Nintendo Surpasses Samsung Electronics as Top Consumer of MEMS
Tokyo, Mar 20, 2010 (JCN) - Nintendo Co. surpassed Samsung Electronics Co. in 2009 as the world's top buyer of microelectromechanical systems used in consumer-electronic products and cell phones. The video-game maker increased its MEMS spending by 12 percent to US$108 million, topping Samsung, which spent US$105 million in 2009 and had been the biggest buyer for years.
Nintendo, which had been the No. 2 buyer of MEMS in consumer electronics in 2007 and 2008, increased its purchases of sensors used for measuring orientation for its use in Wii Motion Plus expansion devices for the popular game console. Motion Plus helps the video game accurately record complex motions.
The market for MEMS used in consumer electronics and cell phones grew 7.6 percent to US$1.19 billion. ISuppli forecast 18 percent annual growth for the MEMS.
