Wii U fails to outsell its predecessor in December

Nintendo has celebrated the revenue-generating ability of its fledgling Wii U console in America, reporting the machine sold 460,000 units in December 2012, but the new device still struggled to keep up with the 475,000 sold by the original Wii in the same month. Nintendo reported that the total US sales for the Wii U are now close to 890,000 after 41 days on the market.

Wii U has made over $300 million in the US, whereas the Wii had managed $270 million at this point in its lifetime. "While the Wii launch established new benchmarks in the United States, Wii U has surpassed its predecessor in perhaps the most important category: revenue generation," said Scott Moffitt, sales and marketing vice president at Nintendo.

Nintendo does not mention that, at $300, even the basic Wii U package sells for more than the Wii's launch price of $250: if the Wii U was being sold for $250, the total revenue would be closer to $222 million, but the Wii U's performance was enough to help Nintendo's stock price rise 5.6 percent to close at ¥9,070 ($102).

The deluxe Wii U SKU retails for $350 in America, and Nintendo reports that this package has been virtually sold out throughout the entire holiday season. "The demand for the Deluxe SKU, which was essentially sold out at retail this holiday, and the strong attach rate of New Super Mario Bros. U shows that we have the value and the games to drive momentum in 2013. We look forward to offering great new experiences and bringing smiles to millions of new faces throughout the year," added Moffitt.

Nintendo also revealed that New Super Mario Bros. U has now sold over 585,000 units, giving it an attachment rate of more than 65 per cent.

Overall, the publisher shifted 2.65 million hardware units in December 2012--the 11th consecutive year that Nintendo has flogged over 8 million hardware units, and in a year hardware sales saw a 22 per cent plunge from 2011, according to the NPD Group.