Nintendo 3DS sees 30% increase in sales year-over-year

For the fourth straight month, Nintendo's 3DS handheld was reported as the best-selling video game system in the United States. Sales for the 3DS were bolstered by a strong start for Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and the continued strength of games such as Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.

More than 6.47 million 3DS units have been sold so far in 2013, Nintendo revealed. This is an increase of nearly 30 percent over the same time frame last year.

Looking ahead, there's still plenty of reason for optimism; the 3DS has several big titles launching this fall and through the rest of 2013, including Pokémon X and Pokémon Y on October 12, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Mario Party: Island Tour on November 22.

Despite the overwhelming reception of the 3DS, Nintendo is looking to further boost 3DS game sales with the release of the 2DS, a new handheld fully capable of playing 3DS games but without the third dimension. This new model offers all of the same features and functionality as the 3DS (except 3D) but for a more affordable price.

How it will affect 3DS sales remains to be seen, but I'm sure Nintendo won't mind as long as it helps sell more of its games.