NINTENDO SUFFERS LOSSES BUT COMPUTER SAVINGS KEEP COMING

It’s been a difficult six months for Japanese gaming giant Nintendo after lower software sales and a stronger yen saw its half-year losses slump. However, with Christmas approaching, it’s a great time to shop for those with a passion for computers and the internet.

Weak sales

According to Nintendo, it suffered a net loss of 70.3billion yen in the six months to September – that’s up from a loss of two billion yen during the same period last year. It had net sales of 215.7billion yen in the six month period – that’s down from 363billion during the same period 12 months ago.

In particular, Nintendo was hit by weak sales of its 3DS handheld game player, selling just three million units and cutting the price sharply in Japan and the US. It was also rocked by a rise in value of the yen as it makes 80 per cent of its sales abroad.

Consequently, the firm has adjusted its forecast for the year to April 2012 and predicts 790billion yen in sales, compared to previous predictions of 900billion yen.

Computer savings

Despite one of the giants of the computing industry feeling the pinch, the market as a whole is highly competitive playing into consumers’ hands in the lead-up to Christmas.

If you’re thinking of purchasing a computer or internet related product this festive season then make sure you check out the computer and internet voucher codes section at 5hop5.ie as there are significant savings available on some of the world’s leading brands. Here are some of the voucher codes currently available:

-      20 per cent off Latitude E6410 at Dell (voucher code expires October 31).

-      10 per cent off purchases over £100 at Conrad (voucher code expires October 31).

-      10 per cent off SoundScience QSB USB laptop/desktop speakers at Advanced MP3 Players (voucher code expires May 05, 2012).