kopstudent89 on 26 April 2013
3DS had a weak holiday season (in terms of software releases and hardware sales), and up until March it didn't really get a release except FE in NA (late Feb). That is a lack of momentum after the fantastic 2011 holiday season for the 3DS. It really did halt its momentum, and Western sales as a result decreased by quite a margin (considering 2011 was 2 months shorter as well than 2012).
That said it's the exact opposite now, and it's showing on the hardware side. 3DS is gaining some momentum before its big release (Pokemon), that should be exciting and it should roll some big numbers!
