Nintendo Forecasts Advance-ing Sales

Japanese video game maker Nintendo has set aggressive sales targets for its hand-held Game Boy Advance machines, aiming to boost sales by one-third in the business year starting on April 1.

Nintendo aims to sell two million of its new Game Boy Advance SPs, which feature rechargeable batteries and a brightly lit screen, in the first six weeks after their February 14 launch, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told a news conference.

"With full confidence, we will launch Game Boy Advance SP as the ultimate version of the hand-held game player. With a wide-ranging software line-up, Game Boy Advance SP will be able to appeal to a broader range of users...regardless of age or sex," Iwata said.

Nintendo, which dominates the global hand-held game system market, said it planned to sell 20 million Game Boy Advance machines globally, including the SP models, in the next business year, up from its target of 15 million this year.

View: Nintendo has high hopes for Game Boy Advance