Nintendo reports first ever annual loss

3DS and Wii platform holder Nintendo has reported a 37,320m (284m) loss for the year ended March 31st 2012.

That compares to a profit of 171,076m in the previous years. 2012 sales were down 36.2 per cent year-on-year at 647,652.

Despite the improved fortunes of 3DS, handheld sales fell from 298,653m in 2011 to 234,604 with home console sales falling by over 50 per cent to 116,022m.

Handheld software sales fell from 167,068m to 128,009 with console software falling nearly falling nearly 100,000m to 117,360.

Overall handheld sales decreased from 610,401m to 387,508m and software sales decreased by nearly 150,000m to 258,592m.

American sales fell the most, dropping from 461,853m to 250,981m.

DS sales fell by two thirds to 5.1m. Lifetime DS unit sales now stand at 151m. 3DS unit sales have now hit 17.1m units – which Nintendo describes as being back on track”.

Wii hardware unit sales reached 9.8m throughout the year, with lifetime sales at 95m units.

Nintendo assists that it continues to pursue its basic strategy of ‘Gaming Population Expansion’ by offering compelling products that anyone can enjoy, regardless of age, gender or gaming experience”.

Lamenting the slow” start of the year-end sales season, the company adds that recovery from the sales slump in the early fiscal year was not fully achieved”.

In better news, Nintendo now predicts that 3DS will again be selling at a profit-per-unit price by the middle of the 2013 fiscal year (September 2012).

It also confirmed an international release for Wii U before the end of 2012 in Europe, America and Japan,

It predicts 3DS sales to grow to 18.5m units in the next fiscal year, doubling its install base but remaining largely flat year-on-year. It expects Wii unit sales to tumble 90 per cent to 10m units.