Iwata: Wii's Momentum Loss In Japan 'Urgent'

Wii sales in Japan have fallen below 50,000 units per week, a situation Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says "cannot be defined as healthy." The company has been able to motivate occasional sales spikes during the summer, but has been unable to sustain them, Iwata explained during a briefing with investors that came as the company warned of its first full-year profit decline in six years. Lagging Wii sales are the primary reason Nintendo's forecasts are suffering. In particular, Iwata says consumers in Japan have failed to respond to Wii price cuts the way those in other regions do. "The price cut seems to have the least impact here than other parts of the world," he said. "It is our urgent mission to recover the momentum of Wii during the holidays, utilizing Nintendo's strength," Iwata stressed. The DS, on the other hand, enjoys continuing health on the strength of Japanese smash hits like Dragon Quest IX and worldwide successes like Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver.