Nintendo DS Leads Video Game Industry Growth

Touch Generations Titles Are Expanding Audience to Female and Older Players

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- As both an entertainment and a

business, Nintendo DS™ today is the powerhouse of the U.S. video game

industry, driving nearly all industry revenue growth so far this year.

Without this portable system, the video game industry growth overall would

be nearly flat when compared with 2005, according to independent sales

figures from the NPD Group of Port Washington, N.Y.

Through September's end, the U.S. industry overall shows revenue growth of

11 percent when compared with the same period in 2005. Nearly all of the

growth comes from the portable DS -- without it, the industry would report a

mere 1.6 percent growth over the past nine months. DS hardware and software

units posted a robust gain of 203 percent when compared to the same period

in 2005. The news is the same globally: Nintendo recently announced

estimated full-year shipments for DS hardware will grow to 20 million units

from 17 million units worldwide, while estimated DS software shipments

increased to 82 million units from 75 million.

"Numbers dramatically show the value of reaching out to the masses with

products that are compelling and comfortable," says Nintendo of America

President Reggie Fils-Aime. "And this perfectly sets the stage for our

breakthrough Wii console, which appeals to both core players and current

non-players with an intuitive control system and a price everyone can

afford."

The NPD numbers also indicate that during September, Nintendo DS lifetime

U.S. sales surpassed more than 6.2 million units. That total includes more

than 1.4 million units of the new Nintendo DS Lite systems, which launched

just 16 weeks ago on June 11. It's important to note these numbers

represent Nintendo DS systems actually purchased by customers, not ones

shipped only to stores.

"During a home console generation upgrade, consumer interest in existing

consoles tends to drop as anticipation for new consoles increases.

Hand-held game hardware and software revenues have kept the industry

afloat," says Billy Pidgeon, Program Manager, Consumer Markets: Gaming at

IDC. "Hand-held gaming has spurred real industry growth, and Nintendo's

longstanding leadership in this space continues to drive this market."

This summer, Nintendo launched its Touch Generations brand to help newcomers

to video games identify which nontraditional and pick-up-and-play titles are

appropriate for them. The response from consumers has been enthusiastic, as

four of the top 10 best-selling Nintendo DS games are Touch Generations

titles. Touch Generations games include Brain Age™: Train Your Brain in

Minutes a Day and the three versions of Nintendogs™. And at the same

time, avid players also are fueling growth: the New Super Mario Bros.®

title, exclusively for Nintendo DS, is the third best-seller among all video

games this year, including console games.

Nintendo's internal statistics show the Touch Generations brand continues to

reach more women and older gamers. Nintendo statistics show a significant

percentage of all Touch Generations software buyers are female and are age

25 or older, demonstrating the broad appeal of Nintendo titles like Brain

Age and Big Brain Academy™, which provide engaging and entertaining

content for baby boomers and seniors alike.

For more information about Nintendo DS, visit www.nintendods.com. For more

information about Nintendo's Touch Generations brand, visit

www.touchgenerations.com.