Surprising absolutely no one, the 3DS continues to make Japan squeal like a suckling pig. But the Media Create sales data for February 11-17 is a little more fascinating than usual -- nine of the top ten pieces of software are 3DS titles, the Dragon Quest VII 3DS remake taking top honors once again. The one non-3DS game on the list is Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Super Deluxe Edition at #4, and the first non-Nintendo title on the chart is the PSP visual novel Sakura-Sou no Pet na Kanojo at #12, right underneath New Super Mario Bros. U.

It's understandable that Nintendo handhelds rule the roost in ol' Nihon, but we haven't seen domination like this since the heights of the DS, when the entire top ten was populated by DS software. That's to be expected when the 3DS hardware itself is selling at least twice as much as all other platforms combined (97,971 vs. 48,384 this past week).

Whenever I consider 3DS' high performance in Japan, I get frustrated by the portable's much colder reception everywhere else. Why can't the 3DS be just as successful here, huh? I get that Japan's mobile-friendly, public transit-loving atmosphere fosters a better environment for handhelds, but is there no way to demonstrate that same value in other regions?