Nintendo Claims Doubled Wii Thanksgiving Sales Over 2007

The Wii has sold around 800,000 units of hardware over the recent Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S., according to new comments made by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. The figure is more than double the 350,000 units sold at the same time last year, when the Wii still faced supply constraints. Although no specific figures were given, sales of the Nintendo DS were said to be up by 20 percent on 2007. "When the economy is strong, people tend to buy three things from the top of their wish list. But when things are bad, people often buy only the first thing on their list," said Iwata in a Reuters interview. "Fortunately for us, a lot of shoppers put our products at the top of their list." The Wii and Wii Fit have already been noted as the top searches on sites such as eBay and Shopping.com over the period, alongside Gears Of War 2 on the Xbox 360 and Activision’s Call of Duty: World at War. In related news, U.S. chain Wal-Mart says that it does not expect the same level of stock problems with Wii console as have challenged previous years, and that it has "tens of thousands" of units in stock for its online store. Although other competitors continue to experience supply issues, Wal-Mart spokesman Ravi Jariwala said in a separate Reuters interview that the company has been working with Nintendo closely through the year to ensure a regular supply. As a result, the Wal-Mart website will begin offering a "value bundle" for the Wii and various other games and controllers for $329 – more than the standard $249.99 retail price. Certain games will also be offered at a price of two for $30 and some accessories, such as the Nintendo Wii Racing Wheel, for just $10.