Nintendo: Wii to blame for handheld slump

With every machine aside from Sony’s PS3 currently facing year-on-year sales losses, Nintendo has claimed a surprising reason for the decline the handheld market – recent releases for the Wii.

Whilst Nintendo DS sales in Europe were lower than the previous year, Nintendo’s share in the handheld market has not shrunk,” Nintendo’s European MD Laurent Fischer told MCV.

What has shrunk is the whole handheld hardware market in Europe, possibly due to a shortage of hit titles and possibly because more attention from the public was paid to Wii with such titles as New Super Mario Bros Wii, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus.”

As for the Wii, Fischer adds that the home console’s fortunes have improved after a poor start to 2009:

In Europe Wii lost some momentum in the first half of last year. However, the strong software line-up in the latter half of 2009 helped regain momentum and total sales of Wii in Europe have now reached over 22 million.”

MCV has spoken to each of the three platform holders in its E3 Special Edition, which will be circulated at the LA event next week. To read the interviews in full, make sure you check MCV magazine this Friday.