[Mobiledia]

Nintendo’s 3DS is on pace to sell more units than its predecessor, the DS, easing some analysts’ concerns over lackluster demand for the device amid competition from app-centric smartphones.

Nintendo said it has sold 1.7 million 3DS’ in the U.S. since its launch in March and expects sales to exceed the 2.3 million DS’ it sold in the product’s first year of release. Sales of the 3DS have picked up since Nintendo slashed the priced of the system by $80, bringing the cost to $180.

Outdoing the original DS’ first year sales would be a nice claim for Nintendo to make. The company’s first dual-screen handheld also got off to a slow start, but eventually became the best-selling game system in the history of the U.S. The Nintendo’s successor faced similar sales challenges but surpassing the DS’ first-year sales may help the company prove the situation is not as bleak as its critics think.  …

Read the full story here: http://www.mobiledia.com/news/116426.html