Overall, Nintendo posted an operating loss of 5.8 billion yen ($64.4 million) for the nine months ended December 2012, which it partially attributed to the strong performance of the yen over the past year and the fact that it makes a loss on each Wii U console sold. Revenues were down 2.4 percent year on year, and contrary to its prior predictions, the company expects a second consecutive annual loss of 20 billion yen ($220 million). In comments reported by Reuters, however, President Satoru Iwata said the company is aiming to return to profit in the next financial year with a target of 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion).

Good news for the company came in the shape of strong software sales: Pokémon Black Version 2 and White Version 2 for DS sold 7.63 million copies, Animal Crossing: New Leaf for 3DS sold 2.73 million units in Japan alone, and New Super Mario Bros U sold 2.01 million, meaning that about two in three Wii U purchasers decided to pick the game up with their new system. With 11.69 million Wii U software titles sold in total, that means that the console has a healthy attach rate of 3.82 games per system — though it's worth noting that Nintendo Land, bundled with the premium console pack in North America and Europe, has been included in that amount.