Nintendo 3DS sales on the rise in 2013

For the first four months of 2013, Nintendo has seen an increase in 3DS software sales of over 50% in the United States only. While their Wii U platform might be facing some headwinds against the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and next-generation hype, their handheld division flourishing.

In a little over a quarter of a year, the Nintendo 3DS has managed to sell 2.1 million units of first-party Nintendo titles on the 3DS, a feat that took the company much longer to accomplish in 2012. The first part of 2013 saw some big releases for the handheld, but Nintendo is confident that the back half of the year will be just as successful.

Titles like Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Mario and Luigi: Dream Team, and other titles from established franchises in the Nintendo first party library should continue to push these sales tallies higher for the company.

Now if only they could rub some of this magic onto the Wii U, which apparently they are trying to do. This summer will see a few high profile releases for the console. Game & Wario will launch in June, followed by the release of Pikmin 3 in August. Heading into the fall, things get even more interesting for the Wii U. At E3 2013, Nintendo plans to show off new games in the Mario Kart, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Smash Bros. franchises, the types of games that should finally urge consumers to pick up the new console.