Globally, there was no denying the 3DS got off to a shaky start. A lot of issues could be cited with its launch, but we'll put it right down to a pure lack of compelling, hardware-moving software. There were no uber-solid launch titles, and the promise of more down the track likely left punters waiting for that, and any inevitable price-drops.

Andriasang, the go-to East-to-West gaming news blog now reports that in the Land of the Rising Sun, despite the aforementioned slow start, the 3DS has broken hardware sales records, moving five million units in just 52 weeks. Previously this record was held by the DS (56 weeks) and before it the Game Boy Advance (58 weeks).

Meanwhile, Sony's PS Vita still struggles in Japan, though its Western release this month may help steady its global launch (we'll have more on the device and launch titles soon, so stay tuned).

Click the Andriasang link to have a look at a nifty chart following each of Nintendo's aforementioned handhelds' sales over a 52 week period.