3 DS and XL

The DS family of systems is wonderful in many ways, and achieved sales - the highest ever for a range of gaming portables - that are staggering: around 154 million units. That number accounts for those picking up replacements or upgrading to new models, yes, but it's a monstrous number that is representative of Nintendo in its pomp, sweeping all before it in the last generation. With that in mind it may be considered odd to declare the 3DS milestone - announced today in Nintendo's Q3 financial results - of over 50 million unit sales as a triumph, but that would be to dismiss circumstances and the technologically evolved world in which it finds itself.

The DS, lest we forget, found a perfect storm - especially in the case of the slick Lite model. Its dual screen design was a fresh idea in its implementation - yes, we know Game & Watch had clamshell models - and the touch screen opened up a whole new world of casual gaming. It may not have been called casual gaming in those pre- to early smartphone years, but whatever term you choose the 'Touch Generation' of games - and those that mimicked them - brought a sizeable new group of people into mainstream gaming. Brain Training, Nintendogs and more sat alongside a range of outstanding 'core' titles to make the portable desirable to anyone and everyone with a passing interest in games.

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Nintendo struck gold with the concept - as it did with motion controls on Wii - but boom years always carry the danger of a subsequent bust. As the DS generation evolved the era of smart devices began to gain strength, with Apple and then Google (with Android) increasingly attracting attention with a new brand of gaming. Small, cheap and accessible games emerged as a powerful force, and the challenge for Nintendo - which is ongoing - is dealing with the loss of many consumers that are just fine with games on their phones and tablets. The DS in its pomp had the rule of the market and fulfilled a gaming need that millions didn't previously know they had, but there's absolutely no denying that the powerful iOS and Android markets have - for a large number of gamers - taken away the need for a dedicated portable system.

Old3 DS

The 3DS, then, faced a tough challenge when it launched in March 2011 (late February in Japan). It started well enough, as eager and dedicated fans flocked to the portable with glasses-free 3D and better graphics to the tune of over three million sales in the launch 'window'. The wheels did come off rather spectacularly, however, when sales tanked to around three quarters of a million in its second financial quarter on the market, while negative PR swirled around - rather unfairly - with regards to the supposed danger of the 3D effect. The absence of a 'killer app' didn't help, either, and it was suddenly looking like a flop - especially in comparison to its predecessor.

When Nintendo slashed the hardware's price by about a third mere months after launch there were plenty ready to declare the system to be doomed. There were valid arguments, it should be acknowledged, as the system began to wilt at the loss of so many to smart device gaming, while that very price cut was arguably also partly driven by Sony's aggressive me-too pricing of the Vita, more technologically advanced - in terms of its graphical capabilities, at least - than Nintendo's system. Add in the plummeting sales of Wii as it approached its last year and 'Nintendoomed' was a common refrain, as were the beginnings of the ever-predictable calls for the big N to dump its games on smart devices.

Yet the price cut and those much needed killer apps - namely Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land - arrived in late 2011 and changed the narrative. Sales spiked and momentum shifted, and 2012 delivered a stream of much-needed quality on store shelves - in addition to the eShop continuing to improve - and the XL model, arguably a vast design improvement on the original; it shunned an angular hand-cramping design in favour of comfort and improved ergonomics. Suddenly the 3DS was driving Nintendo's business ahead of the Wii U's arrival, and the top-notch games kept coming.

2 DS Pokemon X

2013 was a landmark year for the hardware too, and it helped carry Nintendo - financially - as the Wii U struggled; the portable had such a strong line-up of games - including a certain Pokémon X & Y along with the 2DS hardware - that it led the field in multiple territories. It was the biggest selling games console in Japan, the US and various territories and countries in Europe, a consistent performer in a year where other systems laboured - the PS4 and Xbox One would launch to much fanfare in late 2013.

The current financial year, as we've learned, hasn't hit Nintendo's targets overall, revising its most recent yearly target (to 31st March 2015) from 12 million down to 9 million hardware sales. The staggered release of the New Nintendo 3DS hasn't helped, as surely many contemplating picking up a 3DS in the Holiday season may have seen news of the updated hardware and held off. The New models are needed, ultimately, as the originals have become rather long in the tooth, with momentum also slowing down as the established userbase grows. The New models are quicker, slicker, deliver far better (by which we mean stable) 3D and support the emerging amiibo range - it has some tricks up its sleeve. Whether it'll revive the sales momentum of the 3DS family a great deal is yet to be seen, but it certainly won't do any harm.

Yet despite the apparent fall-off for the 3DS it's still trouncing the Wii U, while leading the hardware market in Japan; it's well perceived, too. The narrative around the 3DS is one of success as opposed to those early days of doom-mongers dominating conversation, and when the dust settles on it - probably in a couple of years or slightly less, we'd wager - we'll be perfectly willing to stand up and argue its merits as one of Nintendo's finest systems. It has wonderful games, most importantly, but it's evolved into an attractive little device that simply delivers gaming that's immersive, interesting and fun. It's full of charm, from its cute StreetPass games to its diverse and unique library.

New 3 DS NL

Let's also consider this - making rough guesses based on current momentum the 3DS family could reach hardware sales in the region of 65-70 million units, based on our thoughts cited above that it may have around two years of life left. That's pure speculation, and that would also make it the lowest selling Nintendo portable (forget the Virtual Boy for a moment) due to Game Boy Advance hitting over 81 million. We may be wrong and it may give the GBA a fight by the time it's done, but bear in mind that the 3DS has already outsold the Super NES, and is well beyond the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube. It's done this in what's been the most challenging market for portable gaming systems we've ever seen, with the emergence and outrageously high sales numbers for smart devices. Just ask Sony about the Vita if you need an insight into the perils of the modern portable gaming market; the PSP passed 80 million sales, while Vita lags behind the 3DS.

In an era where competition in portable gaming is remarkably diverse, fractured and dominated by short experiences tapped out on a phone, the 3DS has defied the nay-sayers and become a positive force for Nintendo. It may not reach the levels of its portable predecessors, but the entertainment world has evolved beyond recognition from the days when Brain Training was an innovative, unique idea.

The 3DS is a tale of success against daunting odds, a slice of old-school portable gaming that had enough nods to the current day to survive, while proving that tens of millions of systems can be sold on the premise of dedicated portable gaming. Nintendo's had to scrap, fight and show determination to reach that 50 million mark, and it represents a success that is no less notable than higher-selling portables of a bygone, less complicated era.

As far as we're concerned, that's something to celebrate.