And we intend to make this time as profitable for you as possible. That means we’ll minimize the amount of time talking to you...in order to get in as many of your questions as possible.
I hope you had the chance to try out the Nintendo 3DS system. The response has been tremendous.
So, let me begin by introducing our global president, Mr. Satoru Iwata...
Thank you, Cammie.
As we mentioned yesterday in the Nokia Theatre, our goal at E3 this year really hasn’t changed from previous years. It is always our mission to deliver new, innovative, and enriching experiences to video gamers.
Beginning with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, there are several new Wii titles that we believe will accomplish this.
But for portable gaming, we’ve introduced an entirely new delivery device...with Nintendo 3DS. The 3D display is of course the most apparent difference. But once you’ve had the chance to become more familiar with it, I think you’ll see it has the potential to improve portable game play in several ways.
I look forward to answering your questions...but first, I would like Reggie to provide a quick overview of the U.S. market...
Reggie?...
Thank you, Mr. Iwata.
I’m guessing that Nintendo 3DS will generate quite a few questions today.
So let me drill down just a little bit specifically on our Wii business...
which remains historically strong.
And unless I indicate otherwise, my remarks will be confined to US data from here.
In the last six months of NPD data...
Counting from the beginning of November last year through April of this year...
consumers in America have purchased as many Wii consoles as PS3’s and Xbox 360’s combined - in the last 15 months!
That’s more sales for Wii in half a year...than the other home consoles combined ...in more than a year.
The relative impact is seen best by comparing sales of Wii during its first four years on the market...to the track record for other leading home consoles.
As you can see, the PS2 is the only other meaningful competitor.
But Wii continues to extend its advantage. After year two, Wii had outsold the PS2 trendline by one-point-two million units in the U.S.
After year three, the difference grew to one-point-seven.
But after last year’s record holiday, Wii has now outsold the PS2 by nearly five million systems at the same point in its life cycle.
And of course, the other current home platforms are losing ground even more quickly.
