Nintendo record the most successful across-the-board holiday performance in U.S. video game history! Details inside...

Independent U.S. sales figures released by the NPD Group today confirmed an impressive launch for the Wii and the undisputed crowning of DS as the best-selling video game device of any type for both the holiday period and indeed the whole of 2006.

The sale of more than 1.5 million extra Wii-motes accompanied the purchase of every Wii console available at retail - which totalled more than a million in just the 44 days between American launch and year end. On average, Wii owners purchased three extra games - with 86% of Wii owners choosing Zelda: Twilight Princess, which (along with the Nintendo GameCube version) has sold 1.5 million units in seven weeks - making it into the top five best selling titles of the year.

Meanwhile the DS sold through a staggering 1.6 million systems in December alone, with a total year figure of 5.3 million unit sold. New Super Mario Bros. and Brain Age both were in the top ten most sold games of the year.

Throughout the November/December holiday shopping period, Nintendo accounted for more than half of all video game hardware systems sold in America, and have increased its projected worldwide financial performance for the financial year ending on March 31 to be the best in company history.

"Millions of players, both hard-core and brand-new, are already enjoying the unique entertainment provided by Wii, but demand for the system remains incredibly high," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "So our work is just beginning. We're dedicating ourselves to maximizing both manufacturing and distribution full bore throughout 2007, to make sure everyone who wants to experience the future of video gaming can do so just as soon as possible."