Wii demand finally slowing, says Nintendo

30 July 2009 12:30 GMT / By Duncan Geere

Nintendo's been on a roll the last few years, thanks to the double-whammy of its mega-selling Wii and DS consoles. That roll, however, may finally be coming to an end, Nintendo admitted in its most recent earnings report.

The company has posted a 66% fall in operating profit, which it blames on "slowing demand for its Wii console and a stronger yen". Now that most families who want a Wii have got one, they don't need another, so sales have calmed a little.

That said, the company still reckons it's going to sell another 26 million before the end of the year, along with 30 million DS handhelds. Nintendo said that demand for the DS has slowed too, thanks to "increased competition in the handheld business from Apple's iPhone".

Many analysts now consider the iPhone a full-scale gaming platform in a way that arguably no other phones have matched in the past, despite many attempts from various manufacturers. To hear Nintendo confirming Apple's statements that the iPhone is a games console is certainly notable.

Via: engadget.com

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Biz, Gaming, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo, Statistics, Apple, iPhone