Why Does 3DS Not Sell Too Well In The West?

[TruckOSaurus]

S.Peelman said:

TruckOSaurus said:
(..)

There's over 311 million people in the US and about 127 million people in Japan. Yet weekly Japanese 3DS sales are constantly and considerably higher than in the US which means the console is a much much bigger success over there.

Raw numbers don't say much on their own. There are over 700 million people in Europe, yet it's still the smallest market for videogames (of the traditional three) and always has been.

That's where the data from the DS sales comes handy. While handhelds are more popular in Japan (a greater percentage of the Japanese population owns a DS than in NA), NA is still the bigger market for handhelds thanks to a much bigger pool of potential buyers. Which is why there's 55 million units sold in North America against 33 million in Japan.

So all things considered it is still true to say that 3DS is a greater success in Japan than in NA. I myself wouldn't go as far as saying it's selling "not too well" like OP suggests but I'd say it's selling great in Japan compared to just okay in North America.