Nintendo slashed its 3DS, DS and Wii hardware shipment forecast, as well as its 3DS and DS software shipment estimates and financial results forecast, for the fiscal year ending March 31. The company now expects to ship 14 million 3DS systems this fiscal year instead of the 16 million previously estimated (CED Oct 28 p4), 5.5 million DS systems (down from 6 million) and 10 million Wiis (down from 12 million), it said Wednesday.
Nintendo will ship “coral pink” and “ice white” versions of the 3DS in the U.K. Feb. 10, it said. The SKUs up to now have only been available as part of bundles with the Nintendo games nintendogs + cats and Super Mario 3D Land. Nintendo of America didn’t comment about plans for the SKUs in the U.S. The current 3DS SKUs are black and “aqua blue” (available since the system’s launch) and red (since September).
Corning’s LCD glass prices will likely tumble another 6 percent in Q1 as the industry burns off inventory that built up last year as glass supply outstripped demand by 20 percent, analysts said.
The White House has issued its “National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security”1 which focuses on the global network of transportation, postal, and shipping pathways, assets, and infrastructures by which goods are moved from the point of manufacture until they reach an end consumer, as well as supporting communications infrastructure and systems. The two goals of the Strategy are to: (i) promote the efficient and secure movement of goods and (ii) foster a resilient supply chain.
A registered nurse in Springdale, Ark., is hoping her brainchild, a tablet PC accessory, becomes the first product to win aisle placement at Walmart as part of the retailer’s “Get on the Shelf” contest. A little like an “American Idol” for product developers, the contest will produce three winners, either an individual or a company, whose products will be voted in for sale at the largest retailer in the country -- one in stores and online and two online only -- following two rounds of voting beginning March 7.
The PS Vita was again outsold in Japan by the 3DS, PS3 and PSP, according to the latest Media Create data, released Friday. The 3DS easily remained Japan’s best-selling system, but sales tumbled to 100,700 from 240,800 the prior week (CED Jan 17 p14). Cumulative 3DS hardware sales grew to an estimated 4.6 million in Japan, according to Media Create’s data. All weekly sales estimates are rounded to the nearest 100. The PS3 remained Japan’s No. 2 hardware system, but sales tumbled to 30,300 from 74,500. The PSP repeated at No. 3, but sales slid to 22,500 from 71,000. The Vita outsold the Wii this time, moving up one to No. 4, but sales tumbled to 18,400 from 42,900. The new Sony system’s Japan installed base grew to 501,300. The Wii dipped one to No. 5, sales tumbling to 14,200 from 49,500. The Xbox 360 moved up two to No. 6, but sales fell to 1,500 from 2,700. The DSi LL dipped one to No. 7, sales slipping to 1,500 from 4,000. The DSi slid one to No. 8, sales dropping to 1,200 from 3,600. The PS2 remained No. 9, sales falling to only 800 from 1,300. Namco Bandai’s Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Masou Kishin II for the PSP became Japan’s best-selling videogame its first week available, moving 81,900 copies. Nintendo’s Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS, the prior week’s No. 1 title, dipped to No. 2 as sales tumbled to 52,300 from 157,200. Games for Nintendo’s handheld 3D system dominated the top five software chart again other than the No. 1 title. Capcom’s Monster Hunter Tri G was No. 3 with 44,600 sold (down from 98,400 the prior week), Nintendo’s Super Mario 3D Land was No. 4 with 40,200 sold (down from 119,100), and Level-5’s Inazuma Eleven Go was No. 5 with 20,800 sold (down from 56,100). The weak game release slate for the Vita continued to take a toll as not a single software title for the system cracked the top 20 again. Sony’s Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational was again the best-selling Vita game. It moved up six to No. 23 in its fifth week. There were only three Vita games in the top 50, down from four the prior week. The Vita won’t ship in North America and Europe until Feb. 22.
Kodak’s slow slide toward bankruptcy cushioned the impact on CE retailers, many of whom long ago switched to its camera rivals, but the brand’s image lingers with consumers, retailers we polled said. Most CE retailers carry only a handful of Kodak point-and-shoot and digital SLR cameras along with printers, filling their shelves with similarly featured products from Canon, Nikon, Samsung, Sony and others. But the brand will remain valuable regardless of the type of company that emerges from the bankruptcy protection that Kodak sought on Wednesday, retailers said.
Best Buy is weighing consumer behavior and moods in developing promotions that reach beyond their base in holidays and special events, Best Buy Research Director Mark Herzog said Tuesday at the National Retail Federal (NRF) convention in New York.
The PS Vita was again outsold in Japan by the 3DS, PS3 and PSP -- and this time by the Wii as well -- according to the latest Media Create data. But sales of the No. 5 Vita grew week-over-week for the first time since launch, increasing to 42,900 units in the week ended Jan. 8, from 42,600 the prior week (CED Jan 9 p9). Its Japan installed base grew to 482,900 units. The 3DS easily remained Japan’s best-selling system, sales growing to 240,800 from 198,000. Cumulative 3DS hardware sales grew to an estimated 4.5 million in Japan, according to Media Create’s data. All weekly sales estimates are rounded to the nearest 100. The PS3 remained Japan’s No. 2 hardware system, sales growing to 74,500 from 67,200. The PSP repeated at No. 3, sales increasing to 71,000 from 62,700. The Wii inched up one to No. 4, sales jumping to 49,500 from 33,200. Sales of all other systems again trailed far behind the top five. The DSi LL was again No. 6, but sales grew to 4,000 from 3,400. The DSi inched up one to No. 7, sales increasing to 3,600 from 2,400. The Xbox 360 dipped one to No. 8, but sales edged up to 2,700 from 2,500. The PS2 remained No. 9, but sales fell to 1,300 from 1,700. Data for the DS Lite wasn’t cited after coming in well below 100 for a while. Nintendo’s Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS remained Japan’s best-selling videogame, sales growing to 157,200 from 109,500. Games for Nintendo’s handheld 3D system dominated the top five software chart. Its Super Mario 3D Land was No. 2 with 119,100 sold, Capcom’s Monster Hunter Tri G was No. 3 with 98,400 sold, and Level-5’s Inazuma Eleven Go was No. 4 with 56,100 sold. The weak game release slate for the Vita continued to take a toll as not a single software title for the system cracked the top 20. Sony’s Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational was again the best-selling Vita game, but it dipped one to No. 29 in its fourth week. There were again a total of only four Vita games in the top 50. The Vita won’t ship in North America and Europe until Feb. 22.
Native Americans became the first parties to oppose petitions to reconsider last fall’s universal service reforms, the record on docket 10-90 showed. The National Congress of American Indians and Navajo telecom regulators filed separate, but similarly worded, briefs to oppose RLEC’s request for exemption of some of the new rules’ guidelines for deploying broadband in tribal areas (CD Oct 28 p1).