If there's anything to be learnt from the Japanese hardware and software sales numbers, it's that Nintendo is struggling to recapture the dominant performance of the 3DS when it first launched.
After reclaiming the top spot in the hardware chart, the 3DS was once again overtaken by the PlayStation Portable and now the latest sales figures in Japan show no signs of change. According to Media Create, the week ending 1st May saw 28,418 3DS consoles sold and while it is a slight increase over the previous week, it simply didn't compare to Sony shifting 76,974 PSP handhelds.
The top ten games in the software chart was led by Professional 2 Dragon Quest Monsters Joker on the DS which sold 73,729 copies. The only other Nintendo platform title ― another DS game ― Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS ranked #5 with 32,623 copies. There's no sign of any 3DS titles securing a place inside the top ten.
Hopefully anticipated games like Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D which is due next month and the upcoming system update might give Nintendo its much-needed boost but until more compelling games are available on the store shelves, Nintendo might not have any alternative to sitting and waiting.
[source m-create.com]
Comments 55
As soon OOT hits the 3DS will become almost unstoppable.
Once again people are buying the PSP thinking it's the only "real" portable for "real" gamers. Just you wait until OoT releases!
exactly..
People buy PSP because 3DS is too expensive.
Oot puts it on top? Maybe for a little while, But Nintendo needs to do way more software wise to keep it on top long term.
Getting that online store up and running ASAP wouldn't hurt either.
E3 will be importan for Nintendo this year, maybe even MORE important then the E3 when they announced the WIi.
Maybe Nintendo should have a bit of business sense and announce a launch DATE, and launch games for the eShop. Seriously, it's due out anytime in the next three weeks, and we know hardly anything about it. Hell, 3DSWare hasn't even been officially announced! If I didn't already have a 3DS, the eShop would persuade me to purchase one. I can't be the only person in the world that feels this way, so if they use a bit of common sense and actually Market the eShop it might just boost sales.
As the article suggests when decent games come out on it then that'll help matters. Zelda, Mario, Mario Kart etc will help bolster sales but it does need continued support and decent games. It's quite odd how they seemed to have just dumped it on the world with a weak line-up and half finished (eShop I'm looking at you) and hoped for the best.
E3 will be KiLLeR!
just wait until a FF7 remake is made
Haha, Ocarina of Time? "Unstoppable"? Hahahaha!
@Gavin_Rozee you're not alone
@Gavin! spot on Mr.!
these guys are really sleeping! are they too bored to do their job
or too cool?
as for the news.. wow! it took them a while to figure it out don't you think?
Big mistake for Nintendo to show Revelations and MGS etc in 3DS presentation and then tell people "you know what? you will have to wait till next year until you get your hands on these! OH and also no fancy stuff on the 3DS because you are an early adopter!"
GOLDEN BUSINESS TIP:
Early adopters should be rewarded not punished!!!
People said," you know what? you got to wait till next year in order to get our money, and that only IF NGP doesn't convince us with what it has to offer!" I don't blame them.
Lets hope ocarina and starfox and mercenaries and all the armies of nintendo's faithful in the world will do their miracle... because the announcement of the next home console of nintendo in E3 is going to be awesome! but it is also going to push the sales of 3DS down and put nintendo fans in saving mode for another year
The 3DS was cool for about a week then I was already bored with it. The launch lineup frankly sucked.
The good stuff needs to hurry up and save this poor thing.
Nintendo probably should have waited to have a dramatic launch for the 3DS this holiday season, but clearly certain financial incentives made them put it out a bit sooner. I'm happy to have mine early, in any case, but it won't be generating much in sales until the game library catches up to its potential.
Yep, what Link79 said. Waiting for stuff to play right now.
How is the 3DS doing in other parts of the world? I assume better than in Japan. But just like always, Japan is gonna be rewarded by Nintendo with all sorts of amazing things for their dis-loyalty and non-interest while the rest of the world (who buys their stuff!!) sits and waits for some Nintendo games for 6 months+ and strait up never gets some things. If Japan ends up being the only region getting eShop this month, I will be absolutely seething!!! Also, I agree that Nintendo really needs to get their heads out of their asses with eShop stuff. I mean c'mon. We are well into the month when it is supposed to come out and there is NOTHING out of Nintendo regarding it. HAVE THEY NOT LEARNED FROM THE WII SHOP AND DSI SHOP!!?? They MUST make some noise for the eShop and do that little thing called ADVERTISING! Please don't screw up the eShop Nintendo...
Nintendo! Release the e-Shop already!
The 3DS is awesome, just not many people know about it. It needs more advertising. I have only seen one magazine. The eShop will be really good, offering the classic games in 3D. I think 3D movies will be cool, by the way, how do I put movies on my 3DS? or pictures off. Ive never played a Zelda game, are they good? I also think Mario Kart will be a good boost, it's coming out early July.
what about uprising? wasn't it the first game announced? i never hear about it anymore
The 3DS needs to drop to less then $200. Hopefully this will bring a big price drop soon. Still, the NGP is in for even more of a sales failure given it's apparently even higher price tag.
Not surprising. The 3DS library is pretty underwhelming at the moment (haven't used mine in over a week) but once more games trickle out the numbers should improve.
Sounds like a job for Mr Link and pals.
Oh, and killer game reveals at E3
@Guardian - I was under the impression that uprising would be out sometime this summer with the rest of those "close to launch window" titles....but now it appears no one has any idea when it's releasing. Amazon's page says Dec 31, 2020, so I think it's safe to say we'll be getting it at least a little earlier than that
I don't blame people for buying a PSP over the 3DS. I mean, I love my 3DS, but it seems like the PSP has got several really great games, while the 3DS library is lacking so far. Getting the eShop and OoT out will surely help the sales.
I seriously doubt OoT will encourage that many to buy the system. It's a game we've all played before, available on every console since the 64, given for free twice on GC (..can't imagine Nintendo ever doing such a thing again, ha!).
High price. Lack of games. What did Nintendo really expect? It took two generations on top for Sony to get overconfident. Nintendo got overconfident after only one.
Honestly, there's just something about this system that doesn't appeal to me. I wish I could put my finger on it. I'm not even all that interested in a new Nintendo console after the Wii unless it's just really amazing. I still prefer Nintendo games to Playstation and Xbox games, but I'm just not ready to shell out for more hardware yet again.
The real problem is it's price. Nintendo really is forced to lower the 3DS price before the year ends, if they want to make it a real succes. I think that will happen, wich is also good for me since I'll only buy it when it gets cheaper!
Ocarina of Time will definitely sell more 3DS systems but probably not as many as Nintendo would like. It is going to take a lot more than Ocarina of Time to help the 3DS. What this system really needs is a price drop. It was overpriced to begin with and now that the Wii is $100 cheaper it makes the 3DS an even tougher sell. Most people are simply waiting for the price to go down and more games to arrive. I probably should have waited to get mine instead of buying it at launch. Oh well, live and learn.
There's nothing fun to do on it after a while. Face Raiders and AR only keep you busy for a minute or two. Now I'm bored as fudge because I can't use the internet or see videos like I was promised lol
And another thing: they chose the most impossible thing to advertise. The 3D is but its so hard to show in a commercial without a bit of exaggeration.
The Japanese have no taste in games. For goodness sakes one of their favorites is Final Fantasy, stop relying on them in game sales.
Pokémon 3D. Problem solved.
3DS is a great system but it's definitely missing something. We need better games, I am still playing my DSi XL more than my 3DS. OoT will be nice but there has to be something more original coming, and soon, or else the sales aren't going to get any better.
Everybody that I talk to about the 3DS says the games look boring right now. There's nothing they want to buy. And I myself only bought 2 games and am thinking of selling one of them. It's hard to sell a system to people by saying the games they want will be out "later" or "the May update will be here soon and then it will be better."
Don't get me wrong ... I love my 3DS. But if they want to sell more units they need to start bringing out the games.
I don't think Ocarina is going to change much to be honest. I think Super Mario is going to launch the system.
I got my system. I think once the eshop opens up and we get some must buys, the system will pick up.
the only games i havent had for 3ds are sims and football been trading just got pilot wings at mo its a good one though getting doa week on friday and pacman sometime but when the eshop arrives that will make a big difference had to get gothic 4 for pc to fill in my gaming gaps but we be better of gamewise before we know it
If the NGP sells around 300$ the 3ds will fail, and fail quickly. Nintendo is already in very big trouble with the 3ds as it is, and i am dissapointed that they didnt have a clear strategy regarding its release. Its obvious it was rushed far too soon, i mean we only have like 2 or 3 good games coming inthe next few months. yikes....
OOT/Pokemons will not save the 3DS, nor the 3D effects neither the gyros. Nintendo must come with a new outstanding family of games, and not just based on and abusing of the the "new" 3DS features. If PSP is already beating the 3DS then the problem is even worse than expected, as the big enemy is and will be the family of iPads and new smart phones.
@39: Actually, I'm sure it will. You're looking for a worst-case scenario.. It's that the 3DS has no e-shop and a lack of games. Just wait until the 3DS gets its big games and e-shop.
Well considering they are hoping to sell the system currently based on 3D and Streetpass alone, as of now, it's not doing so well.
It is fair to say the system was a little rushed, it was pushed out too early, and we have to wait until we actually get what everyone really wants.
Sales should rise then of course .
It's funny that people are expecting the eshop to give the 3DS a boost. Nintendo has been so incredibly inept with download games and as far as I can tell there's been no sign that things are going to improve with the 3DS. Odds our they'll put out a trickle of poorly advertised games with little or no demos, and any demos will likely be available for a limited time, there won't be any sales like the Xbox Live Arcade has every week, etc. Odds are it's going to be completely irrelevant to most people, just like it is on the Wii and DSi.
i believe, 3DS will start recovering if all goes well and people don't lose interest due to "wii2" by march next year. the reason i say that is that by that time only there will be a large enough and diverse library of worth buying 3rd party games. The more rpgs the better. Do your research, and you will see that whichever console has the most RPGs "wins the war".
I don't think the 3DS is ever going to take off. Parents are tired of buying new consoles for their kiddies.
Live in my name! Launch an RPG like i say and the 3DS will sell. Easy Peasy!
I bet the only Reasoning for the 3DS sales drop was because they were expecting the advertised games at e3 to come out as soon as the 3DS did and for the most part i was expecting kid icaris right away we had no word when these games would be released so in the end when launch came and the only cool game that was out ssiv3d we weren't expecting it at all and the fact that the eshop wasn't up and running people who didn't have a 3DS got wind and decided to wait end of f%^(ing story
PS: i was really stupid to expect a really well selling title as soon as the system came out
I have purchased 2 games for my 3DS and they are both DS games. That is the problem in a nutshell.
...they even advertised "games" that were not even in production at that time. like MGS. All the demo was , was just that. a nice tech demo that Konami made after nintendo gave them the new system for testing. Kid Icarus, is nowhere to be found and there are even rumours that it may never come out.
so yeah .. that is really the main issue here. Not the price nor anything else, but distrust, and people who have said "let's wait and see, i'll buy when the liteXL comes out and more games will be there"
I didn't have any problem with the lineup and pilotwings and ridge racer and of course all the (still underrated) build in stuff kept me going...but still. The Software reviews aren't great and the missing eshop and dsi transfer etc. is ridiculous.
I hope this helped Nintendo to arrive in the real world.
Fail 1: Kid Icarus was supposed to be at launch..
Fail 2: It wasn't announced during the launch window either...
Fail 3: NO games out during the launch window. None through April and only two games coming out at the END of may
Fail 4: No seriously good launch titles out. They were okish but no serious first party support....
Fail 5: No net browser till the end of May.
Fail 6: No eShop either....
Fail 7: No serious advertising
I really like good 'ol ninty but this time, boy what a letdown... The 3DS is a good console with really good potential. I can see the love they had put into it... but everything seems like a rush Job though they had their reasons for a few fails I mentioned above. But things were a little careless on their part... Believing that oral tradition advertising by people who boghut their 3DS would keep them on top of the charts but that won't work out when it doesn't have any good games that would make sales fly. Like a Mario or Animal Crossing. Plus people who have a DS are not really interested in buying a new DS cuz the 3DS is out and they are also waiting for new games for it. Still people who bought theirs will still be pleased though things would seem to be missing... I'm quite happy myself with the cosmo black 3DS I have
Like Cranky Kong says:"Not enough banana coins? I wish i could say i was surprised." In this case its the 3DS's...yeah fail...
@WolfRamHeart... Exactly my thoughts!
3DS so needs killer titles!
Guys don't you even remember the launch of the DS? We had next to no big titles we had Super Mario 64 DS true but you could equate that title with Pilotwings Resort which is a followup to a 64 title as well. Be thankful you got Nintendogs + Cats because Nintendogs the original came out to DS in August the following year. We got more pack in stuff than Pictochat which is missing on 3DS oddly. For the DS it started picking up speed when Kirby hit with Canvas Curse- 7 months after launch. You're getting OoT just 3 MONTHS after launch, so I have figured out the issue with the market. YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW PATIENCE!!
patience is every thing .....especially when your waiting for paper mario to come out on the 3ds
Tap here to load 55 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...