Nintendo 3DS sells 400,000 in Japan, already R4 hacked

It looks like Nintendo's 3DS isn't having trouble finding buyers in Japan. According to Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun (via Andriasang) gamers essentially exhausted Nintendo's initial shipment of 400,000 units. The 3DS launched in Japan Saturday to reports of lines and pre-order sellouts.

Andriasang says Nintendo plans to ship 1.5 million systems in Japan and 4 million worldwide by the end of its fiscal year, March 31. The Japanese news-watcher also reports demand for the 3DS in Japan remains high enough that some retailers are taking pre-orders for Nintendo's next round of shipments.

The 3DS debuts in the U.S. on March 27 for $250.

3DS Hacked with R4 Card?

What's the world's record for "fastest hacked handheld"? I have no idea, but "24 hours" sounds like a contender. It depends, of course, on what you consider "hacked."

According to the following video, a hacker group finagled a DS flashcart to run on the 3DS "just a few hours after launch" using an R4 card. Assuming the information in the video's dependable, we're still talking strictly DS here (the 3DS plays older DS and DSi games). 3DS games remain untouched.

How long before the 3DS surrenders the rest of its secrets to hackers? Hopefully never, but it'll depend on the resilience of Nintendo's new piracy measures. The company has claimed the 3DS's technology will dramatically mitigate if not outright eradicate piracy efforts on the 3DS.

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