Nintendo 3DS Retrospective: The Handheld That Survived Its Own Launch

The 3DS nearly tripped over its own launch. Less than six months after release, disappointing sales pushed Nintendo to cut the price from US$249.99 to US$169.99, and everyone who had paid full price got free eShop games through the Ambassador Certificate as an apology. However, the gamble worked, and the console went on to become one of Nintendo's most successful handhelds in its first two years.

It was also Nintendo's third serious try at 3D. The Famicom 3D System never left Japan, and the Virtual Boy of 1995 sold fewer than a million units with only 22 games. This time the 3D needed no glasses, which was already an improvement on goggles.

Key facts

Released

February 26, 2011 in Japan, March 25, 2011 in Europe, March 27, 2011 in North AmericaSource

Launch price

¥25,000 in Japan, US$249.99 in North AmericaSource

Units sold

75.94 million for the whole 3DS familySource

Games sold

392.29 millionSource

Best-selling game

Mario Kart 7, 18.99 million copiesSource

Screens

3.53-inch 3D screen on top, 3-inch touchscreen belowSource

Battery life

3 to 5 hours with 3DS gamesSource

Discontinued

September 16, 2020Source

How Nintendo finally made 3D stick

Nintendo had chased 3D since the 1980s, and the failures piled up. The GameCube could show true stereoscopic 3D with an LCD attachment, yet the add-on cost too much and was never released, so only Luigi's Mansion was ever designed for it. Later a 3D screen was tried during work on the Game Boy Advance SP and shelved again because the results were not good enough.

Then a museum project made the difference. A 3D navigation guide on the Nintendo DS for Shigureden, an interactive museum in Japan, fell short, but the research on liquid crystal it produced later helped build the 3DS. So when the console was announced in March 2010, it kept the DS's clamshell shape and played its games, and the new part was 3D you could see without special glasses.

After the rocky start, the family grew quickly. The 3DS XL with larger screens arrived in July 2012, and the Nintendo 2DS followed in October 2013 as an entry-level model that did not fold and had no 3D at all. Meanwhile the New Nintendo 3DS added upgraded hardware and extra controls from October 2014. Finally Nintendo discontinued the line on September 16, 2020, and the eShop closed on March 27, 2023.

The best Nintendo 3DS games

Ranked by how often players recommend them, with picks other players backed counting extra. Animal Crossing: New Leaf takes #1, and Fire Emblem Awakening sits third.

Every Nintendo 3DS list

Handhelds for Nintendo 3DS games

Far fewer handhelds play 3DS games well than DS games, and none of them bring the 3D effect along.