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 Nintendo had it’s biggest week ever, selling 653,000 DS Lites, the all-time high for any console from the company, and 350,000 Wiis, second only to the week of launch.
My response is what did you expect? Of course it’s going to be more than they have ever sold for previous consoles. Video games, especially consoles, have only exploded into a multi-billion dollar industry since then, so it’s not like there’s a smaller pool of people to buy the things.
It’s like when movie companies break opening weekend records. Movies break these records because it costs twice as much to go to the movies as it did even 10 years ago, let alone the 50 years since some of the greatest movies have been released. In a similar, though admittedly slightly different way, video games are going to continuously break these records because they’re only going to get more popular. Of course, when they reach a certain point of saturation the record-breakings will come slower, but they will still happen for the same reason.
What’s more interesting are the relative records. What precentage of the population that plays video games bought a DS in this one week? If it’s more than the percentage of gamers that bought a NES when it was 3 years from it’s U.S. launch, then that’s something impressive and would certainly make me say it had broken some records.
Nintendo of America has set a new sales record by selling more products during the Thanksgiving week than at any other time in the company’s history.
During the period November 18 to November 24, over 653,000 DS units were sold, smashing the previous record of 600,000 Game Boy Advance consoles sold in 2005.
A further 350,000 Wii home systems were also snapped up by Christmas shoppers, along with “millions of games and accessories”. Here is the full release:
In the first week of the 2007 holiday shopping season, Nintendo of America has sold more Nintendo products than at any other time in its history. This includes more than 653,000 Nintendo DSâ„¢ portable video game systems, 350,000 Wiiâ„¢ home systems and millions of games and accessories throughout the United States - and the season is just getting started.
Nintendo DS set a new all-time sales record for Thanksgiving week, eclipsing the previous mark of 600,000 Game Boy® Advance systems sold during the same period in the United States in 2005. Nintendo DS remains on track to be the top-selling video game system of 2007.
Nintendo’s 350,000 Wii systems represent the highest one-week U.S. sales total outside of its launch week one year ago. Wii has been dubbed the must-have gift of the 2007 holiday season and has been placed at the top of numerous gift lists. Nintendo has repeatedly increased its shipments and its fiscal-year sales forecast for Wii in an attempt to meet soaring demand. Wii reached 5 million sold in the United States faster than any video game system in history, after only 12 months of availability there.
Both Wii and Nintendo DS have continued their yearlong momentum into the holidays without altering their prices. And both remain attractive values for shoppers: Wii has an MSRP of $249.99, while Nintendo DS has an MSRP of $129.99.
“As shoppers look for ways to maximize their limited holiday spending money, they turn to gifts that can be used by the entire family,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “Wii and Nintendo DS offer something for every member of the family. They’re the most fun video game experiences at the most affordable price.”
With higher gas prices and fuel costs, and the lukewarm expectations for the 2007 holiday shopping season, Wii and Nintendo DS might be just what Santa ordered: Thirty-five percent of consumers said they plan to spend less than they did last year, according to a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corp. for the Consumer Federation of America and the Credit Union National Association. Similarly, a USA Today/Gallup Poll showed that 25 percent of Americans expect to spend less on gifts this year than they did in 2006.
Note that the internal Nintendo of America numbers referenced in this release represent sales from Sunday, Nov. 18, through Saturday, Nov. 24.
Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.
A Nintendo DS owner recently wrote into the Consumerist about his experiences with Nintendo’s customer service.
After being on hold for all of 20 seconds a very nice gentleman answered, and asked why I was calling. I explained that my son’s DS would not power on and before I could go any further he asked me to provide me with the serial number and after looking up my information (I register all my Nintendo products online) he told me that they would be sending me a replacement DS and all I had to do was ship the old one back to them, they even provided a shipping label. Already happy beyond belief I was even more surprised when they sent it 2 day UPS air!!!! GO NINTENDO!
This is in stark contrast to last weeks dusty PS3 affair when Sony gave another gamer the run around. What’s even more shocking are the other stories flooding the comments sections of various Web sites about the quality of Nintendo’s customer service. One user on the DS Fanboy site said:
We bought a used DS from family-in-law, they said nothing was wrong with it, but you know how it goes, they’re liars. The top screens color was off, only noticeable in game, and the touch screens sensitivity was screwed. Unplayable. We called up nintendo, explained what happened and they said they’d repair it. We get it back, the top screens fixed, but the the sensitivity issue was unsolved. One more call, they apologize and send us a brand new one.
Greatest customer service ever.
Even though Nintendo’s customer service is being highlighted right now, apparently this is nothing new, according to one comment left at the Consumerist.
Whatever your thoughts are regarding the ethics of the consumer mentioned in this article, Nintendo has a very long track record of superb customer service. In the last two years I have come across at least two dozen or so articles praising Nintendo’s treatment of their customers and I have no doubt that reports like these go back even further as I once had to return my old SNES for repairs way back in the day (they ended up sending me a new one instead of replacing a few minor parts that would have been much cheaper).
Now it is possible that the CSR in this article was “lazy” or “new” as some people have suggested, but if you had walked into one of their branch headquarters with the same problem and told the front desk (as many have), you would have probably received the same treatment–if not better, so I’m inclined to say that this is just how their customer service works.
Of course, I take everything I see on the Internet with a grain of salt, but what’s really amazing is that similar incidents were claimed by nearly every poster on both of these sites. Of course, there are a lot of posters arguing that it’s abuses like the original story that cause companies to start strictly enforcing their policies, but it seems to me that Nintendo not only knows about the abuses but is deliberately very flexible and accommodating with them. It seems as though good customer service, the kind which gives the customer the benefit of the doubt, is quickly disappearing, especially now that it’s easier to simply assign complaints a number, and make it easier to ignore those complaints, than ever before. It’s refreshing to hear at least one company knows how to work with it’s public and earn their loyalty instead of just expecting blind obedience.
Variety has revealed even more information about the game based on the unmade Ghostbusters sequel. Apparently, in addition to the talents of the original Ghostbusters, Ernie Hudson, who played Winston Zeddmore, and Annie Potts, who played Janine Melnitz, will also be lending their talents. The article also says the game will be available on all the major platforms, with the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions being developed by Terminal Reality aimed at the “core gamer demographic,” and another version being developed by Red Fly Studio will develop a version for “families and casual gamers” for the PS2, Wii and DS.Terminal Reality, in case you aren’t familiar with the name, developed Terminal Velocity (a great DOS game), the Aeon Flux game, Blood Rayne and the Metal Slug Anthology. Red Fly Studio has started developing only one other game, Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars (I shit you not), though their about page shows some pretty impressive credits, including Deus Ex, Anachronox and the aforementioned Blood Rayne.
More players from the movies does up the chance of Ghostbusters goodness, but with two developers working on games for a total of six platforms, the liklihood these games will be anything more than a “But you used to love Ghostbusters!” holiday bargain bin title plummets much farther than Winston or Janine could hope to reach. Still, gotta keep the faith. Mushroom Men looks just wacky enough to be actually interesting, so you never know. Just have to keep our fingers crossed and see what happens.
(Found via Kotaku).
 Capcom announced today the fourth Ace Attorney game, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. Having wrapped up Phoenix Wright’s story in the previous installment, Capcom has created Apollo Justice as the new rookie attorney.
Players can expect more of gameplay that made Ace Attorney popular: investigating crime scenes and gathering evidence before cross-examining witnesses in the courtroom, a heavy emphasis on story and flamboyant, crazy characters. The prosecution this time around is Klavier Gavin, who also happens to be in a successful rock band. Helping out Apollo are Trucy, a “mysterious female magician,” and Kristoph Gavin, Kalvier’s older brother.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is the first Ace Attorney developed specifically for the DS, but none of the features Capcom lists are different from the Phoenix Wright games. Perhaps Capcom has something up their sleeve?
Full press release after the jump.
Full Story »
 THQ Inc. today announced the release of the Avatar: The Last Airbender–The Burning Earth video game, based on the hit animated Nickelodeon television series. Avatar: The Last Airbender–The Burning Earth is currently available for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo’s Wii home video game system, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. In addition, the game is scheduled to be released for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft next month, marking the debut of the first Nickelodeon title for this system.Â
Based on the popular Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series from Nickelodeon, players will follow the storyline of the second season as Aang puts up a courageous fight against the evil Fire Nation to restore balance in the war-torn Earth Kingdom city. Players will be able to experience an epic adventure playing as five new playable characters including Appa, Jet, Toph, Zuko and Uncle Iroh as they experience brand-new firebending moves and go head-to-head in the all new Arena Combat for intense fighting action. Dramatic air battles will also take place as players experience new flying levels while playing as Momo and Appa.Â
“THQ has done a fantastic job translating the epic adventures of the Avatar: The Last Airbender television series into engaging interactive entertainment that brings an entirely new Avatar experience to fans,” said Shaul Olmert, vice president of digital products, Nickelodeon. “We’re excited to make our Xbox 360 debut with our new Avatar game.”
Nintendo might have just delayed its biggest Wii title and our favorite new DS title, but it wants you to know that there are still plenty of Wii and DS games on the way for this holiday season and the first part of 2008.
To that end, they’ve released a giant list of games and release dates. There are a few surprises — Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed will be coming to DS in February, for example. For the List read More.
Full Story »
 Publisher: Activision Publishing, Inc.
Developer: n-Space
Release Date: Fall 2007
Platform: Nintendo DS
Suggested Retail Price: TBD
ESRB Rating: TBD
The signature Call of Duty chaos of battle is coming to Nintendo DS for the first time in a modern day first-person action experience packed with intense sights, sounds and gameplay. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for the Nintendo DS delivers an arsenal of modern weaponry, arming gamers with precision controls and touch screen capabilities for battle across the world’s most dangerous hotspots. In an unfolding story that parallels the epic, high-octane PC and next generation console Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the Nintendo DS title enlists players as U.S. and coalition forces against a rogue enemy, where the action rages from land to the skies in all-out combat that threatens the world.
KEY FEATURES:
• Nintendo DS Touch Screen and Stylus – Intuitive stylus-based movement controls allows unique ways to construct explosive devices, disarm traps, and perform hand-to-hand combat.
• Diversity of Gameplay – Delivering a variety of combat, the title takes players from the soldier to the satellite with multiple scenarios. Gamers will experience mobilization as they fast-rope from tactical helicopters, engage hostile forces from an aerial gunship, and experience the ferocity of building to building fighting.
• Instant Action – Featuring the signature Call of Duty epic combat and intensity, the Nintendo DS title delivers an Instant Action mode allowing players to quickly access previously completed missions.
• Multiplayer Support – Leveraging wireless local area network (WLAN) for ad-hoc connectivity, up to four players quickly ease into the visceral action of modern warfare combat.
 The first in a new series of four “Producer in a Box†videos for the upcoming strategy title Panzer Tactics DS is now available for download. This first video in the series introduces viewers to the first authentic, turn-based WWII strategy game for the Nintendo DS. In the video, project manager Johanna Schober from Austrian development studio Sproing explains the game’s different play modes and starts one of the first missions.
Story
1939: The world stands on the brink of one of the greatest armed conflicts in the history of mankind: the Second World War. Players assume command of the most powerful armies of the time: The German Wehrmacht, the Soviet Army or the Allied Forces. Experience the demanding strategic level of the conflict n three historically-based campaigns for the first time ever on a handheld platform.
Features
- Three exciting single-player campaigns on the side of the German Wehrmacht, the Soviet Army or the Allied Forces
- 30 nerve-wracking, historical missions, including undercover missions behind enemy lines
 Over 150 different marine, land and air units as well as 20 different special attacks- 30 heroic officers who provide their units additional motivation
- Exceptional depth of play and complex computer opponent behaviour make the game playable again and again
- Multi-player mode for up to 4 players on 10 different multi-player maps (LAN, Wi-Fi, Hot Seat mode)
- Online ranking table
- Playable using stylus, buttons or a combination of both
- Optional bonus mission goals to unlock additional missions and tactical optimizations
- Wide variety of combat animations for all units and a wide range of special effects for explosion and weather depiction
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