Nintendo may receive a lot of flak for its peculiar product branding, particularly in terms of the company’s handheld sector, with each new iteration of the 3DS only throwing another curveball into what is already a confusing set-up. Despite this, The Big N recently confirmed that launch weekend sales of the New 3DS XL outpaced those of the 3DS XL during the same period.
The announcement was made during a financial call earlier today, where Nintendo outlined a mission statement for the new-fangled portable device, stating that it’s now up to the company to ensure that this momentum continues. In a statement, head honcho Saturo Iwata touched upon the importance of releasing the new-fangled hardware at the right time.
“In the U.S. and Europe … we were unable to take full advantage of the year-end sales season in selling Nintendo 3DS hardware, despite some hit titles, as some consumers decided to wait for the New Nintendo 3DS, whose launch date was set on February 13, 2015.”
All things considered, the New 3DS XL has hit the ground running. Without a doubt, this feat is thanks to the console launching day-and-date with two of this year’s most-anticipated titles: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D and Monster Hunter Ultimate 4, which helped drive sales right off the bat. In fact, it’s understood that the former title sold just over half a million copies in North America and Europe, while sales of the latter RPG were approximately 90 per cent higher than Monster Hunter Ultimate 3.
Couple this with the fan-pleasing hardware bundles, which included models of the New 3DS XL emblazoned with either of the two aforementioned exclusives, and you have a strong first week on the market for the company’s new handheld. In saying that, The Big N still has a ways to go if it is to succeed the hardware sales of last year.
