Fils-Aime: 3DS launch "lessons learned" for Wii U

Nintendo learnt important lessons from the launch of the 3DS, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has admitted.

Fils-Aime blamed the handheld's lacklustre software launch line-up for poor hardware sales following the 3DS' release, something it cannot repeat for the Wii U next year.

"In terms of lessons learned, we need to ensure we have a strong line-up of games when we release hardware - especially titles from Nintendo. Looking back, maybe we did not have the best lineup of games on 3DS," he told Brazilian website UOL Jogos.

"And that's why sales were not so good," he admitted, "which forced us to make some drastic decisions and reduce the price."

"Since we did it... our sales have been very good. And we have high expectations for the 3DS this Christmas."

Indeed, 3DS software and hardware sales have surged in recent weeks, with the situation in Japan looking especially rosy. The recent launch of Super Mario 3D Land there beat first week sales of every preceding 3D Mario platformer, including Super Mario Galaxy and Galaxy 2.

But the need for a steady stream of new first-party software is nothing new for Nintendo. Company president Satoru Iwata promised prior to the 3DS launch that there would be no 3DS game drought similar to that previously experienced on the Wii.