Nintendo estimates New 3DS sold over 150,000 units in both the US and EU

Nintendo has released preliminary unit sales for New 3DS in the west, and according to the firm, it is outselling older 3DS models, comparatively.

First week sales of New 3DS and New 3DS XL in Europe and North America sit at just over 150,000 and 150,500, respectively. The EU figures likely include both models available, while New 3DS XL is the only version of the handheld being made available in North America.

The systems were released in both regions on February 13, so full week sales aren't available yet, but Nintendo was quick to compare the sales data to that of the older 3DS models, both of which sold just over 50,000 in both regions its first two days of availability.

"We are comparing the sales for the first two days to those of Nintendo 3DS XL," said Iwata. "At the end of last year, some video game enthusiasts, who actively gather information on video games, held off on buying Nintendo 3DS hardware in anticipation of the New Nintendo 3DS launch.

"Thanks to these consumers, and some highly anticipated titles being released simultaneously, we had a good launch despite it not being the usual sales season. Our next challenge is to keep this sales momentum."

Full sales figures will likely be announced soon.