Nintendo Earnings Rise on 3DS Sales But Wii U Stalls Out

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By Chelsea Stark2013-07-31 20:08:42 UTC

Nintendo's first quarterly earnings report for the fiscal year shows that the company's outlook is improving, thanks in no part to the poor sales of its Wii U console.

The report stated that Nintendo's positive net income sat at about 8.6 billion Yen ($88 million). Much of the improvement can be contributed to a weaker yen, according to NBC, but the company also received a significant bump thanks to 3DS sales.

See also: Nintendo 3DS to Get New 'Zelda,' 'Yoshi's Island' and 'Mario Party' Titles

Nintendo's handheld console, which had a rocky start when it was first released two and a half years ago, has since gained tremendous ground among gamers. Nintendo has improved sales by releasing a stream of big games for the console and releasing a model with a larger screen — the 3DS XL — last August.

The handheld has been the bestselling console for the last two months in North America. Additionally, the immensely popular Animal Crossing: New Leaf was the second-best selling game in June. Nintendo's figures show that 1.4 million 3DS handhelds were sold in the quarter spanning April to June.

However, the Wii U is another story. Since its launch in November, Nintendo's numbers show it has only sold 3.61 million units. In the last quarter, only 160,000 Wii U consoles were sold around the world. Most of this is due to delays in the release of games for the Wii U, though Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said the company was doing its best to rectify that.

Pikmin 3 is the first big release for the Wii U this year. That title is due out Sunday.

Image: Nintendo

Topics: Business, Entertainment, Gaming, Nintendo, nintendo 3ds, Wii U