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According to Nintendo’s Japanese website, the entire 3DS line of handheld consoles has been discontinued. The web pages for the new 3DS LL, new 3DS, new 2DS LL and 2DS are still live, but clicking on the product pages reveals that they are “out of production”. Additionally, a message on the home page of the series of wearable devices says that production of this product line has been discontinued. Interestingly, Nintendo has not made an official statement of support for the change through public relations or investor relations channels; website status changes were only noticed by Twitterati today.
Technology and entertainment site The Verge reports that the Nintendo US site does not mention the interruption of the 3DS line; instead, editors on the state side seem to have preferred to erase all mention of 3DS from their portal in the past few hours. The only remnants of 3DS information are now in the support section, along with information about Wii U.
Nintendo announced the 3DS in 2010 and it was available in 2011. HEXUS confirmed the UK pricing and release date for the portable 3D images in January 2011, and it even appeared as one of our Epic Giveaways in February of the same year. Sales weren’t stellar, but they soon spiked with the release of Super Mario 3D Land in late 2011.
Since 2011 there have been a number of 3DS revisions that include larger models, models without the 3D visual effect, and other permutations. To date, the 3DS series (including the 2DS) has sold 75 million units, less than half the size of its predecessor, the original dual-screen Nintendo DS. However, as The Verge points out, strong 3DS software sales have helped Nintendo get through some tough times – the Wii U’s lean years, for example.
Nintendo’s new exclusive focus is on the Switch line, which recently ventured into dedicated handheld territory with the Switch Lite with its captive controls (no stand, no TV mode, no tabletop mode). In May, the Switch passed the sales milestone of 55 million and has been in high demand during the pandemic. Last month, we got a solid indication that a major Switch overhaul was on the way, as experts said a Switch 4K console was in the works for the 2021 launch. With the 3DS out of the way, we could see Nintendo develop. even more so the Switch Lite laptops.
