"Wow, this is great!"

With 2011 now a long and distant memory, Nintendo has set about spreading the word of its successful 12 months.

The big headline is the Nintendo 3DS reaching four million sales across the United States since its launch on 27th March. According to Nintendo, the 3DS has sold more in its first nine months than Wii did.

Not only that, 3DS has its first U.S. million-sellers: Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 both passed the milestone, though we're quite surprised the first million-seller wasn't The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.

Guess the price drop did the trick, then.

Nintendo 3DS Crosses 4 Million Mark

Driven by Fast-Selling Software Nintendo 3DS Sells More in Its First Nine Months Than Wii Did

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Whether they were on the go or at home, whether they played in 2D on the TV or in glasses-free 3D in their hands, gamers of all ages celebrated the holidays with Mario and Zelda, Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS system not only became the fastest-selling titles in the history of their respective franchises when they launched, but they are now also the first Nintendo 3DS titles to sell 1 million units each in the United States. On the console side, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which also broke launch records, became the 45th Wii title to sell more than 1 million units in the United States.

"One of the strongest software lineups in our history helped Nintendo have a great holiday season and to close 2011 with a full head of steam," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "Not only have the new Mario and Zelda titles already broken records, but with strong reviews and satisfied customers sharing their positive experiences, all three are also shaping up to be the latest long-tail titles from Nintendo. Couple that with a massive first- and third party lineup in the first part of the year and the prospects for 2012 are extremely promising."

Nintendo sold more than 12 million total hardware units in the United States in 2011, marking the fifth year in a row that the company has accomplished that feat. This includes more than 4.5 million units of Wii, more than 4 million Nintendo 3DS systems, and more than 3.4 million units of the Nintendo DS family of systems. This brings the installed base for Wii and Nintendo DS to 39 million and more than 51 million, respectively.

With a strong lineup of software on the horizon, including new installments in the Mario Party, Pokémon and Kid Icarus franchises, as well as third-party games such as Resident Evil Revelations from Capcom and METAL GEAR SOLID 3D Snake Eater from Konami for Nintendo 3DS, that momentum should continue into the first quarter of 2012 and beyond.