Wii Sales Rocket: Sign of the Times?

Are more people getting their entertainment fix at home in these hard times?

Looking at results of the user friendly Wii one may think so, as sales skyrocketed in the recent quarter from games catered to the non-traditional "gamer". Comparing Nintendo's stock performance since the Wii launch (late 2006) to Sony's (maker of the more traditional Playstation gaming consoles), one can see Wii is in a planet all their own...

TOKYO (AP) -- Nintendo Co.'s profit for the fiscal first quarter surged 34 percent as sales of its hit Wii console shot up, underlining the success of the video game unit in attracting novice players.

The Japanese manufacturer of Super Mario and Pokemon video games reported Wednesday a profit of 107.27 billion yen ($996 million) from April through June, up from 80.25 billion yen in the same period last year.

The big factor behind the stellar performance was the Wii and its game software, including the "Wii Fit," which has drawn the health-conscious to doing simple exercises like yoga and aerobics with a video game.