This isnt a suprise really... Its all because of Nintendo - i think every retailers sales will be up massively this year because of them, congrats to Ninty

I don't agree with the notion that Nintendo is single-handedly saving the world! It's simply not true.

Nintendo has done nothing more than squeeze itself (without Sony or Microsoft doing it) out of the traditional games market. I just can't wait to see what their next console is going to be - paper and pen, perhaps?! How can you come back to a traditional console (if they dare to do that) after the Revolution? And if they stay where they are, then they'll be more distant than ever from the lucrative young to middle-age consumers with plenty of disposable income. Choosing to focus on 'casual' gamers and families is a bit like when toasters first came out; everyone used them and then after a while, serials stole some audience, fruit some others etc. In other words, it did not change the world for very long. Everyone moved on or got back to traditional breakfasts!

This surge is purely because of all the nexgen consoles and this is the first Xmas worldwide, when they're all available. I don't see anything "particular" about Nintendo's portfolio, apart from being a very odd and strange games environment - I've played it and I think it s-u-x!

Nintendo only did what it did with the Revolution because they couldn't keep up with the competition anymore, when it came to specs. The Revolution is not a revolution, it's a compromise.

Nintendo have simply been riding the marketing wave of not expanding their manufacturing, thus keeping the demand high for a product that's almost never available and always on pre-order.

But that's not an achievement in higher sales or that it's so much in demand; it's merely that its slice of the market is being kept waiting while they produce enough units to meet that niche market segment.

If Nintendo opened one, two or three more factories tomorrow (I'd settle for a couple more production lines in the current factories), would the demand still be as high for its Compromise console? Doubt it, they'd be sitting on the shelfs just like the other two...

Seeing as its practically impossible to buy anything Nintendo related due to their awful UK stock allocations, how can it be down to them?

I work in a GAME store, and if anything, the PS3 has rocketed, due to price drops and good bundles. Xbox 360 has remained steady. No denying the demand, but without the stock, what's the point?

Nintendo has managed to screw up stock for the last 3-4 seasons running, and yet they get praise for saving the industry? Go figure!