Whilst the glasses-free 3DS has been selling like hot cakes in its home territory, reports on the reception afforded Nintendo's newest console from the US had remained thin on the ground.

However, the company responsible for Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and DS has now broken its silence, stating that the 3DS launch has bested all its previous handheld debuts in North America.

Bigger than the original?

Declining to reveal exact figures, the Japanese gaming giant did confirm the "US day-one sales numbers for Nintendo 3DS were the highest of any Nintendo handheld system in our history."

"More details about US sales numbers will be made public on April 14th, when first-week US sales figures will be tallied by the independent NPD Group."

Whether the 3DS is on course to top the 1 million original DS units shifted by Nintendo during its first month of availability in the United States is mere speculation, but it won't be for want of trying.

"Nintendo worked hard to get as much product as possible to retailers on day one to meet demand, and we will continue with these efforts moving forward."

Across the pond

The situation in the UK, however, appears rather more muddy.

Pre-orders passed the 140,000 mark, but retailers have remained strangely tight-lipped about its sales post launch, leading to speculation that interest has dropped off sharply since day one.

Various stores have informed Eurogamer that the 3DS launch was one of the biggest ever, though it has been widely reported that queues at outlets during the handheld's midnight debut weren't as long as had been predicted, and paled in comparison with those that followed later in the day for iPad 2.

[source: MCV]