Sales of the 3DS have already surpassed those of the DS in its first year of availability, and it took only eight months to do it.

There has been a great deal of negativity surrounding the 3DS since it launched (and even before then), with many feeling its price was set too high. The portable gaming scene has changed, and with handhelds facing competition from the iPhone, iPad, and other gaming-capable portable devices out there, many felt the 3DS had no chance to succeed. While it still has a long way to go, surpassing sales of the DS' first year -- the best-selling system in the U.S. all-time, and the second-best worldwide behind the PlayStation 2 -- is a nice start.

Nintendo stated several weeks ago that 3DS sales were on pace to accomplish this feat; since its price was dropped by $80 to $169.99 in August, it's been selling a great deal better than it had been at $249.99. But even with that increase, Nintendo is expecting its first annual loss in 30 years.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed the news of 3DS sales exceeding those of the DS' first year in a Time Magazine interview. "In sales through this past Saturday -- 8 months -- it has outsold the full 12 months of the original DS," he said. "During that 12 months time, the original DS sold 2.37 million and we just surpassed that this past Saturday, so we've got real good momentum going into the holidays."

According to NPD numbers shared earlier in November, the 3DS had sold 1.65 million units in the U.S. That means the last month or so has likely seen upwards of 700,000 systems sold.

Fils-Aime says this milestone "reinforces the idea that in this business, great, compelling software drives hardware. As long as we continue to make great content, we'll continue to have very strong performing handhelds."

Besides the price drop, which has undoubtedly been a huge boon for sales, the release of a new color and quality bundles, as well as Black Friday deals, can be partially attributed for the recent strong sales of the platform.

In addition to the success the 3DS is experiencing, Super Mario 3D Land had sold over 500,000 units as of last week's end, making it the fastest-selling portable Mario game ever.

"So for us, we think what we're seeing with 3DS and Super Mario 3D Land is a validation of our strategy," Reggie continued, "which says 'We're going to make great content, we're going to make it uniquely for our platform' and through that combination we're going to drive the install base and compel consumers to make room in their pocketbooks for this dedicated technology."

This is not the first time sales of the 3DS have outpaced the DS -- 3DS day-one sales were said to be "the highest of any Nintendo handheld system in our history" following its launch in March.

The next big software launch for the 3DS is Mario Kart 7 on December 4. From there the system will still have the rest of the holiday shopping season to sell; it should be interesting to see just how many end up being sold as we approach the one-year anniversary of its release on March 27.