I am not really sure how having Mario games is a bad thing? Also, the releases aren't constant, there's 1 3D Mario and 1 2D Mario, the exact same as the original DS.

Well, I'm not sure about now, but two months ago it was tracking ahead of DS over a similar launch window. That's pretty great overall. Sales might not be as high as the DS in the end, but it would be pretty tough to match what might be the best selling system of all time.

This was a single week during which it seems that consumers went for heavily discounted older systems. The sales for 3DS are certainly lower than I expected but I believe it's just a bump on the road.

3DS will be successful. Consider these games that haven't yet launched in N. America:

Luigi's Mansion
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow -- Mirror of Fate
Animal Crossing
Fire Emblem
Monster Hunter 3
Brain Age
Metroid
Zelda
Pokemon

I think it's really tough to be bearish on 3DS. It has a bright future ahead.

There're about 800-1000 games already available, including two of the highest rated games in history. I don't think new owners are going to care whether their new game was released in 2008 or 2013.

DS is much cheaper and has a brand new Pokemon game. If it doesn't outsell the 3DS during discount week, something is wrong. 3DS has nothing to be ashamed of. Continued DS sales in America is the main reason it's sales aren't closer to Japan. In the coming year, when releases slow for DS and big titles hit for 3DS, the US will follow the Japan transition to 3DS.

I feel as though the 3DS will do OK in the end. It's disappointing for Black Friday, but what games were even released for it?

The WiiU test will be mid next year. Can it eat up sales as the 3DS can?

I'm beffuddled on how people would think 3DS sales are pathetic?  Sure, it has a lot to live up to following the most successful console in videogame history but 7 mil sold in North America during a 20 months span is far from failure.  If there was a portable failing it would be the PSVita selling a woeful 900k units in 10 months. (especially considering that Sony originally thought Vita was going to outsell Nintendo's platform this time around)

exactly and they could get them for cheaps now too!!!

Wow, interesting. It suddently doesn't look that bad. ......waaaa PR statements are messing with my judgement.

No I admit, it's quite an effective way to reduce the attention of the DS/3DS ratio. Then again, they DO tell us how many DS, 3DS, Wii, and WiiU.

Where were you when the DS was at 21 months? I bet you were there bitching up a storm like you are now, completely oblivious to the fact that the 3DS is outselling the DS at the same point in time in their lifecycles(21 months). How is selling better then the DS in the same amount of time, bad? Do you forget that the DS is half the price of the 3DS, has more revisions(larger consumer base), larger library, and more people in US who know it exists(aka more people aware of the brand DS, therefore plan to buy that). Something cheaper, with a larger consumer base and larger library, when that comes around and is still coming out with new blockbuster games(pokemon), of course it will sell like hotcakes.

Its like railing sony because ps2 used to outsell ps3. ps2 was around 50 to 100 bucks, of course it sold better then the ps3.