Nintendo console · Generation 8

Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo's 2011 handheld with glasses-free 3D, two screens and DS compatibility. Its family included the 3DS XL, 2DS, New 3DS and New 2DS XL.

History of the Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo had been testing stereoscopic 3D since the 1980s: the Famicom 3D System, the 1995 Virtual Boy, an unreleased GameCube attachment and a 3D screen dropped from the Game Boy Advance SP. Liquid crystal research done for a Nintendo DS guide at the Shigureden museum in Japan laid the groundwork. Nintendo announced the 3DS on March 23, 2010 and fully revealed it at E3 on June 15, with Kid Icarus: Uprising as the first game shown.

It launched in Japan on February 26, 2011 for ¥25,000, in Europe on March 25 and in North America on March 27 for US$249.99. Its top screen shows 3D without glasses through a parallax barrier, with a slider to adjust or turn off the effect. Early sales disappointed because of the price, the lack of major franchises at launch and eye strain from the 3D. In July 2011 Nintendo announced a price cut to US$169.99 and gave early buyers 20 free classic games through the Ambassador Program.

The price cut and games such as Mario Kart 7, its best seller, Super Mario 3D Land and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D lifted sales. The system added StreetPass and SpotPass, the Nintendo eShop, which also sold full retail games as downloads from 2012, and the Virtual Console. The family grew with the 3DS XL in 2012, the 2DS in 2013, the New Nintendo 3DS in 2014 and the New Nintendo 2DS XL in 2017, for six models in all.

The Nintendo Switch, released in 2017, gradually took over as Nintendo's main handheld, though the 3DS stayed on sale as an entry-level option for younger players. Its last original first-party game was WarioWare Gold in 2018. Nintendo discontinued the family on September 16, 2020. The eShop closed on March 27, 2023, and Nintendo Network online services ended on April 8, 2024.

Milestones

2010
Nintendo announces the 3DS on March 23 and reveals it at E3 on June 15.
2011
Launches in Japan on February 26 and in Europe and North America in March; a price cut is announced in July.
2012
The 3DS XL arrives with screens 90% larger.
2013
The 2DS, with no 3D and no hinge, launches as the entry-level model.
2014
The New Nintendo 3DS and New 3DS XL launch in Japan on October 11.
2017
The New Nintendo 2DS XL, the family's last model, is released.
2020
Nintendo discontinues the 3DS family on September 16.
2023
The 3DS Nintendo eShop closes on March 27.
2024
Nintendo Network online services end on April 8.

Models and revisions

The hardware variants of the Nintendo 3DS and their model numbers.

Nintendo 3DS XL · 2012
Larger model with screens 90% bigger, at 4.88 and 4.18 inches, and a higher-capacity battery; called 3DS LL in Japan.
Models: SPR-001
Model history
Nintendo 2DS · 2013
Entry-level model with no 3D and no hinge, a one-piece slate design, a mono speaker and the same hardware as the 3DS.
Models: FTR-001
Model history
New Nintendo 3DS · 2014
Revision with a quad-core processor, 256 MB RAM, C-Stick, ZL and ZR buttons, NFC for amiibo, stable 3D and swappable faceplates.
Models: KTR-001
Model history
New Nintendo 3DS XL · 2014
Larger New 3DS with fixed metallic finishes instead of swappable faceplates; called New 3DS LL in Japan and made until July 2019.
Models: RED-001
New Nintendo 2DS XL · 2017
The family's final model: New 3DS hardware without 3D in a folding design; called New 2DS LL in Japan.
Models: JAN-001
Model history
iQue 3DS XL · 2012
The only 3DS model sold in China, under the iQue brand; no physical games, only Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 pre-installed.

Special editions

Limited editions, colours and commemorative bundles.

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Nintendo 3DS Púrpura Medianoche · América
Americas-exclusive colour released alongside Mario Tennis Open.
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Nintendo 3DS The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Black 3DS with gold Zelda motifs, sold for a limited time.
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Nintendo 3DS Super Mario (Mario, Peach y Toad)
Three models decorated with the characters, given away through Club Nintendo.
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Nintendo 3DS Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance · Japón
Black 3DS with game motifs, sold for a limited time.
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Nintendo 3DS Monster Hunter Tri G · Japón
White 3DS decorated in red with the Brachydios monster.
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Nintendo 3DS Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater
Black 3DS with snakeskin texture, sold only through Konami's online store.
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Nintendo 3DS Fire Emblem: Awakening · Japón y América
Cobalt blue 3DS with white game motifs.
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Nintendo 3DS XL Pikachu Yellow
Yellow 3DS XL with Pikachu; by reservation at Pokémon Centers in Japan and in limited numbers in Europe and the US.
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Nintendo 3DS XL Charizard Black · Japón
Black 3DS XL with Charizard's silhouette.
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Nintendo 3DS XL Animal Crossing: New Leaf · Japón, América y Europa
White 3DS XL with multicoloured game motifs.
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Nintendo 3DS XL Mario & Luigi: Dream Team · América
Silver 3DS XL with gold Mario and Luigi silhouettes, sold with the game.
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Nintendo 3DS XL Yoshi · Europa
White and green 3DS XL with Yoshi on the lid and eggs on the back.
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Nintendo 3DS XL Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Black 3DS XL with a red or blue shell and the characters in grey tones.
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Nintendo 3DS XL NES · América
Grey 3DS XL with an NES controller design on the lid.
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New Nintendo 3DS XL Samus Aran
Red and gold New 3DS XL with Samus Aran on the lid.
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New Nintendo 3DS XL Pokémon Sol y Luna
Black New 3DS XL with drawings of the legendary Pokémon.
2011
Colores de lanzamiento de Nintendo 3DS
Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black.
2012
Nintendo 3DS XL New Super Mario Bros. 2 · Japón
Red 3DS XL with yellow game motifs.
2012
iQue 3DS XL Mario · China
Three special editions of the iQue 3DS XL, one with Mario and two with Mario and Luigi.
2013
Nintendo 3DS XL Luigi
White 3DS XL with Luigi's silhouette for the character's 30th anniversary; in Japan it included Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.
2013
Nintendo 3DS XL Pokémon X y Y (Xerneas e Yveltal) · Japón, América y Europa
Two versions, navy and red, with Xerneas and Yveltal and the game pre-installed.
2013
Nintendo 3DS XL Pokémon X y Y Premium Gold · Japón
Gold 3DS XL with Xerneas and Yveltal and the game pre-installed.
2013
Nintendo 3DS XL The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds · Europa y América
Half-gold, half-black 3DS XL with the Triforce, released the same day as the game.
2014
Nintendo 2DS Sea Green · Norteamérica
White 2DS with mint-green accents, released on June 6, 2014 alongside Tomodachi Life.
2014
Nintendo 2DS Crystal Red y Crystal Blue · Europa y Norteamérica
2DS units with a translucent front, released for Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
2015
New Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Edition · Europa
White New 3DS for Club Nintendo members, with a charging dock and two faceplates.
2015
New Nintendo 3DS XL The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
Black New 3DS XL with a gold shell and game motifs.
2015
New Nintendo 3DS XL Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Themed New 3DS XL launched with the game in Europe and North America.
2015
New Nintendo 3DS Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer · Norteamérica
Bundle with the New 3DS, the game, two faceplates and an amiibo card, priced at US$219.99.
2015
New Nintendo 3DS XL Hyrule Edition · Norteamérica
Black and gold New 3DS XL with the Triforce, exclusive to GameStop.
2016
Nintendo 2DS Pokémon translúcidas · Japón
Translucent red, green, blue and yellow 2DS units, each bundled with its Game Boy Pokémon game, for the Japanese launch.
2016
New Nintendo 3DS Pokémon Rojo y Azul · Norteamérica
Bundle with Pokémon Red and Blue and Charizard and Blastoise faceplates for the series' 20th anniversary.
2016
New Nintendo 3DS Super Mario Black Edition
Black New 3DS with Super Mario artwork, sold for Black Friday 2016.
2017
New Nintendo 2DS XL Dragon Quest XI · Japón
Black limited edition with a Metal Slime.
2017
New Nintendo 2DS XL Poké Ball y Pikachu
Two editions released with Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
2018
New Nintendo 2DS XL Hylian Shield · Norteamérica
GameStop exclusive with The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds pre-installed.
2018
New Nintendo 2DS XL Animal Crossing · Europa y Japón
Edition with Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
2018
New Nintendo 2DS XL Minecraft Creeper · Europa, Australia y Japón
Edition with Minecraft's Creeper design.
2018
New Nintendo 2DS XL Mario Kart 7 · Europa
Red and black edition with Mario Kart 7.

Specifications

Manufacturer: Nintendo
Release: Japan: February 26, 2011
North America: March 27, 2011
Europe: March 25, 2011
Discontinued: September 16, 2020
Units sold: 75.94 million (entire 3DS family) (2022-09-30)
CPU: Dual-core ARM11 MPCore at 268 MHz plus an ARM9 for backward compatibility; PICA200 GPU (New 3DS: four cores)
Memory: 128 MB FCRAM and 6 MB VRAM (New 3DS: 256 MB RAM)
Media: Nintendo 3DS Game Card (1, 2 or 4 GB) and Nintendo DS cards; Nintendo eShop downloads; SD or microSD card
Predecessor: Nintendo DS
Successor: Nintendo Switch

3DS games

The whole catalogue with its market value and its new price in shops.

See 3DS games

Sources

History, models and specs checked against Wikipedia. If a fact is not in the source, we don't show it.