Pachter: Wii U April US sales hit 55,000

The Wii U's already slow sales pace didn't get any better in the April, according to data from Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.

Ahead of this week's NPD report, Pachter released to GameSpot sister site CNET sales estimates of 55,000 units in the US for the month, down 19 percent compared to March. The original Wii again outperformed its successor, selling 75,000 units during the period, Pachter said.

The Wii U has officially sold 3.45 million units worldwide as of March 31. Nintendo has attributed the platform's slow adoption rate to a lack of major titles and marketing failing to communicate the novelty of the system.

Nintendo plans to spark system sales by launching key first-party titles on a more regular basis moving forward, beginning with Pikmin 3 in August. The company also aims to reduce manufacturing costs to make the Wii U profitable.

Concerning competitors Microsoft and Sony, Pachter's data today shows that the Xbox 360 was again the market leader, selling 205,000 units in the month. The PlayStation 3 moved 165,000 units in the period, according to Pachter.

The 3DS was a bright spot for Nintendo in April, with sales jumping 46 percent year-over-year to 185,000 units, Pachter said. The PlayStation Vita, on the other hand, declined 56 percent compared to last year, selling 30,000 units in the month, according to Pachter.

Pachter's data is based on retailer checks and does not necessarily accurately reflect true sales information.