Nintendo 3DS still losing consumer traction in Japan

by Steven Mostyn - Apr 18 2011, 13:09

Despite Nintendo trumpeting that consumers galore are snapping up its 3DS, the draw of glasses-free 3D gameplay continues to evade prospective buyers in Nintendo’s home market of Japan.

For the second consecutive week, the new 3DS console and its supposedly groundbreaking stereoscopic 3D visuals has been eclipsed by the lure of Sony’s six-year-old PlayStation Portable (PSP).

According to MediaCreate, Sony managed to shift 35,478 units of the graying PSP during the week ending April 10, while the 3DS drew consumer cash to tune of 32,910 units.

While the PSP’s resurgence has been attributed to the timely release of high-profile software titles such as Final Fantasy IV: Complete Collection, there’s little denying the 3DS’s gradual lack of traction.

Moreover, Japanese consumers bought 42,979 units of the 3DS during the week ending April 3, and approximately 50,000 units the week before.

When viewed as a whole, the Nintendo DS brand still tops the Japanese charts, but that’s taking into account 8,386 sales of the DSi LL (XL in the U.S.) and 8,035 units of the DSi.

According to Nintendo it has sold 400,000 units of the 3DS across the United States since it launched on March 27.

Although a solid amount, that figure is some 100,000 units shy of the sales pulled in by the first-generation DS back in late 2004.

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