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Nintendo 3DS Is The Best-Selling Console Of 2012 In Japan

According to Enterbrain and Famitsu, the Japanese video game industry saw some improvements during the first half of 2012. During this period, Nintendo 3DS was the best-selling hardware with a total of 2,219,548 units sold, which is followed directly by the PlayStation 3 with less than one million units sold. Here’s the list of hardware sales in Japan during 2012 (total sales to date in parenthesis)

  1. Nintendo 3DS: 2,219,548 (6,355,287)
  2. PlayStation 3: 695,465 (total 8,112,613)
  3. PlayStation Portable: 500,333 (18,737,441)
  4. PlayStation Vita: 353,657 (756,451)
  5. Nintendo Wii: 265,578 (12,433,321)
  6. Xbox 360: 33,809 (1,554,547)
  7. Nintendo DS: 20,239 (32,855,741)

77 thoughts on “Nintendo 3DS Is The Best-Selling Console Of 2012 In Japan”

    1. Yeah, well Nintendo has always sold the most when it came to handheld gaming devices. Especially in Japan, everyone loves Mario, Pokemon, Monster Hunter, and Dragon Quest. Games that tend to grace the Nintendo systems.

      I don’t know how the sales have been in the U.S. right now but I’m sure next month will be a pretty killer month for the 3DS stateside. Look at all the Nintendo games dropping in July. O.O

      http://gamerxchange.net/2012/06/29/new-game-releases-july-2012/

        1. So did I and some places have it listed as that, but there’s no official, official word on the date other than “Summer” now. :/

          I would love if it came out earlier though. I guess July 10th was/is the tentative release date.

  1. So possibly more 3DS units sold in Japan than PS3s by the end of the year. Since the PS3’s been out a while that’s impressive, even given that the 3DS is cheaper and a portable.

  2. saw this coming. the 3DS has been sitting pretty in japan’s #1 spot this entire year so far save for one or two weeks i think. good work, nintendo

    1. I think that the 3DS this year hasn’t been surpassed by any console O.o
      Not even with the Vita’s or PS3’s sporadic augmentation of sales.

        1. Do you mean christmas? It’s not to give presents/money, it serves to celebrate the born of jesus…. For God’s Sake….

      1. You might feel as if your choice was more valid because it’s selling well, but it’s probably mostly fanboyism.
        What would make more sense is to be excited that Nintendo is doing well. They’re not exactly in the best spot they’ve ever been. In that regard, I’m glad the ps3 is doing well, along with the vita doing much better, Competition is always a good thing.

    1. LOL…I know the Vita is really pathetic seeing how even the PSP outsold the device this year. In the 8 months it’s been out, the Vita only manged to sell barely 2M units. I forsee Sony discontinuing this thing by next year as it prepares to release the PS4 in 2014.

      1. I say put a year more, then see how vita fares… games coming out for vita have been very slow since its launch… 2013 may be a good year for vita.. but im not betting anything on it..

      2. Psp has a large library while the vita is still waiting for games. Give it time and the vita will sell better.

    1. that joke is old and poor.
      what is the wii u? is it a new controller for the wii that makes the games hd?

      1. Yeah, that was pretty much what I was thinking (about the WiiU).
        Also, what’s a troll? Is it something that creeps around websites repeating the same joke over and over?

        Peteriuss, you really need to step up your act. Come up with something, have some variety in your posts.

  3. Vita is à PSP 2 !!!
    And the PSP was à crappy console !!!
    Me i still think about the XL …
    But i already have one normal …

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  6. I have a feeling that the Wii U will only surpass the PS3 and not the 3DS in the near future. Maybe when more games are released for the U it will sell more than the 3DS O.o

    1. Barely anything outsells Nintendo handhelds in Japan. I doubt the Wii U will outsell the 3DS after its first month or two.

      1. lol…oh look a Sony fan on a Nintendo site. How pathetic, go back to VGC/NeoGaf/IGN where most of your kind belong. Anyways, with Sony’s current financial problems it’s a matter of when not IF the Vita gets d/c.

        1. Ever heard if being a fan of more than one company at once ? Probably not, sick fanboy.
          It’s really sad to see that people seem to enjoy those “console wars” and taking sides more than actually enjoying video games as a whole. Such a pity, really.

  7. Xbox Assasin Knight

    The people that said the 3ds was doom were RIGHT! If 3ds didnt lower their price they wouldnt have sold. Besides only kids buy 3ds Multiple times I seen one guy buy 4 of them. Ppl buy ut cause it adds collection to their gameboy collection

    1. lol…well they did so you’ll just have to endure that the handheld is now a success and the Vita is on it’s way to the grave. MH4 FTW lol….

  8. Xbox Assasin Knight

    For some reason the 3ds cant dominate apples market in japan who force themselves just like the atomic bomb. Apple softwares do way better than ninty. Also i am impressed with xbox sales for a foreign console its not to shabby

    1. Thing is though Apple’s product such as the iPhone and iPad is more a “needed” product then the 3ds. These products are used in businesses, all in one media centers and to have as a mobile phone. The 3ds is just really a gaming device, it is used for killing spare time and a hobby.

    2. You’re such a stupid little kid. How can you be impressed with foreign sales for the xbox. It constantly gets outsold by the ps2, which is more than 10 years old.

  9. People buy any garbage priced cheap with that note apple has managed to dominate the market without reducing their price and making an ass of themselves. Its funny how fanboys want nintendo to improve yet refuse to pay the price lol

  10. Yup thats why wii u is anupgraded 360 similar to wii cause fans want power but cant pay the price. Im amazed how they keep reselling the same games over and over and over makes you wonder wheres the game quality these braindead zombies chant lol

  11. You mean to tell me that the almost year old 3DS has sold 2 million less then a nearly 6 year old console

  12. @egymario well if they reduce the trash i mean affordable gaming device to another 150 im sure even the mexicans will be able to buy it to play with the pedophile rednecks.garbage>value

  13. @anonymouse excuses excuses 3ds is a casual machine just like apple. Oh whats the excuse for a game like Angry bird outselling any nintendo hardware or software go ahead id love to hear this -_-

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  15. Because 2012 is already over, you can tell that the 3DS is the best selling console of the year. I envy your skills of avoiding logics.

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  17. @ze lda meh u prove nothing..2012 and angry bird still pwning lol take ur butthurt ass back to Poortendo lamentainment

  18. Why is the VITA at four and below the PSP? You’d think a new system, regardless of it’s launch library, seeing as no system has had a great launch, would sell more than it’s predecessor.

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  20. I feel kinda bad for the Vita. PSP was alright, splayed the Vita in a store, and that was alright. Sony should quit the Handheld business because if all they’re going to do is release the PSP with better graphics, nobody will buy it. Nintendo is a towering beast in the Handheld market. People say that Nintendo is going to fall, Wii is in 1st place sales wise and 3DS is too. They’re on top, and don’t look to be going down. Found out today that Miiverse is coming to the 3DS! So excited! Finally doing something with the microphone. I’ve been loving my 3DS, I’ll be pushing some Microsoft friends to grab it. Wii U is finally grabbing that hardcore market,but they need more original shooters. ZombiU and what else? They better pack in the DLC with Mass Effect 3, Nintendo Land looks promising, especially the LoZ game. I hope that the Pro Controller will be bundled or we’ll have whiners complaining like they do about the CPP. I haven’t been looking much at the Pro Controller, but I hope the analog has nice rubber covers like on the PS controllers. I just like that. If they pack in a Wiimote, I’ll be glad. It seems like the right thing to do. I’ve heard that the Wii U will still have VC, but will it be compatible w/ gamecube games? I’d be nice because I have some nice GC controllers and I don’t want to put those to waste. Wii U looks nice and compact, Gamepad looks great, launch titles look promising and Wii U looks like a sucess in the waiting. Only problem is that they have no certain price point. :(

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