The launch of the 3DS XL is pivotal to the future fortunes of the Nintendo 3DS and early sales numbers for the handheld are encouraging.
Although Nintendo has not released concrete sales numbers for the UK, Games Industry reports that the machine sold “a little shy of five figures” (as in 10,000) in its first chart week in the UK.
That means that it bettered sales of the original 3DS by around 2:1 last week.
Note that having been launched on a Saturday that figures are effectively day one numbers.
The story in Japan is arguably even better, with Famitsu reporting that 3DS XL sold 193,000 units in its first week.
CVG points out that by comparison, the DSi XL sold 100,000 units in its first two days at retail. Note, though, that machine arrived at a very different stage in the DS’ lifecycle and was the fourth – not the second – revision of the hardware.
UPDATE: MCV was contacted by ChartTrack to highlight an error in this story.
"The comparison with 3DS is complete rubbish and totally factually incorrect," a spokesperson said. "3DS week one was around 10 times the sell through of 3DS XL so there's no way 3DS XL could have outsold 3DS by 2:1."
However, now the author of the original story has stated that the week one sales comparison was for that specific week, and not the launch week of the 3DS.
Apologies for the confusion. The story has been altered to reflect this change.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/3ds-x...-japan/0100484 ...

Chart-Track doesn't give out hardware data, but according to an unverifiedGamesIndustry.biz report the new console outsold the regular 3DS with ease last week despite launching on Saturday, July 28, which was the last day of the retail monitor's tracking period."XL shifted a figure a little shy of five figures, outselling the original 3DS (whose total is based on seven days' data) by a factor of just over 2:1," the report claims. "At the same time, old 3DS was down slightly on its previous week.
"As for software, sales were up 11 percent for the week overall (following a 31 percent leap the previous week, probably inspired by the launch of Kingdom Hearts 3D)," it adds.
In comparison, Nintendo sold 200,000 3DS XL units in Japan during the handheld's first two days of availability.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...nits-on-day-1/ ...

Nintendo strikes it big with new Mario and new 3DS XL model
Nintendo has much to celebrate, as both New Super Mario Bros 2 and the 3DS XL have gotten off to a promising start in Japan. New Super Mario Bros 2 has performed exceptionally, surpassing 430,000 units in just two days on the market. At the same time, the larger, new model 3DS has been grabbed from store shelves 200,000 times.
Interestingly, sales figures for the latest Mario game, as reported by Famitsu, only offer retail figures for the title. This could very well mean that sales could be much higher since the game was launched digitally at the same time.
Gamers in the US will have to wait until August 19 to get both New Super Mario Bros 2 and the new 3DS XL.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-days-in-japan

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The near-future of Nintendo's handheld looks bright, whatever size screens you're playing on, writes Johnny Minkley

Nintendo

www.nintendo-europe.com

One year, four months and four days after the launch of the tiny original, Nintendo's 3DS XL arrived in the UK on Saturday. It was, as Chart-Track pointed out for trivia nerds, only the second weekend console launch to take place on these shores, the other being N64, which hit on March 1st 1997.
But 15 years on from pioneering 3D gameplay in Mario 64, Nintendo's promised glasses-free 3D revolution has fallen so flat even its president now refers to it as a"minor" feature.
"The XL shifted a figure a little shy of five figures, outselling the original 3DS (whose total is based on seven days' data) by a factor of just over 2:1"

XL, then, comes at a critical time in the young platform's life, its momentum in the West faltering again - it's been "weak" this year, acknowledges Iwata - following an earlier revival propelled by last summer's emergency price cut.
How did it do? With only one day for the hardware revision to leave its mark in the weekly sales report (although some retailers were selling it from Friday), and a nation's eyeballs glued to the Olympics, making a splash was always a big ask.
Chart-Track doesn't give out hardware numbers, but I understand XL shifted a figure a little shy of five figures, outselling the original 3DS (whose total is based on seven days' data) by a factor of just over 2:1. At the same time, old 3DS was down slightly on its previous week.
As for software, sales were up 11 per cent for the week overall (following a 31 percent leap the previous week, probably inspired by the launch of Kingdom Hearts 3D). For specific titles, Mario Kart 7 jumped by 45 per cent, up to 13th in the all-formats chart, with Super Mario 3D Land up 37 per cent to 20th and Mario & Sonic's London Olympics caper predictably up 25 per cent into the bronze medal position.
In other words, it was a positive bump, but if there were empty seats across Olympic venues it's unlikely it was due to Nintendo fans leaving them to take part in the virtual version on its new handheld instead.
Given the sporting distractions and the short window, we'll get a clearer picture of early interest in XL next week. But bigger hopes are rightly pinned two and a half weeks hence on the arrival of a certain New Super Mario Bros. 2.
It's hard to overstate the importance of this release in timing and legacy. And it highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of Nintendo's current position. Big first-party IP is the backbone of any Nintendo console, of course, but the stature of the company's tentpole releases on Wii and DS is nevertheless astonishing - as is its reliance on them.
"The platform hasn't seen a single big-impact, platform-exclusive launch in the first seven months of the year"

Consider this: of the eight biggest-selling individual format titles in UK chart history, only one is not from Nintendo: Rockstar's GTA: San Andreas at number five. The original New Super Mario Bros. on DS is the seventh best-selling single-format title of all-time - its global total now in excess of 26m copies - out-performed on the handheld only by Brain Training.
Slashing a third off the price of the console within five months of launch and turning the marketing campaign on its head were dramatic examples of Nintendo's efforts last year to inject life back into the struggling platform.
But Iwata put it best himself, addressing analysts recently, when he said: "In order for dedicated video game hardware to be needed continuously, it is necessary to provide games with fun elements unique to a certain video game system which cannot be realised on smartphone devices. We would like to introduce such games one after another."
Well, the only time "one after another" has happened on 3DS was last Christmas, when the rushed-forward release of Mario Kart 7 joined Super Mario 3D Land and sales duly soared. To date, both titles are the top-sellers on the platform by a country mile in the UK, each selling over twice as much as the next nearest, the 3D remake of Ocarina of Time.
If momentum has subsequently waned, then, it's hardly surprising when you consider the striking lack of big releases and must-buy games. Nintendo's biggest in 2012 thus far, Kid Icarus and Mario Tennis Open, flopped at launch, Square's Kingdom Hearts 3D's modest opening weekend tally notably bigger than either managed.
Overall 3DS UK software sales last week were double that of the same week in 2011, which you'd expect with a significantly larger installed base. But the platform hasn't seen a single big-impact, platform-exclusive launch in the first seven months of the year. And collective game sales, it's worth noting, are still some way short of what ageing DS software is doing on a weekly basis.
Nintendo's troubles were ostensibly underlined in April when the company posted its first ever annual loss after a year that saw Iwata take fierce criticism on the chin and a 50 per cent pay cut in the wallet following ...

Its Now the 28th of july and Nintendo have finally released thier larger screened 3DS Console dubbed the 3DS XL in Europe or 3DS LL in Japan. Our friends in the USA will have to wait till Mid August.



The 3DS XL features a 4.88 inch stereoscopic 3D top screen, which is quite a bit bigger than the 3DS's 3.53 inch screen. The bottom screen measures 4.18inch bottom screen, compared to 3.02 inches on the 3DS. Battery life will be anything from 3 and a half hours to 6 and a half hours. Also you now have a 4GB Memory Card instead of the 2GB card bundled with the 3DS:

Heres a screenshot of the 3DS and 3DS XL together:



The release colours are Blue/Black, Red/Black and Silver/Black, Nintendo also demoed a transparent 3DS XL :


The New 3DS XL also features the least reflective handheld screen in Nintendo history, and that's thanks to an additionalanti-glare treatment that's been applied to its LCD screens, Reflectivity on the Nintendo 3DS was about 12%, but its been decreased now to about 3%.

Those of you looking to buy a 3DS XL can see from the following sites theres already a battle for the lowest priced console:

Heres the UK Prices:

• Zavvi: £167.95
• The Hut: £167.95
• Amazon: £174.99
• Blockbuster: £179.99
• Play.com: £174.99
• Very: £179.00
• ShopTo: £179.86
• Base: £179.95
• PIXMania: £167.20

Heres the Euro Prices:

Amazon Germany its retailing for 199 Euros
Amazon France is selling the 3ds XL for 184 Euros
Amazon Spain the price is 188 Euros
Amazon Italy are selling it for 188 Euros

The release of the 3DS XL is also the release of these games:

Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance


King Mickey and Yen Sid prepare for an impending threat by putting Sora and Riku through the Mark of Mastery exam. Sora and Riku are sent into the Sleeping Worlds, where they will face enemies and allies that have never been seen before. If they can successfully complete the task they are given, they will be deemed true Keyblade Masters.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingdom-Hear...3418424&sr=1-1

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy



THEATRHYTHM FINAL FANTASY is a celebration of the greatest musical moments from the history of the FINAL FANTASY series. Featuring all of the fans’ favourite music from FINAL FANTASY I to XIII, alongside beautiful new environments and movie scenes from the original games, THEATRHYTHM FINAL FANTASY will reawaken the magic and the memories that have brought the series so close to the hearts of so many.
Coming as part of the FINAL FANTASY 25th Anniversary year, the nostalgia-inducing music, addictive rhythm gameplay and charming art style of THEATRHYTHM FINAL FANTASY is sure to capture the hearts of FINAL FANTASY fans old and new.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Theatrhythm-...3418683&sr=1-1

New Art Academy



Get ready to marvel at your newly discovered creative skills with New Art Academy. Jam-packed with 32 brand-new lessons, New Art Academy will have you painting and drawing your own masterpieces and sharing them with your friends and family in no time.New Art Academy features both Introductory and Advanced lessons - whether you are an old master or a complete novice - offering easy to follow, step-by-step guides to a variety of drawing and painting techniques, styles and materials. You will be surprised how easy they are to pick up and how quickly your techniques can improve. To enhance your learning experience even further and to resemble your real-life inspirations best, some of the reference images for the lessons are now displayed as 3D videos, such as a tree with moving leaves or a river with flowing water. If you can’t get enough of the lessons - don’t worry - there are plenty additional ones coming your way in the near future.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Art-Acad...3418757&sr=1-1

Freaky Forms Deluxe


As the expanded version of the Nintendo 3DS Download Software title, Freakyforms, Your Creations, Alive!, this eccentric game is packed full of user-generated content and contains a wide range of new features for you to enjoy. There are a lot of body parts to choose from when designing your formee, such as wings allowing your formee to fly and wheels that will make your formee move much faster on land.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nintendo-Fre...3418853&sr=1-1 ...

Once again, the 3DS eShop is rich with content, including the 8 Bit Summer releases of Wario Land and Mole Mania, the latter being a somewhat under-the-radar puzzle game designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and a small team. There's also the fascinating Dot Runner: Complete Edition, a new game that mashes up Pac-Man and first-person RPGs into some kind of psychedelic anime monster, and Planet Crashers, a top-down dungeon RPG with a cute sci-fi theme, developed by Renegade Kid.Two games are on sale on 3DS at the same time(!): Super Mario Bros. and the versatile drawing app Colors! 3D.There's even a new Virtual Console game on Wii in the form of World Heroes Perfect, one of the Neo Geo's many, many fighting games.http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/26/ni...anet-crashers/ ...

Nintendo has detailed the three ways in which consumers will be able to purchases digital games for the 3DS.
Andriasang reports that gamers have three options.
Firstly, they can download the game directly onto their machine from the Nintendo eShop. Simple. Secondly, they can buy a code from an online retailer which can then be input into their console.
Thirdly, they will also have the option of buying a physical card from a retailer which itself contains a code. These will be redeemable for 150 days from the date of purchase.
And then, of course, there’s always the option with high-profile titles of buying an actual game in an actual box from an actual shop. Like we did in the ‘90s.
New Super Mario Bros 2, which is out on August 17^th, will be the first Nintendo title to launch digitally at the same time that it hits High Street retail.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ninte...ptions/0100120 ...

Nintendo made a loss of ¥17.2 billion (£141.76m) in the financial quarter ending June 30, though the company is heading in the right direction ahead of the launch later this year of Wii U. This time last year, losses were ¥25.5 billion.
Net sales revenue for the quarter came to ¥84.8 billion (£697.7m), a drop of 9.7 per cent year on year - but an improvement on the 50 per cent decline the company was hit with last year.
3DS sales totalled just 1.86 million worldwide, with almost half of the hardware total sold in Japan. Around 920,000 units were sold in Nintendo's home country - which given the impact the strong yen has had on revenue from exports isn't the worst thing in the world, but does reflect the struggles Nintendo has had in building and sustaining momentum for its 3D handheld in the west.
Cause for cautious optimism, then - and Nintendo still forecasts a return to profit by the end of the fiscal year - but a breakdown of the company's historic performance in this quarter shows just how far it has fallen. In 2009, net sales were ¥423.4 billion - almost five times its revenue for the quarter just gone.
Nintendo says the release of 3DS XL will "solidly revitalise" the handheld's performance overseas, with the belated, vital acknowledgement of the importance of digital sales also expected to help. New Super Mario Bros 2 will be the first game to benefit from simultaneous digital and retail releases when it launches next month.
Internally, though, the immediate priority must surely be making 3DS hardware profitable again; Nintendo has been taking a loss on every system sold since the dramatic price cut last August. But one suspects Wii U's launch will be key. Nintendo will be first to market in the next generation of consoles, and it must ensure that opportunity is not wasted, with a substantial installed base required before Microsoft and Sony release next-gen consoles of their own in 2013.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/nint...ntinue-improve ...

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