Saturday saw the Japanese release of the Nintendo 3DS, and predictably the console sold extremely well, with newspaper Nikkei (via Andriasang) reporting the initial shipment of 400,000 units of the machine have all sold out across the country.
Shop shelves shouldn't be bare for too long though, with Nintendo promising to deliver a total of 1.5 million consoles for Japan before the end of March, with a total of 4 million machines around the world before the end of the financial.
Here's a video of the scenes that greeted the machine's launch in some electronics stores in Tokyo. You can almost hear the excitement.
[source andriasang.com]
Comments 27
I love the excitement of a new console launching, but I'd hate to be one of the people that miss out! Thankfully that's yet to be me.
Blimey-O-Riley...4 million, that's a ridiculous amount
Holy moly gimme gimme gimme oh... Wait I am one ha ha ha
Many months ago, I laid my 3DS doubts out, and one of them was that the 3DS would not be sold out on launch day. I'm glad that I was wrong.
Makes me glad I got my pre-order in as early as Gamestop would take it. I was the first one to preorder at that store so there is no way I'll be one of those poor folks without one. Just 27 days to go!!!
Awesome that we already have over 400,000 under Nintendo's Belt. Can someone say "The 3DS Prints even more money than Wii and DS?"
The 3DS prints more money than the Wii and DS put together.
Or, at least, it will.
I predicted so. if we have the same problem in America, i hope
Nintendo will promise us more too.
NEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRDS!!!!!!
It looks more like a wait for a flu shot than a 3DS launch because of all those masks they're wearing.
I bought 3 so I should be okay.
Me in 27 days...
Why are some of them wearing dust mask things?
Wow. It sold out the day it released. Sheesh. I WANT IT! I WANT IT!!! XD
@ Pyrodon, They wear masks to prevent the spread of disease; Japan is a very health-conscious country. Even when they have something as simple as a cold, the will wear masks.
Air pollution?
@tristenj1992: Amen. I'd actually be surprised if it didn't sell at least 50 million, if not 100, what with how well the DS did.
I got mine pre-ordered. I don't know if I'll keep it or make money and sell it through eBay though . . . Hmmm . . . the capitalist side of me is taking over.
The DS prints money, and the 3DS craps gold bricks.
Whose idea was it to ship only 400,000 units in JAPAN?
hope theres enough when it comes to NA
Yay for the 3DS! 400,000 3DSs sold in 3 days! WOOT!
No surprise at all, I am sure 3DS will sell out in NA, Europe, and Australia as well.
I just hope Nintendo sees how well they're selling and ships more to NA than they released to Japan. I can't pick up mine the first day; I'm planning on picking it up the next day, though, and I don't want everything to be sold out in one day.
Yeah duh! I said this last June 2010! 4 million units means 1.5 Japan, with probably 1 million to US, 1 to UK, .5 to AU. For the states, that would mean, 333,000 for California, another 333,000 for NY, and the remaining 334,000 for the other 48 states.
Knowing there would be a shortage for sure is one of the big reasons I'm waiting for at least a few months after the official release to even consider buying this system.
@ 26
Isn't waiting a few months the same as trying to buy it and then having to wait because of a shortage? The only difference is when you preorder you actually have a chance at getting one. Waiting a few months defeats the purpose of "avoiding a shortage", because then you're doing exactly what a shortage would make you do anyway.
@tristen
He probably means that he'll avoid trying to buy it early, because he knows that there will be a shortage. That way, he won't waste his time standing in a line, only to be told that they've sold out of 3DS's.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...