The 3DS family of systems has been a staple of Nintendo’s handheld gaming, but one of the many versions out in the market is about to be discontinued in Japan.
According to the official Japanese Nintendo site, the New Nintendo 3DS systems will stop being produced immediately. This is the handheld that came with the option of swapping out the faceplate to one of many different designs. These became popular in Japan, but were not made available in North America until the special Pokémon Red and Blue edition 3DS were released in early 2016.
Now, the New Nintendo 3DS discontinuation doesn’t mean that there won’t be any more handhelds fans can pick up. In fact, three handhelds in the 3DS family that will still be produced.
These three include the popular New Nintendo 3DS XL with its larger screen, the New Nintendo 2DS, which is a cheaper option without the 3D screen, and the recently announced New Nintendo 2DS XL, which comes out on July 28.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime stated during E3 2017 that the company plans to support the 3DS with new software through 2018 , so those who own a handheld won’t have a shortage of games to play.
While 3DS titles coming out in 2018 haven’t been announced, the second half of 2017 will see a remake of Metroid II, a new Yo-Kai Watch game, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Miitopia and Hey! Pikmin among other titles.
And although the Nintendo Switch is the focus of the company’s efforts (and rightfully so) Nintendo still sees a market for the 3DS platform so any call for the death of the 3DS is premature. But once we get into 2018, then we’ll see where Nintendo sees the 3DS family moving forward.
So what do you think of the discontinuation of the New Nintendo 3DS? Do you own this version of the 3DS? Let us know in the comments.
