Following a fairly torrid start for 3DS in 2011, Nintendo's handheld woes appeared to have been lifted thanks to strong sales over Christmas – only for the firm to take a hit following the release of its latest financial reports.

Said numbers have forced Nintendo to revise its earnings forecasts for the device, while analysts are waiting to see how 3DS copes with Sony's oncoming PS Vita onslaught in the west.

According to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, however, such issues haven't gone unnoticed from within the company itself.

Bittersweet start

Iwata admitted in an earnings briefing that Nintendo had been hit by 3DS's slow start, and is currently looking to react.

"For the launch of new hardware, it is, of course, regarded as a sort of requisite not to miss the critical year-end sales season," admitted Iwata.

"The company is aiming to firmly complete the development of the entire [Wii U] system and prepare sufficient software so that the Wii U will be at its best at the time of the launch.

"Needless to say, we have learned a bitter lesson from the launch of the Nintendo 3DS."

Nonetheless, 3DS still looks far from a runaway success despite its solid growth over Christmas, with many commentators arguing Nintendo would be better served developing for smartphones – a strategy Iwata himself dismissed back in September, stating it was "absolutely not under consideration".

[source: Gamasutra]