Nintendo Tops U.S. Video Game Hardware Sales in April

According to the independent NPD Group, Nintendo’s Wii™ system and Nintendo DS™ family of systems outsold all other gaming hardware in the United States during the month of April. Even before the announcement of the new Wii hardware package, U.S. sales of the Wii console topped 277,000 for the month. Meanwhile, the Nintendo DS family of hand-held systems sold more than 440,000 units nationwide. Together, Nintendo video game system sales represented 60 percent of all hardware sold in the United States in April.

“Consumers recognize the unprecedented combination of value and fun offered by Nintendo game systems,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “But including even more hardware and software with every Wii system should drive consumer interest even higher.”

New additions to the basic Wii package in North America went on sale May 9. In addition to a Wii console, one Wii Remoteâ„¢ controller, one Nunchukâ„¢ controller and a copy of the Wii Sportsâ„¢ game, each system now comes bundled with a copy of Wii Sports Resortâ„¢ and a Wii MotionPlusâ„¢ accessory. Consumers can also choose between two hardware color schemes: white or black. The suggested retail price of the system remains unchanged at $199.99.

Six of the top 10 best-selling games of April play on Nintendo systems. These include Pokémon™ SoulSilver Version at No. 2 with nearly 243,000 sold, New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii at No. 3 with more than 200,000 sold, Pokémon HeartGold Version at No. 4 with more than 192,000 sold, Wii Sports Resort™ with Wii MotionPlus at No. 5 with more than 179,000 sold, Just Dance by Ubisoft at No. 8 with more than 144,000 sold and Wii Fit™ Plus with the Wii Balance Board™ accessory at No. 10 with more than 130,000 sold.