According to a press release sent out yesterday, Nintendo of America broke their own sales record last week, selling more DS systems than in any previous week. In fact, the 653,000 consoles sold last week eclipse any week's sales of any Nintendo console. The previous record holder was the Game Boy Advance in the Thanksgiving week of 2005 (why did it do so well then? The Micro, maybe?) It looks like the DS (and the Wii, which sold more last week than any week since its launch) will be under a lot of trees this year -- Christmas trees, that is. We don't think people are going to bury them or anything. Of course, the two new hardware colors drew out some double-dippers, as well. We're also going to pretend that Contra 4 had a demonstrable impact on DS sales, with action gamers finally finding a reason to buy the system.

The press release goes on to declare the DS and Wii the saviors of the American economy, drawing people into stores during a holiday season beset by gas prices and general shopping malaise. Not in so many words, of course, but the message is clear: buy Nintendo, save Christmas. The full release is posted after the break.

NINTENDO OF AMERICA REPORTS HISTORIC SALES WEEK

Nintendo DS Passes Game Boy Advance Sales Record, Wii Becomes Must-Have Gift

REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 27, 2007 - In the first week of the 2007 holiday shopping season, Nintendo of America has sold more Nintendo products than at any other time in its history. This includes more than 653,000 Nintendo DS™ portable video game systems, 350,000 Wii™ home systems and millions of games and accessories throughout the United States - and the season is just getting started.

Nintendo DS set a new all-time sales record for Thanksgiving week, eclipsing the previous mark of 600,000 Game Boy® Advance systems sold during the same period in the United States in 2005. Nintendo DS remains on track to be the top-selling video game system of 2007.

Nintendo's 350,000 Wii systems represent the highest one-week U.S. sales total outside of its launch week one year ago. Wii has been dubbed the must-have gift of the 2007 holiday season and has been placed at the top of numerous gift lists. Nintendo has repeatedly increased its shipments and its fiscal-year sales forecast for Wii in an attempt to meet soaring demand. Wii reached 5 million sold in the United States faster than any video game system in history, after only 12 months of availability there.

Both Wii and Nintendo DS have continued their yearlong momentum into the holidays without altering their prices. And both remain attractive values for shoppers: Wii has an MSRP of $249.99, while Nintendo DS has an MSRP of $129.99.

"As shoppers look for ways to maximize their limited holiday spending money, they turn to gifts that can be used by the entire family," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "Wii and Nintendo DS offer something for every member of the family. They're the most fun video game experiences at the most affordable price."

With higher gas prices and fuel costs, and the lukewarm expectations for the 2007 holiday shopping season, Wii and Nintendo DS might be just what Santa ordered: Thirty-five percent of consumers said they plan to spend less than they did last year, according to a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corp. for the Consumer Federation of America and the Credit Union National Association. Similarly, a USA Today/Gallup Poll showed that 25 percent of Americans expect to spend less on gifts this year than they did in 2006.

Note that the internal Nintendo of America numbers referenced in this release represent sales from Sunday, Nov. 18, through Saturday, Nov. 24.