UPDATE: Nintendo Says 3DS Launch Was Strongest Ever For Its Handhelds

Nintendo Co. (7974.OK, NTDOY) said first-day sales for its new handheld game device in the U.S. set a company record, signaling a potential revitalization of the company's mobile efforts.

Nintendo of America didn't provide actual sales data, but spokesman Charlie Scibetta said more details about U.S. sales figures will be made available on April 14. The 3DS was released in the U.S. on Monday.

The early success of the 3DS suggests it could surpass the company's popular DSi handheld, which sold 435,000 units in the U.S. during its first week of sales in 2009. Nintendo said it has sold more than 144 million DS-branded handhelds since its first iteration of the device went on sale in 2004.

The 3DS comes during an important period for the Japanese videogame giant, which faces mounting competition from longtime videogame rivals, as well as new challengers like Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Motorola Mobility Inc. (MMI), whose mobile phones and tablets are increasingly used for game playing.

Both Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Sony Corp. (SNE, 6758.TO) have also released motion-based videogame products to compete with Nintendo's Wii console, which has been a hit among casual gamers. Those gamers were drawn to the videogame system because of its intuitive games such as bowling, tennis and baseball that all used motions similar to the real sports in order to manipulate characters on screen.

Meanwhile, the proliferation of mobile devices such as Apple's iPhone and iPad, and the rising popularity of Internet-based games on Facebook, have begun to threaten Nintendo's handheld business.

But long lines at both the handheld's launch in Japan and in the U.S. suggest Nintendo may have made another hit and potentially kept customers who otherwise might have switched to a smartphone as their primary videogame device.

Analysts said Nintendo's initial 400,000-unit inventory of the 3DS sold out during the device's launch weekend in Japan last month. Nintendo's U.S. operation said it has been working hard to ensure every customer who wants to buy the $249 device can.

-By Ian Sherr, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-439-6455; ian.sherr@dowjones.com

Nintendo (PK) (USOTC:NTDOY)
과거 데이터 주식 차트
부터 6월(6) 2024 으로 7월(7) 2024