Nintendo reports a thin third-fiscal-quarter profit and sells 3M Wii U consoles in first season

Nintendo reported a third-fiscal-quarter profit today for the three months ending on Dec. 31, 2012 as it struggled to regain its footing in a difficult gaming market. But it sold a respectable 3 million units of its Wii U video game console that launched on Nov. 18 in the U.S. and shortly thereafter worldwide. The Wii U sales pale in comparison to sales of Apple’s latest iPads, but the numbers are quite respectable for a video game console launch, which is typically held back by a shortage of components.