Nintendo's H1 profit falls 59 pct, cuts forecast

TOKYO Oct 29 (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.OS) reported a 59 percent decline in first-half profit on Thursday, hurt by sluggish demand for its flagship Wii videogame console and the strong yen, and it slashed its full-year forecast.

Nintendo, which faces stiff competition in the videogame market from Sony Corp (6758.T) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), said operating profit was 104.4 billion yen ($1.2 billion) in the April-September half, compared with 252.2 billion yen a year earlier.

Nintendo cut its operating profit forecast for the year to March 2010 by nearly a quarter to 370 billion yen, ending a three-year run during which it booked a record profit on booming demand for its Wii console and DS portable device.

That compares with an average estimate of 442.8 billion yen in a poll of 25 analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Demand for Nintendo products like the Wii has cooled as rival Sony has bolstered its line-up of console games, and as Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) iPhone has become a popular platform for handheld games.

Nintendo's earnings, like those of other Japanese exporters, have also been blunted by the stronger yen JPY=, which eats into overseas profits. Shares of Nintendo have declined about 28 percent so far this year, compared with a 14 percent rise in the Nikkei 225 .N225 share average. (Reporting by David Dolan)