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Analyst: Nintendo sold 55,000 Wii U units in April

That's just in the U.S., but it's a far cry from the 205,000 Xbox 360 units Michael Pachter believes Microsoft sold.

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Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter has released his monthly estimates on console sales, and not surprisingly, given recent months, April didn't look too swell for Nintendo and its Wii U.

According to Pachter, who estimates console sales in the U.S. based on retail checks, Nintendo sold just 55,000 Wii U units in April, down 19 percent compared to March. The company's Wii, which has been on store shelves for years, sold 75,000 units in April, according to Pachter.

Microsoft was once again the leader in the console market in April, selling 205,000 Xbox 360 units during the period, according to Pachter. Sony's PlayStation 3 came in second with 165,000 units sold.

The one bright note for Nintendo was the company's 3DS, which Pachter says, reached 185,000 units sold in April, representing a 46 percent jump over the previous year. Sony's PlayStation Vita portable, however, didn't fare so well -- its sales plummeted 57 percent year over year to 30,000 units, according to Pachter.

It's important to note that Pachter is not the final say on game sales; NPD is. That research firm is expected to announce April game industry sales in the U.S. on Thursday. NPD checks the retail channel to determine physical game sales each month. The company confers with game companies to ensure they're accurate. Actual sales, however, are not made available to the public.