Features

3DS vs DS: Can the 3DS outsell the DS?

Initial sales suggest the 3DS is keeping up the pace

3DS vs DS: Can the 3DS outsell the DS?
|
3DS

Nintendo revealed earlier this week that the Nintendo 3DS had sold out of its initial stock over the Japanese launch weekend, shifting more than 400,000 units in the space of two days.

While this may sound incredibly impressive, here at Pocket Gamer we wanted to put the numbers into perspective - and what better way to do that than to compare the latest handheld with its 3D-less big brother, the original Nintendo DS?

The first big difference between the two launches is that the Nintendo DS was released in the US before Japan got in on the action.

It's arguable that this will not have affected the number of sales in the Japanese launch week, but it will definitely have given Nintendo a rough idea of what the demand was like, and how many units it needed for the Japanese launch.

Indeed, the original 300,000 units for launch was bumped up to 500,000 just before it landed.

Crunch time

Let's look at those numbers. The Nintendo DS sold around 230,000 units on day one in Japan, and approximately 500,000 after four days. Software sales after four days were also around 500,000, with a 1:1 tie-in ratio (the tie-in ratio is the number of games sold per console).

The 3DS also had a 1:1 tie-in ratio for the launch weekend, with 400,000 software sales.

Since we only know the figures for the 3DS's opening weekend, we don't know yet whether the new handheld managed to surpass the DS's 500,000 sales in four days - however, given that it shifted 400,000 units in 48 hours, it seems highly likely.

Tripped on the starting block

However, there are a few points to note about the Nintendo DS launch that distinguish it from the 3DS weekend.

First off, the DS was launched mid-week in Japan, which is known to stunt initial sales.

Sony also released its PSP in Japan just ten days after the DS launch on December 12th. It's reasonable to assume that many Japanese gamers who could only afford one console will have opted to wait for the PSP instead, and then bought the DS at a later date.

On the flip side, the Nintendo DS will have benefited from the fact that it was released just in time for Christmas, on December 2nd. Plenty of Japanese kids will have woken up on Christmas day to Mario's mustachioed face.

Future sales

Nintendo has said that it expects to sell 1.5 million 3DS units in Japan by the end of this fiscal year - that is, the end of March, roughly a month after the original launch.

In comparison, the Nintendo DS had shifted 1.45 million units by the end of December 2004. Hence, Nintendo expects both consoles are expected to sell at the same rate.

With these initial numbers for the 3DS, we wouldn't be surprised if this's the case. When more figures are released in the next few days, we'll have a better idea of the bigger picture.

Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.