The Nintendo 3DS range of handheld consoles has been discontinued, the gaming giant has confirmed.
The expansion of the DS line, complete with an auto-stereoscopic 3D display, lasted almost a decade, but has naturally fallen by the wayside since the Nintendo Switch was released in 2017.
In a statement, Nintendo said it had ceased manufacturing the family of consoles, which spawned over 1,000 games, but says those games will remain on sale moving forward.
The company writes: “We can confirm that the manufacturing of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems has ended. Nintendo and third-party games for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems will continue to be available in Nintendo eShop, on Nintendo.com and at retail. The existing library of more than 1,000 Nintendo 3DS games contains many critically acclaimed titles and can provide years of content to explore and enjoy.”
Related: Best Switch games 2020
The tech behind the 3DS was unique because the display created a 3D effect that did not require glasses to enjoy and the effect could be easily adjusted using a slider built-in to the console. The launch at E3 2010 came as a massive surprise to most observers, as Nintendo did a sensational job of keeping it under-wraps, which seems like an impossibility in the era of constant leaks.
As of last year, Nintendo said the 3DS, New 3DS and the larger XL variant had sold more than 75 million units with 383 million games shipped.
Unfortunately, the 3D fad didn’t last – in any of the industries that pushed it – and the technological breakthrough became somewhat of an afterthought. Most of the top game developers produced games that catered largely to the 2D experience, while the launch of a new 2DS XL in 2017 negated the 3D experience completely.
Does the 3DS hold a special place in your heart? Could it have been the next big thing? Or was it little more than an novelty expansion of the DS line? Share your memories @trustedreviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
