Nintendo 3DS XL Release Skyrockets In Japan: Was ?New Super Mario Bros 2? The Reason?

Nintendo's 3DS XL has had a tremendous release date in Asia. The company sold approximately 200,000 units of its new handheld across Japan, official retail estimates have indicated.

The enlarged version of Nintendo's handheld 3DS has rolled out in Japan on July 28, and has pushed out an estimated 193,000 units within its first two days. Contrastingly, in 2009, Nintendo sold about 100,000 DSi XL units during its first two days of launch.

Nintendo released the DSi a year ago during a time when the handheld industry was booming, according to CVG, and sold about 170,000 units during its first weekend. The sales figures for the Nintendo 3DS XL were published in Famitsu days after the company announced that it has sold 19 million 3DS systems worldwide.

Part of this success could be attributed to the roll out of Nintendo's most recent platform title, "New Super Mario Bros. 2, which brings the acclaimed franchise back to the handheld realm. "New Super Mario Bros. 2" was released on July 28 in Japan, and is said to be somewhat of an homage to "Super Mario Bros. 3." It will roll out for the US on August 19.

"The koopa kids are back with their magic wands as is the raccoon suit," writes Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku. "The world themes are often identical to 'Mario 3'--- e.g., World 1 is normal, World 2 is a desert, World 3 is water. All in all, it brings with it a welcome sense of nostalgia to anyone who spent countless hours with the NES classic."

The fresh reboot of the classic Nintendo game also has plenty of replay value, as the Kotaku writer also points out. The entire game only takes about six hours to complete, but leaves some missions and goals to keep players returning.

"Luckily there is plenty to do after beating the game," Eisenbeis writes. "As in the previous iterations, each level has three hidden medals to find and collect, and many levels have several exits that open up optional paths with optional levels."

The new 3DS XL handheld from Nintendo boasts a screen size that increases the players view by 90 percent, as CNET notes in its review.

"3D effects seem to be easier to see. The XL also feels much sturdier, and the battery life is definitely better than on the original 3DS," the review reads. The tech news site rated the Nintendo 3DS XL as a 3 and a half out of 5 star rating, landing it in the "Very Good" category.

Perhaps the new and improved handheld will be enough to turn around the company's less than desirable quarterly report. The company recently reported another loss, saying its revenue has decreased by nearly 10 percent year over year.