Nintendo Starts to Sell Highly-Anticipated 3DS Game Console

From X-bit Labs: Nintendo on Saturday initiated sales of its highly-anticipated 3DS game console on its home market in Japan. The initial interest towards the device seems to be very high as this is the first modern portable game console with auto-stereoscopic 3D screen.

Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo, said that the company planned to sell 1.5 million of 3DS consoles in Japan in its first month (starting from February, 26) and ship 4 million of the new-generation portable game systems worldwide by the end of March. According to local reports, the first batch of 3DS game consoles for Japan was 400 thousand units and was quickly sold out. Nonetheless, the second batch was quickly delivered to stores.

Nintendo 3DS costs ¥25 000 ($304) in Japan. According to VG247.com, the Japanese console was released alongside a number of games that take advantage of the new screen, including Pro Evolution Soccer 3DS, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, Samurai Warriors: Chronicles, Bust-a-Move Universe, Nintendogs + Cats, Ridge Racer 3D, Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D, and Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle.

Despite of strong interest from the so-called hardcore gamers, who usually acquire new game consoles on the launch days, it remains to be seen whether the device will repeat the success of the DS-series of consoles. The previous-generation devices were bought by both enthusiasts as well as general consumers. This time, however, the success among general consumers and occasional gamers is not cast in stone as the latter can play a lot of casual games on smartphones and tablets like Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Pad.

“Nintendo’s competitive advantage is that they develop both hardware and software. I don’t think you will see a change to Nintendo strategy longer term, but because of smartphones they will not see the same growth they once had,” said David Gibson, head of equity research at Macquarie Securities in Tokyo, in an interview with Reuters news-agency.

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