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.

Recommended Videos

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.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

Hades 2 shows the Steam Deck’s biggest advantage over the Nintendo Switch

A Steam Deck sits next to a Switch OLED.

It's always an exciting week when the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time surprise releases on a Monday. That's what happened on May 6 when Hades 2 surprise launched into early access. Players are already diving into the surprisingly robust roguelike, testing their might in its new biomes. I've been enjoying it myself from the comfort of my couch -- and not on my Nintendo Switch, where I played the first Hades. Instead, I'm curled up with my Steam Deck.

The PC-only launch means that Hades 2 is a Steam Deck "exclusive" for the time being (or at least exclusive to portable PCs like it and the Asus ROG Ally). It'll likely come to Nintendo's system -- or its predecessor -- once it hits 1.0, but developer Supergiant doesn't expect its game to leave early access until at least the end of 2024. Until then, you'll need a device like the Steam Deck to play it on the go. That's a reminder that Valve has beaten the Switch at its own game, and Nintendo will have to get creative again with its next system to regain its throne.
Early access on the go
Based on my time with it so far, Hades 2 is a phenomenal match for the Steam Deck. It's already Verified for the platform, and for good reason. It looks fantastic (especially on an OLED screen) and runs smoothly. I've already taken it on the go and found that it's not a huge drain on the Steam Deck's battery. At this point, I don't imagine I'll need to play it any other way.

Gaming

3 retro classics to play on Nintendo Switch Online this weekend (May 3-5)

Kirby and his friends post in Kirby and the Amazing Mirror art.

With rumors of a new Nintendo console heating up, it's once again time to accept that the Switch's long lifespan is coming to its end. 2024 will likely be the system's last full year before a successor steals its thunder. That's apparent in Nintendo's recent first-party offerings, as the system is getting a lot of remasters and niche curveballs this year. As exclusives like Endless Ocean: Luminous underwhelm, you may have found yourself looking for reasons to fire up your Switch.

Thankfully, you have a lot of great excuses to do so if you're subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online. The service is home to plenty of classic games from the NES up to the Nintendo 64. Even if you're a game historian, there's a good chance you haven't played everything Switch Online has to offer. This weekend, I have three recommendations for anyone looking to fire up some great, old games. These aren't random picks; I've chosen three games that feel spiritually linked to some of this spring's biggest games.
Kirby and the Amazing Mirror

Gaming

A Nintendo emulator is Apple’s top downloaded app after ban reversal

Nintendo Entertainment System with controller.

The iOS App Store has a new No. 1 app, and it's Delta -- Game Emulator. Recently unbanned by Apple, the app allows players to emulate games from several different Nintendo systems, even though it isn't officially backed by Nintendo.

As a report from The Washington Post outlines, Apple recently loosened its App Store restrictions, which allowed game emulators to return to the storefront even though they were previously banned. Emulators populate a murky gray area in the video game industry, as they are fantastic for game preservation, but also give people ways to play games illegally if they find the ROM online.