Topic: 3DS Finally Reaches One Million in Japan

[Crimm]

The milestone took the 3DS nine weeks longer to reach than it took for the original DS.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/26811

The Nintendo 3DS has sold one million units in Japan thirteen weeks after its release according to the May sales report of Japanese game magazine Enterbrain.

The 3DS has been experiencing slower sales than Nintendo had hoped since it launched in Japan February 26. For reference, the original Nintendo DS sold one million units in that market in four weeks back in 2004.

It is important to note that the Nintendo 3DS is considerably more expensive (25,000 Yen versus 15,000) than its predecessor, and came out in February whereas the Nintendo DS launch in December.

[Enner]

Hopefully sales will pick up during the holidays and when new and interesting games come out.

[Stogi]

Or when they finally pack in a game.

Or release a Golden 3DS for Zelda's 25th.

Or both.

[Mop it up]

I actually think the sales are pretty decent when you consider all of those factors. If the system doesn't sell over the holidays when the upcoming lineup hits, that's when Nintendo should worry. Still, I think if the system were $50 cheaper it would go a long way towards more sales. I just hope that it doesn't ultimately hinder the 3DS in the long run.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Whats worse.

The fact that it took 3DS this long to hit 1 million sold in Japan
or
The fact that it happened atleast 2 weeks ago and no one noticed till today?

[Adrock]

Ocarina of Time 3D comes out in 2 days in Japan. I expect sales to increase significantly.

[Mop it up]

Last I heard, Japan doesn't really care about Zelda anymore. I guess we'll soon see if that's true.

[Adrock]

Last I heard, Japan doesn't really care about Zelda anymore.

Well, I hope you're happy. You just made Link very sad. /shakes head

[Enner]

Whats worse.

The fact that it took 3DS this long to hit 1 million sold in Japan
or
The fact that it happened atleast 2 weeks ago and no one noticed till today?

The former.
The latter can be blamed by E3 2011's news gravity well.

[Chocobo_Rider]

Oh noes!

An Earthquake, a higher price tag, and nine whole weeks more?!!?

The 3DS and Nintendo are dooooooooooomed!!

It's pretty sad how the success/failure of anything in the world of gaming is decided within the first 2 (3 if you're lucky) weeks.

I can't even count the number of Wii games condemned as flops after a month but went on to sell ~800k units.

Sadly, those first impressions become the reality and the cycle of stupidity spins harder than the Sonic cycle ever could.

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

Obviously, there's a multitude of factors going into these relatively slow sales, but software does play its part. However, we're now on the verge entering the second half of the year. The release schedule is undoubtedly picking up, the eShop is live, and of course, the holiday season always works its magic to move units. It's not the end of the world just yet.

[ShyGuy]

Like I mentioned elsewhere, the 3DS needs the equivalent of Nintendogs or Brain Training to capture people's interest.

[Luigi Dude]

Last I heard, Japan doesn't really care about Zelda anymore. I guess we'll soon see if that's true.

The last Zelda game in Japan sold over 600,000 copies, which shows they still care.  Yeah not as much as the West but it's still a pretty good size fanbase over there.

[ThePerm]

yeah and 3ds came out the end of march..its the beginning of june...2.5 monhts...during the summer. 3DS is doing fine.

[Shaymin]

The last Zelda game in Japan sold over 600,000 copies, which shows they still care.  Yeah not as much as the West but it's still a pretty good size fanbase over there.

You mean Spirit Tracks, which sold most of those copies in the 500 yen Bomba Bin (tm)?

[NWR_insanolord]

For launching in February at the price it did, that's not bad.