During a special Nintendo Direct broadcast today (29/09/2010) the company confirmed that its New 3DS handheld will launch in Europe on 13th February, bringing the updated design to the region after it launched first in Japan and Australia before Christmas. The New 3DS and the larger 3DS XL feature a C button for dual-analogue control, improved 3D and built-in NFC compatibility to communicate with Amiibos, along with a power upgrade that should lead to smoother gameplay and quicker system load times. Nintendo also showcased a handful of games that will be New 3DS-exclusive, the first of which is a port of Wii role-player Xenoblade Chronicles.
The new models are also a bit slimmer than their predecessors and use a more modern tablet-style design, rather than the clamshell approach that we’ve come to expect from most handheld consoles. The 3DS XL is even more compact, with both screens being touch-sensitive and separated by only a layer of plastic instead of a hinge. The XL is also more rugged, making it more kid-friendly than the original 3DS and its Lite variant.
It’s a strange end for a handheld that once seemed like the future of gaming, but with the advent of the Switch it seems likely that the 3DS will fade away into history alongside the DS and Game Boy Advance. It’s been a solid portable console that gave us a whole new generation of gamers to enjoy, as well as introducing many of them to some of Nintendo’s most iconic games from the past two decades, and it was certainly one of the most creative pieces of handheld hardware out there for a while.
Nintendo threw in some big bundling deals to boost sales, including a Pikachu-themed version of the 3DS and a 25th anniversary Zelda bundle that included a new, red handheld with a copy of Ocarina of Time 3. However, it wasn’t enough to keep interest alive.
It’s not just gamers who have dialled back their support for the system though, with third-party developers and even Nintendo itself stepping away from the platform. In November of last year, the last original first-party title to be released on the 3DS was the minigame collection WarioWare Gold. In February this year, Nintendo reduced its hardware production line and shifted focus to the Switch, which is now the primary handheld for all of its gaming properties. The only 3DS hardware that will continue to be developed and sold is the New 3DS family of devices, and even that looks set to eventually be retired. Nintendo will have a few more years to try and turn things around for the platform, but it’s not looking like a sure thing that it can do so. Especially when the competition is so much more mature, with consumers now expecting a tonne of downloadable games for just a couple of dollars a pop.
