The announcement of such triumphant sales figures goes against the tide of U.S. consumer trends. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, November saw the average U.S. retailer experience a year-on-year 2.7 percent drop in sales; the biggest monthly fall since the ICSC began tracking data in 1969.
Fortunately for Nintendo, claims Iwata, the standout success of the Wii lies in its appeal: "When the economy is strong, people tend to buy three things from the top of their wish list. But when things are bad, people often buy only the first thing on their list," Iwata said. "Fortunately for us, a lot of shoppers put our products at the top of their list."
Nintendo’s record of 800,000 unit sales during the Black Friday shopping week (which is over double last year’s figure) was punctuated by the announcement that the Nintendo DS had experienced a 20 percent sales increase over the same period.