The Nintendo 3DS continues to storm Japan with a momentum not seen since the first Nintendo DS, trouncing over its big console brothers one step at a time. As of today, the final finish line has been crossed, and its sales figures have just upstaged the Wii’s impressive run in its home country.
Sales tracking group Media Create reports that 12,752,731 Nintendo 3DS units have been sold in Japan since launch in Feb. 2011, a figure which has overtaken the the Wii’s 12,698,878 total lifetime sales. When put side by side, the two might look similar, but the 3DS managed to reach this point in under three years, whereas the Wii is approaching its seventh year on the market.
Japan is largely a portable game market these days. If the soaring sales figures of the 3DS aren’t proof enough, then I will point to the huge number of mobile games available at TGS this year as the next cornerstone of the Japanese market.
Fear not, for Nintendo because it can still move a lot of software in its home country, and it remains the most convenient place to play Mario, Pokémon, Monster Hunter, and the other series out here which are still hot. Media Creates’ report also shows the top 20 games of the week, 12 of which were available on Nintendo’s handheld, including the number one spot. Three more popped up on the PSP and PS Vita.
- 01. [3DS] Monster Hunter 4
- 02. [PSV] Yahari Game Demo Ore no Seishun Love-Kome Hamachi Gatteiru
- 03. [PS3] Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Real Reborn
- 04. [3DS] Friend Collection: New Life
- 05. [3DS] Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
- 06. [3DS] Disney Magic Castle: My Happy Life
- 07. [3DS] Nobunaga’s Ambition
- 08. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf
- 09. [3DS] Youkai Watch
- 10. [PSP] La Corda d’Oro 3: Full Voice Special
- 11. [PSP] Brothers Conflict: Brilliant Blue
- 12. [PS3] JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle
- 13. [3DS] Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
- 14. [PS3] Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist
- 15. [3DS] Mario Kart 7
- 16. [3DS] Romance of the Three Kingdoms
- 17. [PS3] AKB1/149: Love Election
- 18. [3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2
- 19. [PS3] Phantom Breaker: Extra
- 20. [3DS] Mushi Bugyou
Don’t expect these numbers to slow down anytime soon, either. The Nintendo 2DS is just around the corner, and will be launching alongside Pokémon X and Y, which is sure to put a few pennies in Nintendo’s pocket.
The Nintendo 3DS toppled the PlayStation 3’s lifetime sales last December, and I think it sells as many units in a single month as the Xbox 360 did in Japan over its entire life.
The mobile market is booming in Japan, a country always on the move with trains, buses, and social interactivity outside of the home, be it playing baseball or playing 3DS in a park. Who has the time to sit and enjoy consoles anymore?
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