Nintendo U.S. DS Hardware Line Hits 50M Sold

Nintendo on Thursday announced a new milestone in U.S. sales of its popular DS handheld gaming console, and the latest U.S. stats for its newer 3DS. Total U.S. sell-through to customers for the Nintendo DS line of hardware are now over 50 million units, Nintendo of America said, citing figures from research firm NPD Group. The Nintendo DS originally launched in North America and Japan in 2004, and after an initially slow start, picked up enough steam to become a major hit with its unique dual screen interface, which included one touch screen. Since the original launch model, the DS hardware saw additional iterations in the form of the DS Lite and DSi XL in the U.S. Nintendo's official life-to-date worldwide shipment numbers for the DS were 146 million units as of March 2011. The Nintendo 3DS, launched in the U.S. in March with glasses-free stereoscopic capabilities, gained more traction in the U.S. in September, thanks to an August 12 price reduction that lowered the price from $250 to $180. Sales of the 3DS through September – the first full month that the 3DS was available at a lower price – were 260,000 units, a 10 percent jump over August. Nintendo said it has sold nearly 450,000 3DS handhelds in the U.S. since the price reduction. Nintendo added that the 3DS game, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time 3D, has become the first 3DS game to cross 500,000 units sold in the U.S. In all, Nintendo of America said it sold 647,000 hardware units in September, including 240,000 units of the aging, standard-definition Wii console, which launched in late 2006. The company sold over 145,000 Nintendo DS handhelds during the month. Nintendo added that it has sold over 273 million Nintendo DS software units in the U.S. in total. The company is betting on strong 3DS software sales of Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 for this holiday season.