2011 was an exciting time, wasn't it?

3DS hit its first anniversary in Europe on Sunday, and today marks the machine's first steps onto North American soil one year ago.

27th March 2011 saw the 3DS launch across North America for $249.99 and got off to a flying start, securing the best first day sales of any Nintendo handheld.

We all know how it went from there: sales fell after a strong start due to a lack of killer software, with June's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D the biggest highlight. The eShop also launched in June, but without much in the way of killer 3D software it didn't have quite the impact we'd hoped.

In April, May and June, Nintendo sold just 110,000 3DS consoles across the Americas, a paltry sum compared to the 1.32 million machines shifted in March alone. As a reaction to weak sales, in August Nintendo dropped the price of 3DS to $169.99 to maintain momentum, giving hardware sales a much-needed shot in the arm — the machine moved 960,000 units in July, August and September, the majority after the price drop.

Since its launch one year ago, Nintendo has sold over 4.5 million 3DS consoles in North America, outselling Wii and DS in their own launch periods.

We recently recapped our 12 favourite 3DS games so far.

Happy birthday 3DS. After a rough year, let's hope the road ahead is a little smoother.