Nintendo basks in Wii glory

Nintendo has announced its half year financial results to September 30 and it's more extremely good news for the Wii and DS manufacturer.

Sales were up 132.5 per cent to JPY 695 billion (USD 6.08 billion), resulting in an operating income of JPY 189 billion and a profit for the six month period of JPY 132 billion (USD 1.15 billion) - up 143.7 per cent on last year.

Of those sales, handheld consoles - led primarily by sales of the DS - accounted for JPY 211 billion (USD 1.85 billion), consoles - dominated by Wii sales - made JPY 201 billion (USD 1.76 billion), while total software income, including royalties, added up to JPY 241 billion (USD 2.11 billion).

The DS handheld sold 13.35 million units globally in the six month period, while the Wii sold 7.33 million.

Software sales highlights included Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, which shifted 6.95 million copies (taking the lifetime total to over 12 million) while Mario Party 8 has sold 2.89 million to the end of September.

Overseas sales accounted for 78 per cent of the total sales figure, and although the company had higher revenues in the US than in Europe, the operating income was detailed as JPY 167 billion (USD 1.46 billion) for Japan, JPY 24 billion (USD 210 million) for Europe and JPY 15 billion (USD 131 million) for the US.

The company reiterated its strong position in the games market, which has seen its strategy not to take on Sony and Microsoft in the processing power stakes completely vindicated.

"Nintendo DS has gained widespread popularity with its software line-upâ¦Wii has been attracting all the members of the family and has impacted how families view entertainment in the household."

The company now forecasts net sales for the full year to hit over JPY 1.5 trillion (USD 13.1 billion), yielding a profit of JPY 275 billion (2.41 billion).

Nintendo's share price was up 1.3 per cent at the close of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, at JPY 69,800 (USD 611).