The Poor Old Nintendo 3DS Has Sold Just 620,000 Units In The Past Nine Months

Another assassin-of-previous-consoles article.

End of an era and sadly time to move on. It had a good run and has given a lot of people a lot of good memories but perhaps it's now time to focus on the future.

I think it is still impressive for a dead console.

Not the end of 3DS era for me. 😀
It's a New Beginning of 3DS other Region experience.
I'm still hunting for Japanese 3DS exclusives to expand my 3DS games library.

Yeah, not bad actually. Considering Nintendo itself has abandoned it, and that everybody has a Switch nowadays, or a Switch Lite to make things cheaper -and many people doesn't use the docked mode anyway-, 620,000 units is impressive.

I'll continue playing it, I have dozens of games, most unfinished or unplayed, and people who loves video games know they can be enjoyed after their time anyway. But I admit Switch gets most of my love nowadays, along with Xbox One.

As much as I love Switch, 3DS and its library holds a very special place in my game collection and I think Nintendo actually killed it off sooner than they should have (just look at many of the Switch titles that were obviously initially being developed for the 3DS, but were moved over to Switch and arguably suffered because of it). Where it lacked in innovation and variety when compared to the original DS, it sure made up for it with eShop and the sheer amount of quality titles, ports and remakes.

I'm going to miss being able to get Day One purchases for 35-40€ price point and getting all excited over a technically inferior handheld gaming console getting stellar releases mostly free of modern industry practices and being able to deliver just with the quality of the game, not the specs. Can't get that anymore.

I still have a huge backlog of 3DS stuff left to play, and I'm constantly hunting for the last few deals online before all the good stuff is gone, but it still quite stings seeing it finally being over in Nintendo's and general public's eyes. Truly one of the best consoles ever.

As far as I am concerned, 3DS ain't dead; I contributed to this figure this past Black Friday (My 5th 3DS), and within the last week, I have brought 6 games for the 3DS (admittedly for very cheap). I will probably be playing the 3DS for some considerable time to come; the library for it is brilliant!

Nintendo plans on shipping 30,000 3DS units during Q1 2020.

Pretty much confirms that Nintendo will discontinue the system sometime this year.

Yes because you can't buy a brand new 3DS anymore, even on the Official Nintendo UK Store all you can get is 2DS, the same goes for Amazon UK

Yeah but how many Game Boy Advances did they sell

Hardly unexpected the 3DS had a pretty good run but it's time to call it quits.

Let me get this straight... the 3DS sold 620.000 units in the last nine months, over half a million sales despite the 3DS models being impossible to find and the 2DS models being scarce and disappering from shelves.

Call that 620k low if you want, but this console is selling thousands even when noone is trying to actually sell it, it's impressive! (and a sheer testament of what a awesome little jewel the 3DS is ♥).

3ds is dead until i need to play online Kid Icarus.

Then it’s still alive.

I am even more suprised that it still sells.

To be fair, it is not a young system

Just 620 000? That's an impressive number for a console that is "dead".

75 Million is very impressive but whats more impressive I think is that the Switch has shifted 52 Million in under 3 years.

When you consider the 3DS has been on the market for the best part of 9 years that shows how well the Switch is selling

620,000 I don't think is too bad but it's time to just end the 3DS for good

Personally I’m not surprised since all we have available are the “premium” 2ds and kid friendly version. If 3Ds was still available for purchase, I would buy one just to have as a backup. The 3Ds library is fantastic!

Don't called it poor old 3DS, don't feel sorry for it: the fact that it's still selling after 9 years is amazing.

I still love my 3DS, and it's in my top 3 Nintendo consoles. Hope it chug along for little bit longer.

Ah, so the Switch is still Nintendo's worst selling handheld.

I wonder if this is considered good overall sales between the two current-gen Nintendo systems when compared to previous sales of both home console and handheld combined? If going into next gen Nintendo's home/handheld combined sales are overall down again from previous gens, and next gen they it might only have one console [hybrid] on the market to count for all sales, then it could be worrying. Basically, will Nintendo be in trouble [based on previous-current sales trends] if all its sales are coming from only a "Switch 2" next generation for example (which could be likely)?

I thought I’d get discontinued by the end of 2019, but it’s held on a little longer than expected. However, 2020 is certainly gonna be the end of the 3DS era. That’s just not a sustainable number. But hey don’t be sad, 9 years for a handheld console is pretty darn impressive.

I know a lot of people moved on pretty quickly from their 3DS when their shiny new Switch got unboxed but it really is still a great little system. My daughter is just getting into video games and has been asking for a Switch Lite for her birthday. I decided to pass my 3DS down to her with a bunch of games to let her get indoctrinated into the world of Nintendo. Needless to say she is having a blast. Def still a place for the 3DS family out there.

@delt75

I feel the same way. The 3DS is one of the best systems I’ve ever played. I’d even go further and say the 3DS is one of Nintendo’s most important handheld devices. It basically saved them from disaster when the Wii U was bombing hard. They were able to keep their losses at a minimum cause the 3DS was still selling pretty well in its prime.

@Supadav03

That’s a great idea, and a nice way to repurpose it. I hope she enjoys it!

It needs to be reimagined as a legacy system. Get a 2DS to market for $50 with a HUGE SD card. Steep discount of eshop titles (that I don't imagine are selling that well anyway so it's not like they're losing much). Retailers have abandoned the platform so the eshop could be the main seller.

Sell it as a "system to play all the classics at a low price" and I think they could have a zero investment revenue stream for another few years.

The original Gameboy hung in there for 10 years! What's so wrong with the 3DS lasting that long? Heck i was just playing my 3DS yesterday. I still got games on there i never finished. That really good shinobi game that pretty much everyone ignored because the graphics weren't exactly mind blowing for example.

I say if you gave up on 3DS a while back you may wanna give it another chance. You never know what you might be missing.

I think Nintendo could sell a meaningful number of at least the 2DS units for a few years to come if it just dropped the the price as low as possible, def sub $100/£100 and ideally something like $50/£50 if possible, and positioned it as an impulse buy, Christmas stocking filler, alternative option to the Switch.

I still think it's a shame it gave up on the 3D feature though, and I personally wish the 2DS was actually a 3D capable model because I really like the design of the unit itself but it's missing one of the 3DS's genuinely cool USPs without that stereoscopic 3D.

Truth be told though, if it's already given up on the 2DS/3DS anyway then just properly drop it, push as many of its games [that would easily translate to Switch] as possible onto the Switch (via some legacy digital service or whatever), and make the Switch the singular focus going forward with all its new games.

For the 620,000th time, a console being "dead" doesn't mean you've got to pack it up and never touch it again. There's nothing stopping anyone from continuing to play their "dead" console. I don't know why some people get so upset about this...

I will forever miss Streetpass, probably one of my all time favorite gimmicks. I never did get every US state. But I did get every Japanese prefecture and at least one country on every continent. I think I am missing like, 2 birthdays too.

@Muddy_4_Ever Good idea. They are already selling refurb 2DS models directly from Nintendo’s site for as little as $49.99. Take those and make them more customer facing by putting new versions in stores for a similar price with a 64GB card. Throw in a Nintendo Select title and that would be a great starter pack for around $79.99.

Despite no one wanting to admit it smartphones really have hit handheld gaming hard. Is a good thing Nintendo merged his Home Console and Handhelds together or else they would probably be doomed by now

@impurekind
As cool as the 3D effect was it wasn't long before i stopped using it. The battery drained faster and after playing for an hour my eyes were killing me. Plus they actually had to put warnings out that children of a certain age shouldn't even use it. I would imagine that's why the switch has no such feature in portable mode.

@Zeldafan79 I'd still say having the OPTION to view the games in 3D for those times you really wanted to have that experience, and any other times you could simply turn it off, was still better than not having the OPTION to view the games for the system in 3D at all.

I can play 3DS games in stereoscopic 3D on my Oculus Rift via some hacking and I just love it; it really does add something seeing those games in that stereoscopic mode, and they really do all just look better with it (even when hacked on my Rift, which will never look as good as just playing them on that official 3DS screen as originally intended).

Also:

https://www.nbcnews.com/technology/doctors-say-3-d-not-so-bad-young-eyes-after-125691

and

https://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/3d-harmful-eyes.php.

It's possible your eyes were hurting so much after playing the 3DS in stereoscopic mode for a while because you have some underlying eye issues you aren't aware of. I know my eyes get a bit sore too after playing with my Rift for a while, but I already know I have some issues with my eyes, which also get tired just looking normally at things and focusing at the same distance for a long time in the real world too (especially if I'm not wearing my glasses), so that is definitely a factor for me.

@MoonKnight7 I totally agree with you as well. While I did enjoy the WiiU, the 3DS was my go to system during that era. I played way more Smash on 3DS than I did on the WiiU. And I still take it with me when I go on trips hoping to get some Street Passes. haha. I really with Switch would have Street Pass on it. It was such a neat little add on to the system.

I love the 3DS
Even though it has no new releases it lives on with it's great library

No console is "dead" to ME, I still play all my consoles and still discover new hidden gems all the time.
Handhelds are particularly easy to keep in your rotation, because you don't need to swap TV ports or find ways to upscale to current TVs, if need be.

I'll definitely miss new 3DS games though, because I LOVE LOVE LOVE the stereoscopic 3D effect.
When done well, it brings a level of depth and pop to the graphics that even makes 4K seem boring and flat by comparison.

I was playing Samus Returns last night and I'm still wowed by how good the game looks in 3D.
And there's still a ton of 3DS games I need to pick up and play at some point, I've missed quite a few over the years.
The 3DS ISN'T EVEN CLOSE to being a "dead" console to me.

I find it funny that people keep saying the 3DS isn’t “dead” because they still play it. The article clearly is referring to the fact that in the market sense, the 3DS is slowing to the point of stopping in sales and Nintendo itself is closing up shop. They already did so early last year, in terms of releasing new software for the 3DS. That said, I still pick up mine a couple times a week. There are still tons of games I have yet to finish on 3DS, and it’s far easier to travel with than the Switch, which can’t fit into a pocket and has a delicate, exposed screen.

Pretty impressive for a dead console imo.

If there's anyone here that doesn't actually own one, I'd recommend that you run out and buy one while they're still in stores. I'm not one of those arguing that the 3DS is alive and well. Yes, it's fading into history, but it's a wonderful little machine especially if you're into RPG and strategy games. I still think the 3DS is the best system Nintendo has ever made.

With the Nintendo Selects line offering some awesome games for $19.99, 3DS/2DS is still a great starter system or secondary system. I said earlier I’m giving mine to my daughter to make sure she really wants to game before springing for another Switch. I also have friends that have PS4 & Xbox and they may not want to/or can’t spend $200-$300 on Switch. This gives them a great option to still play quality games on the go. Grab a 2DS refurb for $50 and Super Mario 3D Land, Luigi’s Mansion, Star Fox, Mario Maker & LoZ: A Link Between Worlds and be ready to enjoy hours of fantastic gaming on the go for $50 less than just a Switch Lite on its own.

I bought a New Nintendo 2DS XL for Christmas and have been thrilled with the purchase. Late to the party, but it's a great system. And it's so distinct from Switch that I don't feel like I'm playing outdated hardware. Nearing the endgame of A Link Between Worlds, which I have loved. I also have taken ample advantage of the excellent eShop and the built-in games (no surprise Mario Kart 7 (pre-downloaded) is a blast — I love the way they use the dual screen with the live map on the bottom. But I was gobsmacked that the seemingly turn-on-once-and-forget-about-it Face Raiders is actually a hoot).

BTW the Switch UI/firmware is still very flat and unimaginative by comparison.
Not only is the Switch lacking all the great pack-in activities that were there since the launch of the 3DS and were further expanded in the years after, but it doesn't even have THEMES.
Why did Nintendo go from something so relatively creative and customizable, to something so basic?

For starters, add themes and maybe bring back the Nintendo Badge Arcade.
I haven't checked, are there even folders yet?

I mean, for a system that’s almost a decade old and getting no new first-party games, it’s not half bad to sell over half a million new systems before the fiscal year is up. Aside from that I guess I’m not really seeing the point here? Is it suddenly unexpected for sales of a last-gen unsupported system to drastically fall?

Love my 3ds. I got Shakedown Hawaii on 3ds rather than Switch because playing on 3ds, with the second screen map, and the D-pad seems better somehow. Would love more games to come to 3ds too. Still think the no-glasses 3d is cool.

I am surprised it actually sold that much considering how it's a dead old platform and all.

@Moistnado I always feel like we're a small minority, we who appreciate the 3D... I often preferred 3D over HD. Luigi's Mansion 2, RE Revelations at max 3D settings with gyro aiming (on N3DS), Super Mario 3D Land, Monster Hunter 3, the Zelda games... So many games in which the 3D actually added something that was sorely missed when returning to a flat HD image...

I still have some 3DS games still in the wrapper.

I wish the Switch would get more first party games scaled to 3DS game size and prices. Have your big $60 Switch games, but make room for the $30-$40 titles, too.

For example, those rumored 2D Metroid titles (which have been 3DS and GBA games in the past).

@Moistnado @Shambo Samus Returns has some of the best 3D effects I have seen on the 3DS!

If the 3ds is dead it is not because it killed it's self.

I loved the games but could not stand the controls the circle stick and nub stick did it for me i sold mine to get a switch and much happier. Also to much of the 3d and the next day everything was blurred and thought it would be for ever. I loved the game though but the control system killed them for me .

@Impaler-D Not yet, unfortunately. But I agree with you on bringing back Nintendo Badge Arcade. Maybe they could even let us use badges as user profile icons?

My favourite console ever x x x x x will never die x x x

Hey, the 3DS is old, but those numbers are anything but poor. For a system that hasn't been getting any sort of advertising, half a million is impressive in it's own right. Heck, my old 3DS XL stopped working, so I finally got to grab a 2DS XL to replace it. There's still too many good games on there to abandon it!

To anyone who's still iffy on the Switch or Switch Lite, look into a 3DS model. Seriously, the latest one is only $150, and all of the full priced 3DS games are guaranteed to be $20 cheaper than the average console title, assuming they aren't already discounted. It's an AMAZING bargain option right now, with nearly a decade's worth of games.

The media has a fetish with the death of consoles. Long live 3DS.

@Zeldafan79
To be fair, the Gameboy was never meant to last as long as it did both Project Atlantis and the Virtual Boy were meant to replace it. The failure of the VB and the unexpected giant success of Red and Blue were what changed those plans.

My original 3DS had deteriorated quite a bit with a dodgy screen hinge and a broken d-pad so I've just luckily managed to get a brand new New 3DS XL Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer edition for a good price with a bunch of reduced games at a local store. So I'm currently enjoying the 3DS again after kind of ignoring it for the past few years playing Switch.

@Tandy255 Beautiful game, indeed, I almost skipped it because I played Switch mostly. But then I found it on a sale for €15, and saw it was an amazing game worth its price, just a bit to late. As it often happens, sadly, and why some great games are lost in obscurity... Or even never localised in Europe (like Drilldozer and Wario Ware Twisted on GBA).

@Tandy255 The third parties are definitely filling the $30-40 range, but it is odd that Nintendo themselves are ignoring it. Or maybe they are making games for that niche, but then over charging for them. Sushi Striker and Link's Awakening both immediately come to mind. They looked liked they should have been budget games, but they were $50 and $60 respectively. Personally, I loved Sushi Striker, but I bought the 3DS version because it made more sense on a dedicated handheld. And like most people, I thought $50 was kind of ridiculous for a color matching game, even if it is fun.

@TheFox 1-2 Switch should be $20-$30 at most. No reason that game should be more than $20 on the eShop.

Of course Nintendo will still deny that the Switch/Lite replaces the 3DS.

@Tandy255 Totally agree with you there. That said, I wanted to use examples are games that are fun and worth having, but because of their humble scope and presumably low development costs, just don't seem to justify full price. It's fair to say the same for 1-2-Switch, but I think people's biggest hang up was it just wasn't fun.

Let's be honest here. When i travel by plain and train to and through countries in the Far East i always carry my 3ds with me, and leave my switch at home. Why?! Because the 3ds is way more robust compared to the switch, and when i need to react quickly in any situation the 3ds is easily closed and slipped into my pocket. I tried the Switch on the road but it doesn't work for me. I really hope Ninteno creates a new DS. It is good to see that it is still selling, that is saying something.....

Even though I have a Switch now, my 3DS systems still see some use and will for some time yet. Particularly when I travel as the size is more suited for transport. The system's stellar library is home to some amazing RPGs. I'm currently playing through the excellent Dragon Quest VIII for the first time.

I have too much invested on the 3DS eShop to give up on it.

So if some third party gets on making a way to get 3ds stuff on a TV that would be appreiciated.

I like my new 3DS and if I ever feel the need to play outrun or streets of rage in 3D I have a place to do so.

@delt75

Yeah, street pass was surprisingly addictive. I loved finding people as well. I love the Switch, but I also wish it had some of those features. I guess they were concerned about battery life, but it still woulda been nice to have even if you could turn the feature off to save the battery.

The 3ds line is still my favorite console in history. So many good games. In fact, I bought 2 more this week!

If you include the expansive DS library (which I do), I still have several years' worth of quality content to enjoy.

No new games,no 3ds sell.

Not too bad after 9 years.

I mean it makes sense. Why would I buy a 3DS over a switch light?

Hi Damien, I read your article, but I struggle to understand the spin you’ve put into the headline. As Nintendo enthusiasts, most of us would not want to buy ourselves a 3DS at this point. So this far after the launch of 3DS and this far into the switch isn’t it tremendously impressive that they still sold 600k in a year?

How did the WiiU or the PSVita do at a similar time point?

You could have just as easily had a headline calling the 3DS the little unit that keeps on selling. (This would also be a bad headline of course).

I’m interested in why you chose your emphasis. I do hope it’s not simply that emotional headlines get more clicks because I thought better of a site like this that is made for enthusiasts.

A better title imo would be "the 3ds has somehow managed to sell over half a million units in 9 months almost a decade into its life span with no sales push on behalf of nintendo and hardly any new games thrown onto the system when are people gonna stop buying it a wii u hasn't been sold in two years now"

The 3DS was still selling reasonably throughout 2017 & 2018 - it's only in 2019 that it dropped off a cliff in sales. Some of this is down to age but even more important was the launch of the Switch Lite. This signalled the true end of the 3DS.

I'm really getting into collecting for 3DS right now as games are getting cheap. So it's still getting a lot of love from me.

The 3DS is not dead. I'm still playing it, it's still the best thing ever.

620k for a dead console with no new games is pretty impressive.
I still play on it to this day. There is a huge backlog of games to try.

@Andrew5678 take better care of your 3ds man what the hell! No reason for it to stop working! I still have a Ds that works did you drop it or something?

@MS7000 your 5th 3ds lol you obviously don't take good care of your handhelds that's ridiculous. I have a ds that still works. You have issues bud!

@Tonyo Mine's still working, but for some reason (I think I dropped it), the sound on it just isn't working any more. TBH, I mainly just used that as an excuse for the 2DS XL-the system is fine, but it's kind of a bummer to miss out on the sound effects and music for games.

May give it to a relative who doesn't mind since it still works, after looking into getting it fixed.

@Tonyo I thank you for your concern, but all 5 of my 3DS consoles are in good working order. 4 of them are limited editions for games that I love, not to mention they are different models. Whether I have "issues" for buying so many for such a frivolous reason or not, please don't be so quick to judge.

I have a Switch Lite but my New 2DS XL gets way more love. I recently found a copy of the original Yo-Kai Watch brand new for $5 in a discount section at a local Walmart. The 3DS isn’t dead yet but it’s definitely on its last legs. Oddly enough I went to a different Walmart and the same Yo-Kai Watch game was $32.88. I also found Yo-Kai Watch 3 which is supposed to be rare or whatever and I grabbed it too. The only reason my Switch Lite is largely ignored is the fact that I only have 2 games for it: Sonic Mania and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX. The games are kinda expensive and I’m still holding back on Gen 8 because I’m worried I won’t like them.

@KBuckley27 no way near! The console should be continued no matter what switch is crap compared to 3ds. Only time I'll buy a switch is in another 2-3 years when the price for it will be about $70 to buy lol. Bring more life back to the 3ds!

@Damo @Gwynbleidd
New 3DS?
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/hardware/3dsseries/new3dsll/index.html
Looks like the cartridge is inserted in the front of the device.

The 3DS has sold 75.87 million units.

The "New Nintendo 2DS XL" plays 3DS games (but only in 2D).

A New 3DS device?

Looks like Nintendo should be making a lot of New 3DS games that play on all of these devices.