Nintendo hardware up year-on-year in the US

Both the 3DS and the Wii U have sold more so far in the US throughout 2015 than they had at this stage in 2014, the platform holder has said.

Precise numbers haven’t been revealed, although the handheld is up 80 per cent year-on-year and the Wii U 20 per cent. The period saw the release of the New 3DS XL in the region.

What was specified, however, were the sales numbers of certain titles. Wii U multiplayer outing Mario Party 10, which was released last month, sold 290k units across physical and digital.

The 3DS version of Smash Bros, meanwhile, sold another 110k units in March, bringing its US sales total to 2.4m. US sales of the Wii U iteration stand at 1.6m while Mario Kart 8 has sold 1.9m copies since its release a year ago.

The New Nintendo 3DS XL system continues to inject growth into Nintendo’s hand-held business, and the momentum created for Wii U in 2014 has carried over into 2015,” the company said.

Take these two elements, add in fun, exclusive titles starring some of the biggest names in gaming, and overall sales of Nintendo hardware systems so far in 2015 have increased by nearly 60 per cent over sales during the same time frame in 2014.”