The Nintendo Wii U features a touchscreen GamePad. (intendo. All Rights Reserved)

Figures from Nintendo of America head Reggie Fils-Aime show that the Wii U sold 400,000 during its first week on sale, saying that the new console was "essentially sold out."

The Wii U's performance meant it was Nintendo's top selling machine over the week, beating the older Wii's 300,000, the 275,000 DS units shifted, and a 250,000 tally for the DS's successor, the 3DS.

Speaking to CNET, Fils-Aime said that "Wii U is essentially sold out of retail and we are doing our best to continually replenish stock. Retailers are also doing their best to get the product to store shelves. But as soon as product hits retail, they're selling out immediately."

"We've certainly learned many lessons from [the Wii] and we are replenishing retailers more quickly this time around."

The original Wii was released in 2006 with launch performance that put it at 600,000 consoles sold over an eight-day period.

The Wii U was released in North America on November 18; a European launch is set for November 30, with the Japanese debut coming December 8.

CNET - Nintendo: 400K Wii U units sold, 1.2M devices total: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-57554183-235