Nintendo: 400K Wii U units sold, 1.2M devices total
The company's president of America Reggie Fils-Aime says that the Wii U is "essentially sold out of retail."
Nintendo sold more than 1 million hardware units over the last week, the company has confirmed to CNET.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told CNET in a phone interview today that during the last week, its internal data has shown total U.S. hardware sales have reached more than 1.2 million units. That figure includes the Wii U, Wii, 3DS, and DS.
According to Fils-Aime, Nintendo sold over 700,000 consoles during the last week. The Wii U topped the Wii with 400,000 units sold. The Wii, which Nintendo launched all the way back in 2006, was able to muster 300,000 Wii sales during the last week.
On the portable side, Nintendo sold more than 500,000 hardware units, including 250,000 3DS and 275,000 DS devices. Fils-Aime explained to CNET that the DS outsold the 3DS because of the "significant" deals retailers were offering on Black Friday.
Still, according to Fils-Aime, the 3DS "continues on record-setting pace" selling through more than 6 million units during its first 21 months on store shelves. During the same period, the original DS had about 1 million fewer sales.
The big story, however, is the Wii U, which launched on November 18. Fils-Aime explained to CNET that the Wii U's sales figures during the last week were essentially capped by the company's ability to get units to store shelves.
"Wii U is essentially sold out of retail and we are doing our best to continually replenish stock," Fils-Aime said. "Retailers are also doing their best to get the product to store shelves. But as soon as product hits retail, they're selling out immediately."
Shortages are certainly nothing new to those who tried to get their hands on the Wii after its launch in 2006. Each week, shipments would trickle in to local retailers, and consumers would stand on line hoping enough units were available for them to get a unit. Web sites were even created to give customers hints on where they could find a Wii. Fils-Aime doesn't necessarily expect a repeat with the Wii U.
"Wii was a unique phenomenon," Fils-Aime said. "You couldn't walk into a retailer and buy a Wii until spring of 2009. We've certainly learned many lessons from that and we are replenishing retailers more quickly this time around. We are looking to have as much product into retail as possible. It's driven by consumer response."
This story has been updated throughout the morning.
