Okay, but this prediction will be impossible to judge. The reason being that Nintendo is also releasing New Super Mario Bros. 2, which is from a series that is almost guaranteed to boost HW sales. So we'll never be able to know if the XL in and of itself drove up sales.

However, when the DSLite+NSMB combo launched in 2006, nobody doubted the DS Lite's selling power. Then again the DS lite was a big design improvement over the DS phat. However, a similar argument can be made for the XL and its appeal.

NSMB2 will help make the pitch for the new device, just as NSMB did for the Lite in 2006.

Michael Pachter doubts the success of a Nintendo product, who would have thought!

I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that he, at the same time, expects a great boost for the PS3 once slim release -_-'

The current 3DS model is surrounded by rumors regarding poor hardware design: The hinge is often loose, the bottom screen scratches the top screen, the D-pad is awkwardly placed while the whole system is too small to be comfortably held, the start/select/home buttons are hard to press quickly while in-game, the battery life is terrible, etc. This redesign is exactly what many people has been looking for.

Saying that XL will not fly off the shelf with out proper software, I give him that for once, I would give him more credibility if he mention wich games spesificly, 'cause your average gamer would know (and he should know by now), but not the guys who's paying him for the job/taking his advice...

pachter is a dumbass, done

those 3ds distributions are EXACTLY like the ds were.

The 3ds is the number 1 system in the world right now and doing great

pacter is always wrong on nintendo,

never been right.

So his opinion is worth shit

This reads like a poem.

by weak handheld sales he means weak Vita sales? since the 3ds is doing allright so far...

Here-we-a-go!

More here:

http://www.inside-games.jp/article/2012/07/28/58511.html

My prediction is a little lower than before: 160k!

Which is still fine