Now, Nintendo has stepped into the picture, claiming that its software, hardware and accesories were "responsible for 99% of those additional retail dollars."

Of the year's ten best-selling games, five were published and developed by Nintendo. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Wii accounted for 55% of all home console sales during 2008, selling more than 10 million units and more than doubling its install base.

As for the Nintendo DS, the device made up a whopping 72% of all portable sales in 2008, selling 9.5 million and bringing its U.S. install base to a staggering 27.60 million.