Ok, so I'll admit it, the 3DS didn't rocket off to amazing sales like I had first predicted. The software just wasn't there, a fact that hopefully Nintendo has taken to heart for future hardware releases (I wouldn't hold my breath, though). But despite all that, those of us here at GR who play and own the 3DS have known that it wasn't a matter of if the system would take off, but when.
I'd have to say that time is upon us, my friends. You might be surprised to learn that despite its initial struggles, the 3DS is actually in a great position to sell more units in its first year than its wildly popular predecessor. The NPD Group's October numbers are in, and the 3DS is up to 1.65 million units sold in the US over its first 8 months.
The DS sold 2.37 million units in its first year, but half of those came during the holidays. Oh hey, that's about this time of year, too! For the 3DS to surpass the original DS, it would need an average of roughly 180,000 units sold per month until March. With Super Mario 3D Land coming out to drive the holiday sales, that target looks very plausible.
[Source]
