Iwata: 'Safe To Say The Wii Has Recovered From Slowdown'

After what Nintendo called a "healthy" holiday in the U.S., president Satoru Iwata says December Wii performance made great strides toward alleviating the console's 2009 decline concerns. "I think it's now safe to say the Wii has recovered from slowdown," Iwata told Reuters -- displaying optimism that was nonetheless cautious. "I'm not sure if it's prudent to use words like revival and recovery lightly before making absolutely certain we can maintain this momentum," the exec enforced. "So, I steer clear of such words today." As recently as November 2009, Iwata said Wii unit sales in Japan "cannot be defined as healthy," and described the console's loss of momentum as "urgent." However, Wii's late September price cut from $249 to $199 drove up console sales 85 percent on a weekly basis in the U.S. The first price cut in the console's lifetime doubtless strengthened Wii's holiday sales, as did a greater supply. The company estimates the console sold in excess of 3 million units in December, compared to December 2008's 2.15 million units.