Nintendo: Wii December Sales Rise Year-On-Year To 3 Million In U.S.

The Wii had a "healthy" holiday in the U.S., Nintendo said Tuesday, as estimated sales of the motion-controlled console exceeded 3 million units in the U.S. during December. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently made the sales announcement in Japan. The estimates put December 2009 Wii sales above those of December 2008, which saw U.S. sales of 2.15 million units. The sales boost come after a price cut in fall 2009 that brought the Wii to $199, down from $249, a price that the console clung to since its late 2006 launch. Wii supply was also stronger compared to the 2008 holiday season. Consumers were also picking up copies of the side-scrolling throwback New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Nintendo estimated that U.S. life-to-date sales of the game, launched November 15, are closing in on 4 million units. Nintendo added that its handheld DS console line, including the DS Lite and DSi, "set a new all-time calendar-year U.S. sales record for any console or hand-held system" in 2009. While Nintendo did not offer specific figures, U.S. sales of the DS were around 9.9 million units in 2008. Tracking firm NPD Group is expected to release the full roster of U.S. video game sales figures on January 14.