Over the course of its first two days on sale in the United States and Europe, the New Nintendo 3DS sold significantly better than its predecessor, the Nintendo 3DS XL, Nintendo has announced.

　　Nintendo president Satoru Iwata released the comparison chart above during a results briefing Tuesday. It shows that while the Nintendo 3DS XL shifted around 115,000 units across the US and Europe during its launch period in 2012, the Nintendo Nintendo 3DS moved around 325,000 combined units over the same period of time this year.

　　Iwata outlined a couple of reasons why the New Nintendo 3DS sales might have gotten off to such a hot start. First, he explained that when the new units were announced last year some gamers held off on buying a unit in anticipation of the New Nintendo 3DS launch.

　　This, coupled with the fact that new, much-anticipated games such as The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate were released day-and-date with the New Nintendo 3DS line, helped boost sales overall, he said.

　　Majora's Mask 3D sold around 555,000 units during its launch weekend in the US and Europe, which compares to around 335,000 for The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Meanwhile, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate shifted around 110,000 units over its launch weekend, though this figure only accounts for European sales.

　　Iwata says Capcom has told him that Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate sales so far, including the special edition New Nintendo 3DS bundle, are outpacing Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate's sales pace three times over. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate US sales were not ready yet, Nintendo said, due to Monday, February 16 being a holiday in the country.

　　Strong sales of the New Nintendo 3DS was particularly noteworthy, Iwata said, because February is, historically, not a major sales season.

　　"Our next challenge is to keep this sales momentum," Iwata said.

　　Part of the way Nintendo will do that, Iwata explained, is by releasing more must-have games such as Bravely Second and the Mario version of Puzzles & Dragons. Nintendo will also campaign to further promote New Nintendo 3DS features, such as local multiplayer and the unit's trademark 3D effect.

　　"Seeing is truly believing," Iwata said.

　　For everything you need to know about the New Nintendo 3DS, check out GameSpot's comprehensive launch guide, which features a review of the system itself, detailed data transfer instructions, and more.

　　You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

　　Click To Unmute

　　Should You Upgrade to the New 3DS?

　　GameSpot's Top 10 Games of 2023

　　Thompson: The Pop Culture Icon’s Strange Legacy - LoadoutFirearms Expert’s FAVORITE Weapons Of 2023State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023How Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Ichiban Kasuga Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Saeko Mukoda Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Chitose Fujinomiya Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Eric Tomizawa Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Kazuma Kiryu Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Koichi Adachi Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Yu Nanba Character Spotlight Trailer

　　Share

　　LinkEmbed

　　Size:640 × 360480 × 270

　　Start at: End at: Autoplay Loop

　　Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

　　Sign up or Sign in now!

　　Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

　　This video has an invalid file format.

　　00:00:00

　　HTML5

　　Auto HD High Low

　　Report a problem

　　Sorry, but you can't access this content!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

　　By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's

　　Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

　　enter