3DS sells 5 million in Japan, breaks records

Nintendo announces that the 3DS has hit the 5 million sold mark in Japan, making it the fastest Nintendo system ever to move that many units in the country.

Time flies! It has been a full year since I stood in line at a Yodobashi Camera in Shinjuku on a cold morning to get a Japanese launch system. That morning was definitely exciting, and the folowing days of StreetPassing were fantastic, but that excitement died off in the following weeks, and the 3DS’s future was not looking great for awhile.

Of course, the system is doing great now. Nintendo and third parties brought great software to market after a bit of a lull, and now I regularly drain the battery of my 3DS at least once a week, if not twice. I pretty much live with my 3DS in my pocket.

The 3DS blasted past the previous record holder to hit this sales mark, the DS. It took 56 weeks for the DS to reach five million, and the Game Boy Advance took 58; 3DS did it in only 52 weeks. Andriasang says these are actual sell-through numbers, and not just shipping figures.