Redmond, Wash. — Nintendo of America reported sales of over 500,000 of its new handheld Nintendo DS systems during Thanksgiving week, representing more than 90 percent of all units available in stores across the United States.
The company said that the sales pace was “faster than anticipated” and may result in sellouts at some locations. The company said the initial North American supply “will be depleted within days.”
Nintendo expects to sell 1 million Nintendo DS units in North America alone by the end of 2004.
The company said sales of its older handheld game player Game Boy Advance were also strong during the holiday weekend. Nintendo sold more than 800,000 Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP units during the holiday week. The combined 1.3 million Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance units sold last week set a one-week sales record for handheld systems, Nintendo said.
In consoles, Nintendo said a special bundle of its Nintendo GameCube and a “Mario Kart: Double Dash” game sold more than 250,000 units since its introduction in mid-November.
The new Nintendo DS player, which carries a $149.99 suggested retail price, features dual screens including a stylus-activated touch screen; it also uses voice control and wireless communication. The player comes packaged with both a free, embedded “PictoChat” communication program, and a playable demo of “Metroid Prime Hunters” with both single-player and multiplayer modes.
