Nintendo Sees Impressive Rise in Sales, Profits

In its fourth forecast revision this business year, Nintendo announced a record recurring profit of 260 billion yen, or $2.2 billion, thanks to strong sales of the DS handheld and Wii console systems.

Reuters reported that the increase "would represent a 62 percent rise year-on-year and would exceed Nintendo's previous forecast by 24 percent."

The news agency further noted that in February the company's sales of its new Wii console outstripped those of Sony's Playstation 3 by at least a factor of two.

Profits and earnings will be formally announced together on April 26.

The report on rising sales and profits, which first appeared on April 7, dovetails with another Nintendo announcement, posted here yesterday, that consumers can expect continued shortages of the Wii system.

Unlike Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo did not opt for the latest hardware technology in developing its newest console, aiming instead for the broadest possible market by attracting casual gamers and previous non-gamers, particularly with its unique controller interface.