The Nintendo 3DS isn’t selling quite as quickly as Nintendo may have wanted. Media Create, which is sorta like a Japanese NPD, says that Nintendo has sold 836,000 units since its release in late February. The New Normal would have liked to see at least 1 million units sold, particularly since Nintendo shipped 1.5 million units out of worldwide total of 4 million to Japan. What gives?
Pick your reason. One, I think everyone agreed that the launch lineup wasn’t great. Once you get passed Street Fighter, Ridge Racer, and maybe PilotWings (but I’m probably biased there, given that I got all gold medals in the N64 version back in the day) there’s not much going on. Oh, there’s also Pro Evolution Soccer. But there’s no big Mario launch title, no Zelda (yet). The system is still waiting for its system-seller.
Let’s also not discount the effects of the recent earthquakes and tsunami. The south and west of the country haven’t been as affected (as far as I know) as the areas around Sendai, but presumably the entire nation is in a bit of a funk right now. Is that a mood or sentiment conducive to playing Nintendogs in 3D?
But yes, probably the most important gaming reason for the slower-than-expected sales would be the lack of a killer app. The world is pretty clearly waiting for Ocarina of Time in 3D before committing to the system.