Nintendo had a net loss of $220 million in the second quarter of 2012, which comes as no surprise to anyone who follows the company's business. Wii sales have plummeted due to a lack of quality releases, and with the Wii U launch just around the corner, most would-be Wii buyers are waiting it out, as the newer console is backwards compatible with the current system's library. Total worldwide Wii sales for the four-month period came in at just 710,000. For the record, that brings the lifetime Wii sales to 96,560,000. Not bad for a console that many analysts said would be the company's last.
The 3DS, did much better in the same time frame. The big N sold 1,860,000 units worldwide, for a lifetime sales total of 19,000,000. It's worth noting that the launch of the 3DS XL is nigh, and the announcement of the plus-size version may have stunted sales of the original model. Still, 1.86 million sales is nothing to sneeze at.
This all pales in comparison to the feat of the original DS. While Nintendo only managed to sell 540,000 units for the quarter, the lifetime sales of the DS family are sitting pretty at 152,050,000. For those of you who aren't aware, the combined sales for all models of the PlayStation 2, from the system's launch in 2000 until the present, are estimated to be just above the 154,400,000 mark. For years, Nintendo's Game Boy and Game Boy color held the record with 118,690 units sold, until the PS2 claimed the title of best-selling console in the middle of the last decade. If the DS and its many redesigns continue to sell at their present rate, Nintendo may do what few thought possible and take back the crown in a few years. Nintendo's handheld console had a truly weak launch lineup, and yet the company managed to turn things around by creating a few killer apps and inspiring third-parties to get creative. The Wii U is in a similar position at the moment, but if there's one thing to take away from Nintendo's history, it's this: don't ever count the big N out.
Source: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2012/120725e.pdf
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