Topic: Is it worth buying a new 3DS (XL)?

Hello everyone

I am planning on buying a new 3DS (XL). I already got an old 3DS that I shared with my brother but now I want my very own handheld. So I was excited and all for buying a new 3DS but a friend of me told me not to. He says the 3DS family will soon be completely replaced with the switch or a possible new small version of the switch (or another handheld) and they will stop making games for and support the 3DS systems. Now this makes me think about if it's worth buying a new 3DS system. I don't want to buy a system that only gets supported only one more year or something like that. If this is true I was thinking about buying a 2DS instead since it's cheaper and is also able to play 3DS games but I really wanted a new 3DS in the first place..

What do you guys think about this? Is it likely the 3DS won't be supported anymore anytime soon? Is it worth buying a new 3DS or is a 2DS a better alternative?

Thanks for answering in advance!

well if you get one buy a new 3ds that will last longer than the 2ds also I think they will not stop support until 2019 or 2020 but past that is a long shot

You can save for a switch

I can definitely see your dilemma. This post is more meant to help you weigh your options, but I will provide a recommendation near the bottom.

I personally think that the 3DS will have support at least well into 2018, but any support past that point is currently up in the air. There are perks to picking a N3DS over a 2DS (C-stick, better 3D effect, faster processing power to name the main things), though other than a small handful of eshop games and a retail game, a 2DS or even a normal 3DS XL can play pretty much any 3DS game; some newer games, however, suffer a bit from the slower processing power.

The 3DS also has an impressive library of games, particularly if you're an RPG fan. I've owned mine for years (still using my standard red 3DS, though I do plan on upgrading soon), and I still have quite a backlog of games and want to pick up a few that I don't yet own.

The Switch is still relatively new, and admittedly I don't own one myself yet for various reasons (the main one being that it needs more games than BotW to come out that I'm interested in). From my observations, the system seems to have great potential, but honestly it's a bit too early to tell. I'm waiting on the sidelines for now until more games that I'm interested in hit the platform. There are a few issues with it as with any sort of system launch, but customers with problems are usually a VERY vocal minority.

I don't know your financial situation, but if you're serious about wanting to get a Switch, you may be better off waiting and saving your money for it. Waiting will also allow you to gauge what else will be coming to the system, particularly around E3. In the meantime, if you're serious about wanting your own system from the 3DS family, the 2DS isn't a bad budget option. I would only get a New 3DS at this point if you're still planning on investing quite a bit of time into 3DS games, or if you feel that the upgrade would be worth it.

Also, I feel ya; sharing a game system can be hard.

I am sure some people will tell you to get a Switch instead, but I personally think that it is way too early to jump on the Switch right now. I never buy any game system until it is at least 4 years old. At that point the system is usually very cheap, has gone through at least one hardware redesign that improves it and the software library is very mature with lots of games available for cheap. People who jump in at launch will on average pay more than twice as much for games as those who get on the band wagon later.

In the meantime, the 3DS has a library of games that is bursting at the seams and lost more are on the way.

I think it really depends on how much you want a genuine handheld sized handheld, how much you want to play the (vast) library of 3DS games, and how much you will or won't feel left out when all the new games go to Switch instead of 3DS (I.E. do you mind playing the "old" retired system with tons of well regarded games, or do you like having the "latest releases" available?)

In all likelihood Switch is to replace 3DS in 2018 though Nintendo is playing coy about that. If there's a handheld sized switch it probably won't be until 2019 or so, so that's a long wait. It's a hard call, I love the 3DS and its 3D display especially on N3DS. And my 3DS family has WAAAY more play time and games that I have played on it than my PS4 & WiiU combined. It was my favorite system of all time (replacing SNES after all those years), but hardware wise, I'm absolutely loving Switch and keep finding excuses to play mediocre games on Switch instead of giant classic games on 3DS that I've already paid for and haven't opened.

If you want to have a "current" system that gets the new games that are getting hyped, you probably want to wait for Switch. If you particularly like the 3DS, its library, and its price points (lower than Switch games!) the 3DS isn't going to stop being a great system just because it no longer gets new games.

For now the upcoming games for 3DS seem mostly better than the Switch ones. But come November that will start to change. And both make up my two favorite systems, so I can't pick one strongly over the other in terms of sentimental value

@YellowPikmin

The 3ds has a huge library of great games - and is bc to the old ds which has lots of great games as well. Buy it!

I would recommend to buy a New3DS as the games library is huge! It will get more games until 2018 at least!