Nintendo President Says The Wii Has Recovered

Nintendo President Saturo Iwata believes the Wii is back to a healthy state, citing a "combination of factors" as to how the once sick console has regained its momentum.

"I think it's now safe to say the Wii has recovered from slowdown," Iwata said in an interview with Reuters. "But I'm not sure if it's prudent to use words like revival and recovery lightly before making absolutely certain we can maintain this momentum. So, I steer clear of such words today".

Yesterday Nintendo announced internal sales estimates, showing the company sold over 3 million Wii consoles in the U.S. alone during the month of December, up from 2.15 million from December 2008. Lifetime U.S. sales of Super Mario Bros. Wii are approaching 4 million units sold since its November release. Official U.S. sales data for Dcember and all of 2009 will be announced by the NPD Group on January 14th.

So just what does Iwata attribute to the Wii's recovery?

"It's a combination of factors. Towards December, our software lineup got stronger. Also, the price cut certainly helped, although it is not the sole factor," Iwata said.