1 million Nintendo 3DS units sold in Japan – finally

After 13 weeks on sale in Japan, the Nintendo 3DS has finally reached the 1 million milestone for units sold.

Nintendo’s latest portable games console is the first ever 3D handheld games console, but it hasn’t been selling as well as the Japanese manufacturer expected. We heard earlier this month that sales were slumping in the US, with just 400,000 units shifted in the US within the first week.

To put the 3DS’ sales figures into some sort of perspective, the original Nintendo DS took just 4 weeks to sell 1 million units, and the DS Lite and DSi each took 8 weeks to reach the same landmark.

Nintendo’s president, Satoru Iwata, admitted that sales of the unit were below their estimated target just over a month ago. He believes that Nintendo need to push the 3D capabilities and features of the device further; something Nintendo have kicked off already with their announcement at the E3 gaming event last week.

New titles such as The Legend of Zelda: 25th Anniversary aim to draw old school Nintendo fans towards the latest portable console. We still think that Nintendo need a stronger catalogue of games in order to improve sales, but it’s looking as though they are now heading in the right direction.

Have you got a 3DS? Which game would you most like to see made available for it? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment, or alternatively tweet us @Gadget_Helpline

Via: Joystiq