The good news? Nintendo has managed to sell 19 million units of its 3DS, almost quadrupling sales numbers after reaching 5 million earlier this month, since the handheld made its debut in March of last year.
The bad news? 3DS sales don't seem to have helped much, as Nintendo recently posted a loss of $220 million for the first quarter of this year. While not traditional Nintendo business, the loss could be explained by not only competition from rival consoles, but also from their decision to cut the cost of the 3DS to so such a low cost, they were actually selling it at a loss.
The cut was made after Nintendo posted similar losses, hoping that the cut would "be able to create momentum for Nintendo 3DS and accelerate its market penetration toward the year-end sales season, when the lineup for the applicable software shall be enriched, the company has decided to make this markdown."
At one point the dominant force in handheld gaming, Nintendo now faces competition from both Sony's PSP and Vita, smartphones, as well as tablets like Apple's iPad.
Nintendo remains confident that things will turn around, as the release for the larger model 3DS, the 3DS XL, is just around the corner. Said Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing Scott Moffitt, "Nintendo 3DS is entering the next phase of its life cycle with new hardware, new games and proven franchises. This milestone shows we've got a great foundation to build from."
The 3DS XL releases August 19, and mascot Mario will be returning in a new title for the 3DS, New Super Mario Bros. 2, is out shortly thereafter.
