New Nintendo handheld due this year - Pachter
Nintendo to combat Japanese DS sales decline with new model, says analyst
Following Nintendo's financial results yesterday which revealed that sales of the DS are in decline in Japan, analyst Michael Pachter has said that he believes Nintendo has a new handheld ready for launch before the end of the year.
DS sales in the US and Europe remain strong, and the Wedbush Morgan exec expects the majority of Nintendo's DS shipment for this fiscal year to arrive in these territories to meet ongoing demand.
"It is likely that DS demand will continue to decline in Japan, and we think that Nintendo has a new handheld device ready for launch in that territory before the end of the calendar year," said Pachter.
"We think that the lion's share of the expected 28 million DS hardware units shipped during the fiscal year will land in the US and Europe, and we expect to see strong software sales in those territories," he added.
Profit for Nintendo rose 34 per cent in the first fiscal quarter of the year to JPY 107.2 billion, with sales topping JPY 423.3 billion.