Nintendo 3DS News: Powerful Handheld Tops 60 Million Units Sold [VIDEO]

The Nintendo 3DS, the successor to the wildly successful DS line of handheld gaming devices, has just passed yet another notable milestone, as the Japanese gaming giant announced that its current flagship handheld just reached 60 million units sold over its five-year run worldwide.

While the 3DS' 60 million units is about 20 million less than the Game Boy Advance and far less than the original DS, which sold about 125 million during its run, the 3DS line has performed far more admirably than its closest competitor, the PS Vita, which is speculated to have reached less than a quarter of the 3DS' numbers.

As much as the 3DS's numbers are significant, however, its seems like both Nintendo and Sony are starting to abandon the handheld gaming market. Indeed, Nintendo has already begun its foray into mobile gaming, starting with its social/gaming app, Miitomo, and followed by more popular IPs such as Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing for Android and iOS devices within the next months.

In fact, with the 3DS's and the PS Vita's current sales numbers, neither Nintendo nor Sony has shown any sign that a successor to the current handheld flagships is being created. With mobile gaming continuing to dominate the casual gaming community, it would seem like the handheld gaming industry is in a very steep decline.

Recently, even more prominent games have begun migrating to mobile devices as well, with notable console titles such as Injustice: Gods Among Us being made available for mobile devices as well. What's more, mobile gaming is consistently improving, with more recent games being far more engaging and innovative than before.

Nevertheless, the seemingly inevitable end to the era of handheld gaming is a pretty tragic part of gaming history. After all, handheld devices such as the original DS and the PSP have managed to bring the best of console gaming to the pockets of gamers.

During that generation, even businessmen could be seen button-mashing on their PSPs while in a flight or on a long train ride home. With their tactile buttons and their classic allure, handheld gaming devices provide users with an experience that is definitely genuine. Most of the time, mobile gaming just doesn't invoke the same feelings. As some handheld purists say, it is just not the same.