US software sales for Nintendo 3DS up significantly compared to 2012

The 3DS has picked up the pace in the early going of this year, with software sales up 52 per cent in the first four months of 2013 when compared to the same period in 2012.

Nintendo announced 2.1m first-party titles have been sold since the start of the year, likely helping the device to a year-on-year increase in April.

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter estimated earlier in the week that Nintendo’s handheld had moved 185k over the past month.

The firm noted Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins reaching ninth on NPD’s April 2013 software chart, with 94k units sold since its launch on April 24th.

Luigi’s Mansion – which unlike Lego City was available for all four weeks – sold 140k in April, bringing lifetime sales for the game to 530k.