Nintendo's 3DS/New 3DS Beats Xbox One and PS4 for February Hardware Sales

Feburary was a good month for Nintendo. With the launch of the New 3DS XL, Nintendo's latest version of the 3DS, Nintendo's handheld family (which encompasses both the 3DS, 3DS XL, and New 3DS XL) has become the best-selling piece of hardware for February in the US. Nintendo wrote in a statement, "The one-two-three punch of New Nintendo 3DS XL, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate helped Nintendo 3DS become the top-selling hardware platform in the United States in February."

The New 3DS XL isn't just being propped up by sales of the earlier hardware either. Nintendo noted that the 3DS family has sold 395,000 units in the US so far, and "the great majority of these sales were New Nintendo 3DS XL systems, which sold 130 percent more units in its initial frame than Nintendo 3DS XL did when it launched."

And sales continue to escalate; Nintendo wrote: "Through the first two months of 2015, sales of Nintendo 3DS hardware have increased by more than 90 percent over sales in the same period in 2014." The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask was the top-selling title for February as well, cementing Nintendo's strong handheld performance. We'll have the full list of NPD best-sellers available shortly.

On the home console front, Sony's PlayStation 4 is continuing to go strong. Following its spot as the number one console in the US for January and the announcement of over 20 million console sales, the PS4 is also the highest-selling home console in the US for February.

Sony also wrote, "Demand for PlayStation 4 remains incredibly strong in the U.S. as it was number one in hardware and software sales in February according to the latest NPD report. PS4 remains the cumulative leader in hardware sales with more than 20.2 million units sold to consumers worldwide demonstrating the fastest growth in PlayStation hardware history."

While the messaging from Sony and Nintendo sounds conflicting, a Sony representative clarified to GameSpot that its statistic refers to home console sales.

From Microsoft, the company noted that the Xbox One had "record February sales in the US ... and 84 percent more consoles sold compared to January 2015." And Nintendo's Wii U sales "have increased by more than 20 percent over sales in the same period in 2014," according to Nintendo. Another impressive statistic the company revealed: "Life-to-date sales of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Amiibo have surpassed 1.5 million total units and 3.5 million figures, respectively, an attach rate of nearly 2.5 amiibo figures per game unit sold."