Nintendo Sells Over 1.5 Mln Units Over Thanksgiving

Nintendo says it sold more than a million Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi handheld gaming systems over Thanksgiving week...plus half a million Wiis.

Video game giant Nintendo counts on the end-of-year holiday buying season to bolster its bottom line…and it looks like its off to a strong start for the end of 2009, announcing that the company sold more than a million Nintendo DS and DSi handheld gaming systems over Thanksgiving week, plus more than half a million Wii gaming consoles—and that’s just in the United States.

“Holiday shoppers are finding value in our products’ prices, and through a game-play experience that is unique to Nintendo,” said Nintendo America’s VP of sales and marketing Cammie Dunaway, in a statement.

The estimated numbers cover sales from Sunday, November 22 through Saturday November 28—including the week leading up to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, but omitting “Cyber Monday” and one day of the four-day Thanksgiving weekend.

While the sales numbers are impressive, they may not tally up to a major revenue win for Nintendo. Nintendo’s Wii is on sale at lower prices than in previous years, but most Black Friday deals sidestepped the Wii and the estimated 550,000 console sales during the week fell far short of the 800,000 the company managed to move during Thanksgiving week a year ago. However, the Nintendo DS and DSi numbers are impressive, with Nintendo characterizing the sales as the best Thanksgiving week sales since 2002, when the company’s hit was the Game Boy Advance.