Nintendo 3DS sets sales record

The Nintendo 3DS has snagged the title of Nintendo's best day-one handheld sales.

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The Nintendo 3DS has snagged the title of Nintendo's best day-one handheld sales. Responding to our inquiry on yesterday's report of 3DS errors, a Nintendo spokesperson said:

U.S. day-one sales numbers for Nintendo 3DS were the highest of any Nintendo hand-held system in our history. The number of calls and emails received by our customer support center is well below the rate experienced during past hardware launches, and there are no widespread issues. As always, people who have questions or comments about Nintendo 3DS or any Nintendo products can visit our support website at http://support.nintendo.com or call 800-255-3700.

While the official statement isn't terribly helpful regarding the purported "Black Screen of Death," it did carry the interesting sales tidbit. Nintendo's handheld history is no slouch, having launched success stories like the Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, and original DS. By comparison, when the DS Lite launched in the US, Nintendo announced that it sold 136,500 units in its first two days.

We'll keep an eye out for actual sales numbers, as Nintendo is sure to brag once it has some solid internal figures.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    March 29, 2011 10:35 AM

    Comment on Nintendo 3DS sets sales record, by Steve Watts.

    • reply
      March 29, 2011 10:37 AM

      Summary: The Nintendo 3DS has snagged the title of Nintendo's best day-one handheld sales. Responding to our inquiry on yesterday's report of 3DS errors, a Nintendo spokesperson said:

      "U.S. day-one sales numbers for Nintendo 3DS were the highest of any Nintendo hand-held system in our history. The number of calls and emails received by our customer support center is well below the rate experienced during past hardware launches, and there are no widespread issues."

      • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        March 29, 2011 1:15 PM

        That's not really a surprise, seeing as the DS is their largest handheld install base.

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          March 29, 2011 6:54 PM

          Remember how people thought the original DS would be stupid, until they got their hands on it. I think this is great. While the library may be a little sparse at the moment, it's a great system. Hoping to see more games for it soon.

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      March 29, 2011 10:53 AM

      gamestop will give me 125 bucks if i trade in my DSi XL for one but i dont really need one right now. i dunno what to do :(

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        March 29, 2011 10:55 AM

        if you want one eventually that's a great deal that prob won't last, I was going to wait to get one but with some nice promos like that stacking with other things I went for it. I knew I'd get one later anyway.

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        March 29, 2011 10:58 AM

        Keep it and buy a 3DS!

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          March 29, 2011 2:10 PM

          Or buy it, and trade it in for a 3DSi, which is what I'm going to do...

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        March 29, 2011 11:29 AM

        My advice, just get a 3DS. It may not have all that many exciting titles yet but that trade in offer may not last. I really didn't think I would like the 3Dness of it but I was wrong. It's something you will have to see in person.

        It's also not the type of 3D that pops out at you, its more like looking into Street Fighters and being able to judge the distance between Ryu and a random piece of the background. To me it also makes the graphics seem to look better. But I barely have the slider up.

        Can't wait for the May updates. Although the instant messaging feature sure as fuck better be included.

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          March 29, 2011 11:40 AM

          I feel like I'm setting myself up for disappointed by being excited about the online store for the 3DS because the one for the Wii just isn't that good. I'm interested in seeing what gameboy games are for sale though, but they'll probably be overpriced like they are on the Wii.

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            March 29, 2011 11:56 AM

            Same. Still holding out hope though, reading a interview at GoNintendo right now where Reggie says "In addition to that, we've acknowledged that digital content is an area that we have to do a better job with."

            So hopefully this is something that will be worked on. Also I pray to god that we get some video play back features. And flash/html5 features for the new browser, for Youtube and such.

          • reply
            March 29, 2011 1:24 PM

            i bought a couple game from the DSi store

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        March 29, 2011 1:04 PM

        If you don't feel you need it then wait. The XL has really nice big screens which you might miss... and right now there are not a ton of great games for the 3DS. If you can hold out a year or so.. maybe you can hop on board with the first revision of the hardware? (Although it will probably be longer).

        I... couldn't resist the need for a cool new toy though. I picked up my pre-order yesterday. :)

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          March 29, 2011 1:25 PM

          i would really miss the big screen but i dont think i can warrant having 2 DSes

    • reply
      March 29, 2011 11:20 AM

      Sounds right to me, everyone I know has either gotten one or is getting one shortly. It's a bit farther down my list of must have's.

    • reply
      March 29, 2011 11:32 AM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        March 29, 2011 11:37 AM

        It's backwards compatible with NDS games, Wifi features and all.

      • reply
        March 29, 2011 11:41 AM

        Everything you can play on the DS and DSi you can play on the 3DS. This includes any DSiWare, which we should be able to transfer to the 3DS in a month or two.

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          March 29, 2011 11:42 AM

          Except for the GBA games that is.

          • reply
            March 29, 2011 12:57 PM

            Though theoretically they will become available through the 3DS virtual console at some point.

      • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        March 29, 2011 2:15 PM

        I've heard it's not great at playing DS games, apparently it sort of fucks up the resolution.

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          March 29, 2011 2:17 PM

          Looks fine to me, playing Pokemon White. There's two different viewing modes. People just like to bitch.

    • reply
      March 29, 2011 11:46 AM

      I wanted to buy one to throw on Ebay, then I realized I don't want to be *that guy*

      • reply
        March 29, 2011 12:48 PM

        From the look of ebay right now, you would have got no more then you paid for it.

        • reply
          March 29, 2011 1:26 PM

          if it came out around xmas i could see it but not now

    • reply
      March 29, 2011 12:58 PM

      I'm really quite impressed with the 3DS as a piece of hardware, and as a portable gaming system it seems like the best option.. its just too bad there isn't more 3D games out/coming out

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        March 29, 2011 1:00 PM

        It just needs a bigger battery :/

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          March 29, 2011 2:20 PM

          I think people need to realize the DS had a huge battery cause the system's 3d power was a piece of shit, I mean it barely produced n64 graphics, the 3ds is a huuuuge jump from the DS

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            March 29, 2011 2:29 PM

            Have you seen the arstechnica article? There's a shot that shows the size of the battery, it takes up about 1/3 of the back of the 3DS and the rest is left empty with some warning text of some sort on the plastic. Compare that to a slate like the iPad where practically the entire backside is battery and the Nokia battery for $20 that's easily twice as big and you can see they skimped there.

    • reply
      March 29, 2011 2:24 PM

      does it support aes encryption on wi-fi networks?

      • reply
        March 29, 2011 2:25 PM

        yeah, pretty sure it does

    • reply
      March 29, 2011 2:31 PM

      Good. I'm detwermined to get the street pass to find some stranger at least once.

      • reply
        March 29, 2011 4:53 PM

        I was able to get seven Mii's in my plaza after walking around downtown Savannah for a couple of hours. I got a couple of puzzle pieces along with them. Very cool.

    • reply
      March 29, 2011 5:35 PM

      So 3DS-owning shackers, should I pull the trigger and get one on my way home tonight?

      • reply
        March 29, 2011 6:00 PM

        Is there anything you want to play now? The release list looks pretty weak so far this year. I remember waiting a year to get the original DS when Mario Kart hit.

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          March 29, 2011 6:56 PM

          Agreed with him. I bought it and I'm enjoying the system, but the library isn't stellar at the moment. If you can wait for a few months until it has a good selection of games, then you might appreciate it more. If you are fine with a few good games and have some money to spare, then by all means, enjoy it for what it has to offer.

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      March 29, 2011 5:50 PM

      Only if you're a gadget freak. There's no pressing need to right now, IMO.

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      March 29, 2011 6:03 PM

      i can't wait to get one! but some people have been making me nervous saying that they get dizzy or their eyes hurt after a while

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        March 29, 2011 6:05 PM

        the 3d effect is completely adjustable, so these idiots problem have it cranked all the way to the max for hours on end.

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      March 29, 2011 8:30 PM

      I got one, and it is way beyond a ds with 3d. you will instantly notice the feel of the machine as being much more sturdy and powerful. the analog stick feels great. You won't be playing shooters on it anytime soon, but anything with a good d-pad/ face button interface will work great. I have SSFIV, LegoSW3, and Ridge Racer. I think lego has been totally overlooked, the 3d looks great, and its play is perfect for the mobile device. If you have the money, get it. And you will be carrying it around with you everywhere if you get any game that uses play coins. Better battery and second analog are all that I could have asked for. Anyone else notice that the headphone volume is kind of low too? Or do mine just suck? GET ONE!

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      March 29, 2011 8:30 PM

      I got one, it is awesome, get one.

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      March 29, 2011 9:47 PM

      I think i'll keep my DSi XL and pick up Sony's NGP when it comes out. the only thing i'm going to miss is the Ocarina of Time 3D. ohhh well.

    • reply
      March 30, 2011 5:29 AM

      Suprise!

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