View source for Nintendo sales down this quarter

{{Article|
type=news |
picture=none |
weekday=Thursday |
day=28 |
month=7 |
year=2005 |
discusstype=none |
discusslink=none |
sourcetype=othersite |
sourcename=Gamespot |
sourcelink=http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/28/news_6129939.html |
tagline=Sales down nearly 80% according to Reuters |
blurb=Recent reports from Reuters indicate Nintendo's sales are down this quarter by seventy-eight point five percent, compared to that of 2004. Analysts point to a drop in console sales as well as a scarcity of big name titles. Also, Pokémon Emerald is rated the second highest grossing title for 2005 thus far.
}}
{{CategorizeIn|Games|7|05}}
{{verbatim}}
From Gamespot: Reuters' Japanese service reports a 78.5% drop in sales for the "Big N" in Quarter II, which ended June 30. Compared to last year, Nintendo's operating income was off by $33.4 million US (3.75 billion Yen). In total, income in Quarter II ammounted to $630.6 million US (70.7 billion Yen).

Such a loss is not surprising, considering the waning console sales for both [[bp:Game Boy Advance SP|Game Boy Advance SP]] and [[bp:GameCube|GameCube]]. Specifically, sales for the GameCube were down an estimated 60% from the same time in 2004, while only 980,000 GBASP units were shipped this quarter -- last year the number of GBASP units shipped was 2.3 million.

Also to consider is the veritable dry spell in the way of big name titles released during Quarter II. While the GBASP saw over twelve titles that quarter, the GameCube had less than ten.

Despite this, sales of the [[bp:Nintendo DS|Nintendo DS]] are doing well. Some 1.38 million games for the DS were shipped this quarter. Indeed, Nintendo has high hopes for it's new handheld. As for next year, "the company told the BBC that it plans on shipping more than 12.4 million DS units by March 2006."

In reference to Quarter I sales, Nintendo saw a profit while both Sony Computer Entertainment and Microsoft Home and Entertainment Division saw considerable losses.

Also worth noting, a report by NPD released 7/28 reveals that [[bp:Pokémon Emerald|Pokémon Emerald]] is the '''second''' best-selling game of 2005 so far in the US. Also of note were The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (seventh), and Resident Evil for the GCN (eighth).