Nintendo formally announced today that the Wii has topped the 50 million mark in worldwide sales. The announcement came, strangely, as a side note in a statement formally unveiling the new Virtual Console Arcade service for Wii.

This news should come as no surprise. Earlier in the week, Nikkei ran a story stating that the system would reach the mark some time this month. Nintendo also hinted during its January earnings revision announcement that the feat would come this quarter.

As previously reported, the Wii now holds the record for fastest console to reach the 50 million mark. The system reached the mark well ahead of the PS2, which took just under three years.