Looking at Nintendo's shipment figures for the 3rd quarter, the distribution of sales during that time (Oct-Dec), in the regions the 2DS launched in ("The Americas" and "Other"), appears to be thus:
3DS : 370,000 units sold
3DS XL : 2,820,000 units sold
2DS : 2,110,000 units sold
So, the 2DS outsold the 3DS quite handily by a wide margin, but couldn't usurp the 3DS XL as the best-selling model this past quarter.
On the one hand, I want to say this doesn't look terribly good for the 2DS. Despite the lower price tag and the new design of the 2DS, it was still outsold by the 3DS XL, and the total sales of all 3DS models fell compared against last year. Compared to the 3DS XL, which outsold the 3DS ~2:1 its first quarter, it doesn't compare as favorably.
On the other hand, there are some points to consider. The 3DS XL didn't face nearly the same level of competition with other models as the 2DS does now. Also, I'm not ruling out the possibility that the odd naming of the system led to some consumer apprehension. And finally, there could easily have been some bundling with the 3DS XL that I'm not aware of that accounted for a higher-than-expected share of sales, given the first-party releases on the system in the latter half of the year.
In conclusion, while I'm hoping the picture will be clearer by the end of the fiscal year, at this point the 2DS does not seem to be pushing the system enough to prevent a decline in yearly sales. At this point, Nintendo has released three models for the 3DS in as many years, and at best they seem only able to maintain the same level of sales, something the 2DS very well might fail to do.
Then again, it's entirely possible I'm missing something here. Thoughts?
I believe in honesty, civility, generosity, practicality, and impartiality.
