Nintendo posts first ever loss - $460 million

[Viper1]

NintendoPie said:

Viper1 said:

NintendoPie said:
Didn't they lose money last year, too?

Besides, I thought the 3DS sold a lot more than that. (17 Million?!)

Not for the full fiscal year and the 17 million is lifetime.  The 13.5 million figure shown here is fiscal year.

Which Fiscal Year? I'm kind of lost on these terms.

A fiscal year is a scheduled yearly cycle for companies.   Many used the April 1-March 31st fiscal year.   The figures you are reading from Nintendo current fiscal year.   Because a fiscal year can cover periods from 2 seperate calendar years (April 1 to Dec 31st of 2011 is last calendar year while Jan 1 to March 31st of 2012 is this calendar year) it can sound confusing when they report a Q1 (1st quarter of the fiscal year being April 1 - June 30) loss or profit and then have their end of (fiscal) year report for all 4 quarters.

And given that the 3DS launched prior to the start of the fiscal year they just reported on (Japan launched in Feb with the rest of the world launching near the end of March), that is how you get 2 seperate figures.   17 million for lifetime and 13.5 million for the fiscal year.