Smash 3 DSart

While hardware results have slowed due to a certain level of critical mass, the 3DS remains a major success story in Japan, in particular. Along with the release of the New Nintendo 3DS — which is helping the portable maintain its dominance in the hardware charts for the country — there have been a host of major releases that have set the retail scene alight. Nintendo's recent run of first- and third-party exclusives on the system have also, it's been announced, set a new record.

Nintendo has stated that the 3DS is the first system to have four games sell over two million copies each over a space of just five months in Japan, an impressive achievement that demonstrates the strong run that the portable has enjoyed. You can probably guess the four games in question, but they're listed below nevertheless.

That marks an impressive year for the 3DS, and takes it into second place (for recent platforms) in terms of the total number of double million sellers in Japan; it has time yet to claim top spot, of course, and the numbers are below.

Nintendo DS — 14
Nintendo 3DS — 10
Wii — 8
Game Boy Advance — 2

In the same press release Nintendo also announced that, with a bump from New Nintendo 3DS sales, the portable has now sold over 17 million units in Japan alone.

We're still waiting for Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and any form of Yokai Watch in the West; both have the potential to perform well, with Capcom no doubt especially hopeful that the latest Monster Hunter title will provide a significant breakthrough outside of Japan.

[source nintendo.co.jp, via siliconera.com]