Nintendo: 'Wii has recovered from slowdown'

Points towards strong software and the pre-Christmas price cut.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has announced that the Wii sold in excess of three million units in the US during the month of December - up from 2.14 million units in December 2008.

"I think it's now safe to say the Wii has recovered from slowdown," Iwata told Reuters.

"But I'm not sure if it's prudent to use words like revival and recovery lightly before making absolutely certain we can maintain this momentum. So, I steer clear of such words today," he added.

Iwata explained that no one thing led to the strong Wii sales: "It's a combination of factors. Towards December, our software line-up got stronger. Also, the price cut certainly helped, although it is not the sole factor."

Iwata also revealed that Super Mario Bros. Wii is estimated to have sold almost four million units in the US, having launched back on November 15, 2009.

Iwata also had some words on the DS, stating the handheld's popularity is trending against all known sales patterns.

"The DS was launched back in 2004, and sales of that machine hit a record in 2009 in the United States. That is totally different from the conventional sales pattern, in which game gear sales peak in the third year and take a downturn thereafter," he said.