Nintendo 3DS software = 188.01 m

All 3DS Pokemon titles combined = 21 m (approx)

Mario Kart 7 (10.69 m) and Super Mario 3D Land (10.12) by themselves offset that.  There is no denying that Pokemon always gives the hardware a nice boost.  But I think to say that Nintendo's entire handheld division would collapse without it is an exaggeration to say the least.  Mario (Kart, 3D Land, NSMB2, Sticker Star), Animal Crossing, Smash Bros, Luigi's Mansion, Tamodachi Life, Zelda (Ocarina, Link Between Worlds), Monster Hunter (4, 4 Ultimate, Tri), Nintendogs + Cats, and Yokai Watch 2 (Ganso/Honke, Shinuchi) are all multi-million selling heavy hitters in their own rights.  These titles would still push the system in the absence of 1 or 2 big Pokemon releases. 

The best selling game on Vita (#1. Uncharted: Golden Abyss - 1.43m)  doesn't even make the Top 25 on 3DS (# 25. Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance - 1.45m) by comparison.  So, I think clearly it's all of Nintendo's franchises combined that are what gives Nintendo dominance in the handheld space, rather than singling out just one.

This. I consider mobile and handheld different markets though. I see no point in downplaying nintendo's success with handhelds. 

Nintendo has the biggest IPs on the handheld market: Mario, Pokemon, Animal Crossing... Along with smaller franchises like Fire Emblem, Brain Training, Tomodachi life, Nintendogs... Most of Nintendo's franchise work really well on handhelds.

That combined with third parties bombs like Tetris, Dragon Quest, Monster Hunter, Youkai Watch... basically has allowed Nintendo to run unopposed on that market.

Even the big PSP couldn't harm Nintendo in that regard. Mobile has reduced the handheld market, not the influence Nintendo has over it.

Because it's hard to lose when there's no competition.

Same here, comparing handhelds to mobile is like comparing computers to consoles.

I agree 1,000x over.  Every single sale of a 3DS represents the sale of a dedicated gaming device.  Every sale of an iphone (or insert brand phone here) does not.  I know people who play Candy Crush and Clash of Clans on their phones.  They never owned a DS or PSP, and therefore aren't denying potential sales from 3DS or Vita by playing games on their mobile devices.  I think that's the case for a pretty large # of people in the mobile market.

Simple answer: Because they created the handheld market.

John Lucas

First we have to give credit where credit is due and that is the smart device market is actually winning the handheld war (and is worth more than the home console).

Second, people say Pokemon helped the 3DS sales when the 3DS had more sales the year (2012) before Pokemon X/Y (2013) and ORAS (2014) released.

I think Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land helped the 3DS sales much more than Pokemon. Pokemon simply consolidated 3DS dominance over the Vita just like it did with the DS when it released 2-3 years later after the DS launch and after Brain Age, Nintendogs, and New Super Mario Bros. sales were on fire.

Pokemon isn't a huge system seller anymore. It's role is quite similar to Smash 4 on Wii U and not Mario Kart 8.

Well saying mobiles are beasting the handheld department is like saying gaming laptops and pc's are trashing the console market too different but similar markets.

O.T Nintendo brand reconition is stronger is HH market then completion. That's all folks

If you want to call it a war, its because they are simply better.