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The Nintendo DS has sold more than 50m in the US

The best-selling video game system ever (in America at least) has just passed 50m units. Shame the 3DS is lagging behind somewhat.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
Joe Svetlik
2 min read

The 3DS sales may not be quite meeting Nintendo's high hopes, but it must be chuffed with its DS console. It's just passed 50 million sales in the United States, according to video games sales-tracker the NPD Group, reports Engadget.

The DS is already the best-selling console in US history, and this is a real milestone for the seven-year-old handheld, with worldwide sales exceeding 146.42 million. So how's the 3DS doing? Well, not so great to be honest.

Following the price reduction in August, the 3DS has sold almost 450,000 units. The price slash followed disappointing initial sales. What's stranger is that a 3DS game is actually outselling the console itself: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D has shipped more than 500,000 units in the United States, Nintendo also announced, beating the console sales by some 50,000. How odd.

"The Nintendo DS forever changed the gaming landscape, and the fact that consumers continue to embrace the platform is a testament to its value and mass appeal," Scott Moffit, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing, said in a statement.

"Our hand-held story continues with the Nintendo 3DS system, which just had its second consecutive month of growth and enters its first holiday season with a monster lineup of games, including Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7."

Nintendo also announced it'd sold more than 647,000 hardware units in September in the states, with 240,000 Wiis and over 145,000 of the DS.

The Wii U is coming next year, which Nintendo is hoping will help it stave off competition from far cheaper games for tablets and smart phones. It features a tablet-style controller with a screen, so you can carry on playing if someone flicks the TV over to EastEnders.

Has the 3DS got life in it yet? Or is 3D just a gimmick? Let us know on our Facebook page.