Nintendo Merging Console and Handheld Divisions in Japan

Reported in a Japanese newspaper, and translated by MCV, comes the news that Nintendo is going to merge its handheld and console divisions into one team. The merged group will operate out of the new R&D centre that Nintendo Japan has spent the last three years building near its original offices in Kyoto.

The facility is costing Nintendo around $300 million, so the company must have big plans for it. Given that the handheld and console teams will now be working closely together, perhaps this means the company will be working on new hardware that combines the best of both worlds, in what could be a daring move to fight against the rise of things like smartphone and Facebook games.

The Wii U sold more than 460,000 units in the U.S. in December, which brings the total for the first 41 days of its existence to around 890,000. Those are some impressive numbers, and have brought in more than $300 million from U.S. sales of the Wii U console, but while that's $30 million more than the Wii did, that's because the Wii was cheaper.

So while Nintendo is far from over, the company obviously needs to do something. Luckily, this move suggests they've got some idea of where they're heading.