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3DS price cut sees Japanese sales soar

Best week since system's launch.

Dark blue icons of video game controllers on a light blue background
Image credit: Eurogamer

3DS sales figures have shot through the roof in Japan after Nintendo's worldwide price cut took effect last week.

3DS sold 214,821 units between 8th and 14th August, according to chart company Enterbrain (via Famitsu). That's the highest weekly amount since the 3DS launched in February.

Two weeks earlier, 3DS sales were 16,415 units a week. (News of the price cut impacted sales the week after.)

Including this recent surge, Nintendo's 3DS has now sold 1,521,326 units in Japan.

Nintendo of Japan's price cut slashed 10,000 yen off of the 3DS asking price, down from 25,000 yen to 15,000 yen.

UK 3DS price is determined by individual shops. Some vendors, such as supermarket Tesco and online seller Amazon, have gone as low as £115 - almost half the original RRP.

Nintendo is hoping the dramatic price drop will reverse the 3DS' fortunes which, after a strong start, quickly deteriorated. "It's fair to say that while Nintendo 3DS had a strong launch day, the results since then have not met our expectations," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told investors at E3.

Super Mario 3D Land, out this November.

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