Nintendo reveals lifetime US Wii/DS sales

Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime has revealed how many consoles the platform holder has shifted in the US to date compared to rivals Sony and Microsoft.

As reported by Gamasutra, citing NPD data, Fils-Aime told the BMO Capital Markets Annual Digital Entertainment Conference in New York that the Wii has sold 30.4 million units in the US and 43.1 million DSes.

In comparison, Microsoft has sold 21.9 million Xbox 360s, while Sony has moved 13.5 million PlayStation 3s and 17.7 million PSPs.

In the wake of news that both Nintendo's systems have been showing rapid decline this year, Fils-Aime went on to explain how, as ever, it will be looking to the Christmas period for a sales bump.

"The holidays are more important to Nintendo than to other manufacturers," said Fils-Aime.

"We have a distinct edge when it comes to gift-giving, and it's no doubt because of the familiarity and recognition of both our brand and key franchises," he said, before claiming that nearly half of all Nintendo hardware sales in 2009 came in the last two months of the year.

"For everyone else that number was just over 40 per cent," he claimed.

"The disparity on the software side is even greater," Fils-Aime added. "For Nintendo platforms, 44 per cent of all game sales came during November and December. For the rest of the industry, that number was only 33 per cent."

Nintendo's Christmas line-up this year includes Donkey Kong Country Returns and Wii Party. US gamers also have Kirby's Epic Yarn to enjoy.