Nintendo's amazing success with the Wii and DS have given the Japanese company record profits – with the must -have consoles catapulting the brand to the top of the market once more. Although many had projected that Nintendo would focus on their burgeoning handheld console market after the under-performance of the GameCube, the arrival of the Wii was enough to revitalize the whole gaming industry. However, it is the portable DS lite – a follow up to the hugely successful DS - that has contributed most to Nintendo's coffers, with a massive 23.56 million sales boosting sales 90% across the company. Posting profits of £731 million (174.3bn Yen) Nintendo also suggested that they expect to sell 14 million Wii's next year with demand for the console showing no sign of abating. The novelty of a motion sensor controller – which moved the focus away from the high-definition of its more expensive rivals the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 – saw the Wii become the must have toy over Christmas. Nintendo have sold 5.84 million of the consoles up to March, but few will argue that the sales are likely to continue to boom over the coming months.
A breif history of Nintendo:
The Kyoto based company have become masters at making technological innovations that have come at the perfect time throughout their history. Starting out as a playing card producer in the 19th century, the company's foray into toys and then electronic games made the Nintendo brand world famous. A well publicised bust up with Sony over a CD ROM add on for their first breakout produce – the NES – led to the formation of their biggest competitor, with Sony putting the research they had done as a potential partner into creating their own PlayStation brand. However, after the GameCube failed to compete with the deservedly popular PlayStation 2, Nintendo spent time concentrating on launching their follow up to GameBoy – the DS. A dual screen portable console, with a unique stylus system as well as the traditional buttons, the DS caught on immediately and the huge sales rejuvenated confidence in Nintendo's prowess. With PlayStation 3 and its rival the Xbox 360 continuing to push the boundaries of gaming technology, Nintendo instead decided to focus on innovation rather than cutting edge technology – using motion sensor controllers and going back to their previous model of providing a well-received game as part of the package. The Wii and the DS continue to flourish – and Nintendo are not only reaping the benefits of their latest innovations, but may well continue to do so over the next year as well.
Via - MSN
