Nintendo of America released a statement today claiming that the launch 3DS is the most successful one in its history.  I visited a few brick and mortar Gamestops and browsed various online retailers such as Amazon and eBay, all of which had plenty of 3DS systems in stock.  Without actual numbers it is difficult to gauge the accuracy of their claim though if ebay prices are anything to go by, the supply is certainly greater than the demand.

At release the Nintendo Wii sold for an identical price point as the 3DS, $250.  Either the demand was much greater for the home console or supply was lacking; either way the system was sold out everywhere and ebay prices neared $400 and up.  While it is true that the current crisis in Japan has no physical impact on the production of the 3DS due to the factories being located in China, one can assume that the disaster has no impact on 3DS production at all whatsoever.

Some Retailers such as Amazon and Kmart, have realized the lackluster quality – based on aggregate reviews of the 18 launch tittles –  of most of the games released on the system at launch, and are offering $25 off of the purchase of a 3DS game when purchasing a 3DS system.  It is rare for retailers to offer such large a discount on software to sell a launching system.

Only time will tell if the 3DS can maintain it’s momentum, especially considering it’s current lack of well received titles.

U.S. day-one sales numbers for Nintendo 3DS were the highest of any Nintendo hand-held system in our history. More details about U.S. sales numbers will be made public on April 14, when first-week U.S. sales figures will be tallied by the independent NPD Group. Nintendo worked hard to get as much product as possible to retailers on day one to meet demand, and we will continue with these efforts moving forward.

-Nintendo of America