Sales of Nintendo's 3DS hardware topped 4 million in the United States last year, the Japanese video game publisher announced.
The device's surge at retail was buoyed by two flagship franchises marking their return: racing title Mario Kart 7 and action game Super Mario 3D Land.
Citing internal estimates, Nintendo says both games are the first to sell 1 million copies each in the U.S.
A weak slate of launch titles lacking signature series such as Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda contributed to the 3DS' initial struggles when it debuted in March 2011.
However, sales seem to have bounced back since August, when Nintendo dropped the price of the 3DS from $250 to $170.
Meanwhile, Nintendo sold 4.5 million Wii consoles in 2011, down from the 7 million devices consumers scooped up last year. The company plans on launching the Wii's successor, the Wii U, later this year.
Also, the return of The Legend of Zelda to the Wii has proved popular. Sales of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword have crossed the 1 million mark since its Nov. 20 launch.
Mike Snider began covering the video game industry during the Super Nintendo-Sega Genesis clash in 1992. An original pinball wizard, he eventually was seduced by Robotron: 2084 and Tempest. These days he is a fan of action/shooters and lives out his Keith Moon fantasies playing a mean drum kit on music games. More about Mike.
Brett Molina has been writing about video games for USA TODAY since 2005. He is well-versed in Madden NFL, the fighting genre and first-person shooters. The first video game he played was Asteroids at a local arcade. He has been hooked ever since. More about Brett.
