four.

But with Nintendo Australia tipped to take over support for Nintendo products in New Zealand, perhaps we're at the beginning of a resurgence in interest from kiwi consumers towards all things Nintendo? Time will tell.