Nintendo reveals 11.5 million 3DS consoles sold in US

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/01/10/nintendo-reveals-115-million-3ds-consoles-sold-in-us

Not bad for the system with inferior hardware and software to its Sony counterpart. Smash 3DS is one of the only things convincing me not to sell mine.

My opinion of it aside, those are some astounding numbers, especially after a slow start. Can't wait to start Dream Team today.

I wouldn't consider the hardware "inferior" its just not as powerful because it doesn't need to be.

Relatively speaking only.

How is that? Why does the Nintendo handheld need more computing power?

Not bad indeed.

It is inferior relative to the Vita's hardware.

Just like the number 1 is inferior to 2 in overall quantity

Why would it need more computing power though, it doesn't. Would I want more, especially something to push the resolution much higher, yes, yes please.

Nintendo knows what they are doing with their handhelds, they don't add anything superfluous because its not needed

looks like it will never reach DS sales

hmmm...Personally I would have expected the numbers to be higher. I wonder how this compares to the DS at this point in it's life.

BBBBut Nintendo is D0000MED and just needs to go 3rd party because they are almost broke because all they make is rehashes on gimmicky dust collecting inferior hardware! Right PS and Xbox fanboys?!

Okay?

Thanks?

Edit: Not diving into the topic of the 3D itself because lol at opening that can of worms, but I'm still "Okay?" at this post.

Well if they had better hardware they can go on to create better games. For example look at Zelda Ocarina of time for the 3DS. That Zelda game being in there bring hope that there is a possibility of a 3D Zelda adventure game for the 3DS that wasn't possible before because of hardware limit. It all depends what they intend to do with the hardware and one can only hope they use it, which they are, sadly we can't say the same for the Vita.

So I believe the point the other fellow user is saying would be like, imagine if nintendo was the one in charge of the Vita, imagine the games it could have.

When was the last time the Nintendo handheld didn't sell like hotcakes? If the handheld contains something its because it will make the system better and if it doesn't contain it its because that something is not needed.

Hell, if anything says that Nintendo knows what they are doing its when they introduced the Gameboy Color...the public wanted a handheld that could produce color graphics so Nintendo made the actual Gameboy itself into different colors and sales skyrocketed.

Better games....BETTER games?!

NDC

-3D

-Steel Diver existing

-PilotWings Resort existing

-Nintendo rZone

-Internet Browser

-Game Notes

-Health and Safety being its own app

According to your logic, folders weren't needed on the increasingly messy UI at first, but luckily Nintendo doesn't adhere to that logic. Your first sentence is valid; Nintendo handhelds sell like hotcakes because of a lack of viable competition, a much wider age audience including younger kids, and games like Pokemon, but your second sentence is an absolutely silly sentence when added to the realm of hardware, especially in today's day and age when nearly everything has some sort of bloatware or software deficiency that another device doesn't have.

No one ever said Nintendo doesn't know what they're doing, I just said the hardware and software is better on the Vita.

The way it's going it's going to be another 100-120 million selling hand held, so a big success.

That's it? Well when you have 50 DS's in a row things like this happen.

In reality is probably about half of that in unique individual sales considering they waited till sales really slumped and introduced the 3dsxl and virtually everyone I know had a 3ds, then bought a 3dsxl when it came out. Then more than likely 90% of all of those damn special editions were bought by people who already owned one as well.

Good game, now if it was on 3D like Ocarina of Time it would have been even better :) but i rather play a new zelda game altogether.

I doubt it. A lot of people bought the 3DS because the Hype of it is immense. I myself included, was let down over all is severely over rated, still don't regret buying it. Just feel is a bit expensive for it's limited capabilities.

it's a kiddie console, parents/grandparents buy this for kids all the time. i'm not saying it's a bad console, or that it isn't suitable for hardcore, just saying that's what's really driving the sales.

From the way aLBW was designed that makes no goddamn sense

Kids love games. When I have mine, if Nintendo is still around I'd prefer they game on that then the Playstation/Microsoft counterparts

That's like calling a console out because it won't ever reach PS2 sales. Like DUH, nothing will reach DS sales again.

The handheld market in the west has severely contracted, I am surprised at the pace it's selling at, actually, we are basically looking at 4 million sold in the US every year.

Sells in one year what PS4 does in 1.5 months, hats of to the 3DS though, that's impressive.

You are comparing worldwide PS4 sales with 3DS numbers for just one territory?

Okay.

Worldwide, 3DS is at 40 million units sold right now. That's in less than three years, it's selling at roughly 15 million units a year every year.

that was a joke :P

Lol sorry, I misunderstood :P

I'm guessing 1.5 million were sold to kids, and the other 10 million were sold to hipster college students who think playing pokemon is cool again

Pretty good after the rough start.

Nintendo handheld domination continuation.

The Vita is actually pretty good. PSP is excellent. It's just that the 3DS/DS are fuking amazing.

The DS reached that same milestone within 2 years of its release. For the 3DS, it took almost 3 years, which is actually pretty impressive considering the increased mobile competition in this day and age.

After a few years as a money pit it seems to be carrying Nintendo now. Maybe the wiiu can at least be profitable???

I find the use of the word "console" in this thread title disturbing....

Handheld consoles. It's actually what they are called.

On the other hand something like Xbox is a "home console".

Better to just shorten one to handheld, and the other to console. Most people know what you're talking about, but it's not wrong either way.

Wow. Even after the year of 2013, people are still denying that the 3DS has an amazing library.

@Blabadon: "A lack of viable competition"? DS systems have outsold Playstation handhelds(superior hardware) 2 gens running. And that's not even counting competition like the Gamegear and Sega's infamous NoMad handheld Genesis console. It seems like the competition to Nintendo handhelds is always superior hardware, and yet it's always trounced that superior hardware.

So if their opponents are always more powerful, how can they be called 'not viable'?

People seem to forget that the PSP did outsold the DS a few months before Nintendo kicked in their games and released the DSLite.

I remember posts that the Vita was going to kill the 3DS, until Nintendo cut its price and kicked in their games and released the 3DS XL. I see a pattern here.

It's a ******** monster!

I'm excited for the next gen 3DS as it will be far more capable away from just "stylized" designed games (chibi/no feet/etc/).. more RE:R and MH stuff!

Hardware is important as it wouldn't have allowed 3DS games on just DS hardware.. specially with the lack of a circle pad pro.

I believe the next gen 3DS will be far more compelling due to several factors.

Go Nintendo!

Good, maybe Japanese publishers will localize more games.

Answer this for yourself: What about the systems opposing the Nintendo handhelds have not made them nearly as competitive?

Fine, I won't say there was a lack of viable competition, but I'll say the only viable competition they've ever had is the PSP which beat the DS time-to-time

I think it took the DS about 2 years to hit 11.5 mil in the US. So the 3DS ain't too far behind. Although world wide, it's a little more behind, but again, not too far.

It's back by a full year bro

Hm. Source please? The ones I have must either be bogus or I'm reading it wrong. I get figures showing that the DS is around 10 to 11 mil in the US at around the 2 year mark.

Yes, and 3DS is three years old now.

I do not like this trend of confusing "handhelds" with "consoles."

It's much like saying the Vita is a tablet.

Oh man. I was still thinking it was 2013 lol. That puts the DS at around 20 mil at 3 years.