3DS sales up 260% since price drop

Nintendo's 3DS fortunes appear to be turning around following the handheld's 32% price drop on August 12^th. According to the company's latest retail tally, the 3DS sold over 235,000 units in the US alone last month, representing a 260% sales increase compared to the same 19-day period in July.

The dramatic uptick in 3DS sales have earned the system a second place showing on NPD's monthly best-selling console list, and paints a bright autostereoscopic 3D picture for the beleaguered system. Qualifying the numbers in today's press release, Nintendo of America's executive VP of sales and marketing Scott Moffitt noted: “Consumers are responding very positively to the new suggested retail price of $169.99 for the Nintendo 3DS. With Star Fox 64 3D and the new Flame Red color launching tomorrow, and Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 arriving later this year, Nintendo 3DS will offer consumers cutting-edge entertainment and tremendous value this holiday season.”

The 3DS's sales aided in a strong overall month for Nintendo. The company also reported it sold over 590,000 hardware units combined, and its games have represented the lion's share of best selling software titles for three months running.

It's amazing what an $80 price drop and free games can do for a system's shelf life. Granted, using the slow summer month of July as a comparison period isn't the most accurate means of measuring success, but a 260% sales hike is far and above normal growth. We'll have to wait and see if this is a reactionary one-time bump for the 3DS or a sign of better days to come; either way, it's hard to see this as anything other than a 'win' for the Big N.

Sep 9, 2011