It's a Wiiiii UUUUU... oh, wait

With the Holiday season upon us, there are a number of gadgets vying to be the hottest attraction for shoppers, with Wii U doing its best to join in. Of course, so much money at this time of year is spent on kids, and according to surveys conducted by research firm Nielson, Wii U is high on a lot of wishlists.

Of those surveyed, Wii U was the second most desired piece of technology among 6-12 year old children in the U.S., with 39% expressing an interest in Nintendo's new system — a full-size iPad was the runaway winner with 48%. In the same age group Nintendo 3DS and, surprisingly, DS finished above PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with 29% and 28% respectively; maybe Pokémon Black and White 2 has something to do with it, or kids aren't sure of the difference between the handhelds. The figures for teenagers aged 13 and above are lower across the board, and Wii U is down to fourth place in this demographic with a score of 17%. Perhaps worryingly, interest in 3DS is way down at 5% with this group, even coming below the Wii at 6%.

A number of factors affect figures like these, of course, and surveys are always open to inaccuracies, so should probably just be treated as a loose guide. Overall the Wii U figures are encouraging, but also suggest that Nintendo faces an uphill struggle to attract teenagers to 3DS, as they seem far more interested in tablets, smartphones and computers.

You can see the graphs below for yourself — click to enlarge — so let us know what you think in the comments.

[source blog.nielsen.com, via neogaf.com]