Nintendo reports jump in quarter profit on hit Wii

Nintendo Co.'s profit for the fiscal first quarter surged 34 percent from a year ago as sales of its hit Wii shot up, underlining the success of the wand-wielding video game console in attracting novice players.

The Japanese manufacturer of Super Mario and Pokemon video games reported Wednesday a 107.27 billion yen ($996 million) profit for April-June, up from 80.25 billion yen the same period the previous year.

The big factor behind the stellar performance was the Wii and its game software, including the "Wii Fit," which has drawn the health-conscious to exercise activities such as yoga and aerobics.

Nintendo sold 5.2 million Wii machines worldwide during the quarter — 1.7 million more machines than for the same period last year. It also sold during the quarter 3.42 million "Wii Fit" games and 6.42 million "Mario Kart Wii" games.

Quarterly sales surged 24 percent to 423.38 billion yen ($3.9 billion), according to Kyoto-based Nintendo.

Nintendo has now sold a cumulative 29.6 million Wii machines worldwide since its arrival in late 2006.

The Wii has scored success against Japanese rival Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, which went on sale about the same time.

At the latest count, worldwide PS3 sales lagged at fewer than half of Wii purchases at 14.4 million.

On Tuesday, Sony said its April-June profit plunged to 34.98 billion yen ($326.9 million) — about half that recorded a year ago — as a strong yen, the absence of "Spider-Man 3" revenue and faltering cell phone operations battered earnings.

Unlike old-style games that require players to push a complex combination of buttons, Wii comes with an easy-to-use remote to swing around like a tennis racket or fishing pole. The machine has proven appealing to relative newcomers to gaming, including the elderly and women.

(Agencies)