Posted on Monday 20-Feb-2012 10:14 AM

3DS breaks hardware sales records in Japan

Fastest system to top 5 million sold

By Andy Robinson for computerandvideogames.com

Nintendo 3DS has topped five million units sold in Japan - the fastest console to do so in the region, it's claimed.

Nintendo 3DS Screenshot
The handheld crossed the mark 52 weeks after its February 26 release, reports Andriasang, a new record for Japanese hardware sales.

The previous record holders, predictably, were the original Nintendo DS at 56 weeks, and the Game Boy Advance with 58 weeks.

The five million figure is actual sell-through, it's said, meaning sales from retailers to customers. The data was provided by Media Create.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently announced plans to launch a new side-scrolling 2D Mario title for 3DS during the company's next fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2013.

[ Source: Andriasang ]

computerandvideogames.com
Andy Robinson
Andy Robinson
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Andy has written about video games for ten years for publications such as PC Zone, T3, The Sunday Mirror and of course, CVG. Read more

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Comments

11 comments so far...

  1. Report this post Reply with quote
    Clusks on 20 Feb '12 said:

    WHAT A FAILURE! :roll:

  2. Report this post Reply with quote
    gillri on 20 Feb '12 said:

    Nintendo does it again, Im gonna get one when an eclusive Zelda or Metroid game comes out

  3. Report this post Reply with quote
    benedictm on 20 Feb '12 said:

    and a few months ago everyone was screaming the 3DS was a failure. The original DS took ages to take off, most consoles do.

    Look at the Vita

    doing terribly now but give it a year...

  4. Report this post Reply with quote
    Hirosese on 20 Feb '12 said:

    Nintendo is dominating again, damn why even try and deny it. You can't stop em. They're too beast, they've killt the ps2 with ds now Nintendomination has arrived, don't even hold your chances with 720 poop or ps4s**t, The Wii U will dominate for the next 5 years so sit back and enjoy

  5. Report this post Reply with quote
    a_adji on 20 Feb '12 said:

    once again, consumer dictate and not analyst or internet journalist who the industry turned away.

    GONINTENDO.

  6. Report this post Reply with quote
    veato on 20 Feb '12 said:

    When they release the 3DS Lite (or whatever) with two inbuilt thumb sticks then I'll buy one

  7. Report this post Reply with quote
    alan666 on 20 Feb '12 said:

    i could be wrong on this, but wasn't the DSi/DSi XL the top selling console month after month in Japan for years, so surly the 3DS sales have just taken over from that version, nobody is going to buy a DSi/DSi XL when for a bit more money you can get a 3DS.

  8. Report this post Reply with quote
    ShadowAviation on 20 Feb '12 said:

    Good to see the handheld reaching it's true potential. Nintendo does it again.

  9. Report this post Reply with quote
    Balladeer on 20 Feb '12 said:

    once again, consumer dictate and not analyst or internet journalist who the industry turned away.

    GONINTENDO.

    That's super. Now I hope you're as enthusiastic when the Vita does the same.

  10. Report this post Reply with quote
    Mattoto on 26 Feb '12 said:

    Nothing surprising here, because this console begins to have some games like loveplus / nintendo games which are very popular there. Games were always the selling factor of a console in Japan.

  11. Report this post Reply with quote
    rbt2 on 26 Feb '12 said:

    Deservedly so.
    They've really turned things around since the lacklustre launch.
    It's a cracking little machine that I should really spend more time on if I could.