News: 3DS sells out across Japan

This weekend Nintendo's 3D-enabled handheld gaming console, the Nintendo 3DS, finally went on sale in its home country of Japan, with crowds of people braving the cold to be one of the first to receive the new device.

According to Andriasang, citing the Japanese Nikkei newspaper, Nintendo shipped some 400 000 units of its new handheld to Japan for its launch weekend.

Obviously, this wasn't enough, with major Tokyo stores reportedly selling out of the device by noon on launch day, and with the entire shipment being depleted by the end of the day.

The launch day success follows that of other recent Nintendo devices, such as the Wii and original DS, both also running out of stock on their respective launches.

Crowds ranging from 400 to 900 people, some having shown up the previous day, lined up outside stores across the country. Nintendo has announced that it plans to ship 1.5 million 3DS devices to Japan by 31 March, with stores already taking pre-orders for the follow-up shipments.

All in all, Nintendo plans to have 4 million 3DS units in circulation around the world by the end of the fiscal year. The 3DS goes on sale in South Africa on the 25th of March.

3DS sells out across Japan

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