Nintendo Sells Over 1.5 Mln Units Over Thanksgiving

By Geoff Duncan December 1, 2009

Video game giant Nintendo counts on the end-of-year holiday buying season to bolster its bottom line…and it looks like its off to a strong start for the end of 2009, announcing that the company sold more than a million Nintendo DS and DSi handheld gaming systems over Thanksgiving week, plus more than half a million Wii gaming consoles—and that’s just in the United States.

Nintendo DSi LL (dark brown) — Image used with permission by copyright holder

“Holiday shoppers are finding value in our products’ prices, and through a game-play experience that is unique to Nintendo,” said Nintendo America’s VP of sales and marketing Cammie Dunaway, in a statement.

The estimated numbers cover sales from Sunday, November 22 through Saturday November 28—including the week leading up to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, but omitting “Cyber Monday” and one day of the four-day Thanksgiving weekend.

While the sales numbers are impressive, they may not tally up to a major revenue win for Nintendo. Nintendo’s Wii is on sale at lower prices than in previous years, but most Black Friday deals sidestepped the Wii and the estimated 550,000 console sales during the week fell far short of the 800,000 the company managed to move during Thanksgiving week a year ago. However, the Nintendo DS and DSi numbers are impressive, with Nintendo characterizing the sales as the best Thanksgiving week sales since 2002, when the company’s hit was the Game Boy Advance.

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While the aforementioned eShop closures make it impossible to buy new games digitally, plenty of games that you likely already own physical copies of or already had downloaded have online features that won't work properly come April 2024. As such, we recommend you play the following games online before the discontinuation of those services next year.
Kid Icarus Uprising

Kid Icarus Uprising is mostly remembered for its entertaining story, charismatic characters, and odd controls, but it also features a surprisingly fun multiplayer experience in Together Mode. In multiplayer, up to six players can use powerful weapons and abilities from the main adventure in one of two modes. Free-for-all lets players loose on a map, tasking them with racking up the most kills within a set time limit. Light vs. Dark is more complex, as two teams of three face off until enough players are defeated that one respawns as an angel; when that powered-up angel is killed, the match is over.
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