Nintendo's latest handheld continues to gain momentum after a rough start earlier this year.
After selling a record half a million units last week, the 3DS has now crossed the point where Nintendo can claim four million total consoles sold this year. Keep in mind, these are just Japanese numbers—in November the hardware reached 1.65 million units sold here in the U.S. as it potentially inherits some of the momentum of its predecessor, topping the hardware sales charts week after week. These numbers kind of blow away the PS Vita debut, which feels a little less substantial by comparison.
Honestly, it was looking dire for the 3DS as the system struggled to overcome a pretty steep price point and a weak software lineup. But in the months since, gamers have received new entries in the Mario and Zelda franchises with another Monster Hunter title acting as Nintendo's ace in the hole to shift even more of the systems. The Capcom series is a huge system-mover for Japanese audiences, and the late-year release seemed almost like a tactical deployment to get the doubtful on board. That title is actually on track to sell a million copies by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 have both sold a million copies to this date, reminding us all that yes, people still like games with Mario in them, and they like them a lot.
[Source: Enterbrain via Gamasutra]
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