Nintendo Has “Nothing New” To Announce For 3DS In Terms Of First-Party Game Releases

Level 5 still haven't localized Yokai Watch Blasters 2 for 3DS, the last chance before 3DS retired. 😕


And we need restock of Yokai Watch 3 USA / PAL region. 😞

Oh wow. SUPER surprised. I mean, the 3ds isn't dying anytime soon!

I still have years of play left . So many games I have not played yet . Best system of all time in my opinion

The 2DS for me was the perfect design.

...I-I'm still playing KH3D on my "old" system. And I still haven't even tried one of the many pokemon games on the thing.

It's sad but this has been coming for a while now. I'm sure we'll still see some quality releases yet before it's completely dead.

Good, let it die already. Time to move on.

Welp here we go

Fantastic! Redirect all of those resources that were being used on the 3DS towards Switch projects. Sounds perfect.

Just sleep sweet prince, seeing how I was one of the only 14 people in the world who bought M&LBiS+ saddens me but please just close your eyes.

I have great memories of mk7 study breaks! Although I think the game is sometimes more stressful than studying....

If they stop production on the 3ds, is there a chance that OoT and Majora’s Mask will find a home on the Switch？I know they aren’t stopping production on the system quite yet, but when they do I doubt Nintendo will just let games like those die. Let’s hope at least...

I thought I would never buy another game again, and here I am playing my recently bought Shin Megami Tensei 4 Apocalypse.

The 3DS was my first Nintendo Handheld, so it`ll forever have a place in my gaming memories.

The 3DS will not be forgotten, not with its fantastic library, system customizability, or built-in features. I still play it fairly regularly, especially with my backlog for it. It's given me so many memories, sparking my love of Kirby, Mario & Luigi, and Zelda.

@Anti-Guy A fellow owner of the BiS remake, here. It's pretty solid so far, but I've struggled to play it, what with all the other games I'm working on right now...

The last game that I'll get on 3DS is Persona Q2. Great handheld but its time is over.

Hmm I was slightly hoping they would finish all the mario rpg remakes but this is fine. Bring on the switch games.

It's honestly feels crazy that the 3ds was released back in 2011 and Nintendo managed to keep it strong for 8 years. Pretty much shows that Nintendo is the king when it comes to dedicated portable gaming

@LinksMightySword I concur. Same boat here, soooo many games backlogged on 3DS, Switch, and even Vita and PS4. If all the devs just stopped today, I’d have at least 5 years of gaming to catch up I bet.... lol.

That said, I debate back and forth between my face system of all time.... SNES or 3DS.... Switch is closing in super fast too.... if they toss SNES and N64 on the Online service, I could see it becoming favorite. But I bet it won’t be till Switch Pro or Switch 2.0 is released before it becomes a true all time contender for me. I just love the SNES and 3DS that much.

@Anti-Matter Oh crap, you're right. 😬

Nothing lasts but nothing is lost.

I'm pretty happy with the 3DS library the way it is. Move those budget projects over to the Switch. Especially now that there will likely be a budget model acting as their "entry-level" hardware.

@Anti-Matter Unlikely to happen. Nintendo handles the series in the West and it seems like they're done releasing games on 3DS.

it had a great run, i'll missed the system and it's best exclusives that it had like Smash Bros on the 3DS, it's Free to Play Games, New Leaf, BoxBoy.
i do plan on getting more 3DS games down the road though, might finish off getting 3DS games starting next year. finally picking up Miitopia, but i'll have to wait until May due to stocking.

@Jumpman @Liam_Doolan On top of Persona Q2 and Shakedown Hawaii, there's also the final DLC for Shovel Knight, King Knight's campaign!

I also plan on continuing to buy games for it. There are always hidden gems, plus it's easily much more portable than the Switch for me, so it'll always see occasional play at least. It's interesting, it's only been eight years, but feels like so much longer. Such a great system.

This game should had been the swansong to the 3DS here in NA.

I guess Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn might in fact be Nintendo's last first-party release for the 3DS... is kinda sad really, but considering Nintendo has only been releasing nothing but ports lately and no new IP for the 3DS + the fact they basically discarded the 3D function (except for the Captain Toad port) is painfully obvious Nintendo has long since lost full interest in investing any more time in creating any new games for that system...

After the Nintendo 3DS becomes officially discontinued, it will only be a matter of time until the decision to shut down the 3DS and Wii U eShop is made, they already cut the Wii U off the official Nintendo websites despite it hasn't really been that long since its discontinuation.

Is even likely possibility a portion of the team that works on the 3DS game development team is probably busy working on the mobile games such as Dr.Mario World and Mario Kart Tour and perhaps other secret ones too. The 3DS might mark the end of Nintendo’s handheld systems since mobile games and the hybrid system (the Switch) basically renders making a new handheld systems pointless and irrelevant now, ofcourse Nintendo could still surprise us in so there is always a probable chance they might announce a new handheld system someday.

The Nintendo 3DS was a fantastic success and a spectacular experience for us fans of gaming, it is far more superior than mobile device games and so is sad to see it fade away, is likely the rumored upcoming cheaper lighter version of the Nintendo Switch will be its spiritual successor. If we are lucky (though is a stretch) maybe that version of the Switch will be specially designed to support 3DS cartridges (though highly unlikely).

@ReaderRagfish I know right, its almost as if about 2 years ago, a new Nintendo handheld came out and changed everything...

I utterly love the system. I owned several of them and put thousands of hours into gameplay. There was a times, for many years, I brought it with me everywhere just to collect streetpass! A feature that may well be my all time favorite gimmick Nintendo has ever had! I really do miss seeing that little green light letting me know someone else walked by and had the console. Or driving somewhere and wondering which car I passed by that had one. Or which of my classmates in college was the big Animal Crossing buff.

But nothing lasts forever and times change. I love the Switch, but had Nintendo instead given up on home consoles and gone with some sort of HD-DS device instead, with backwards compatibility, that could have been really really cool too.

Is this really a surprise? Im sure people agree 'graphics dont matter' but in this case the 3ds was making my eyes hurt. Maybe the Switch has some how made the 3ds feel like the ds was to the 3ds. Regardless...I welcome the attention the Switch will surely get now.

More GameCube ports?

Let is hope this is the last re-report article on this subject. 3DS had a great run and its awesome library is still there to be explored.

The 3DS has had a fantastic run and (being in its twighlight) there are so many games going cheap for cheap as retailers are basically dumping their stock - I picked up Mario and Luigi Dream Team and Paper Jam for under £25, brand new!

Even the discounts on the e-shop are shockingly good. I took a punt on Stella Glow, which is my first Atlus game for the system. I will be enjoying my 3DS for a long while to come.

@LinksMightySword Yup. I've had my Switch for 2 years now and there are still a decent amount of titles I want to pick up for the 3DS when I get a bit more time and cash. The GameCube is my favorite system personally, but the 3DS is next in line for me! Such an amazing console!

Love my New 3DS XL and loved everything about the years I had with the system. One of the best Nintendo systems of all time hands down. Have thousands of dollars worth of software on it and countless hours of playtime and memories. sniff

Over the past 8 years the system has served me wonderfully with it's multiple beautiful models and fantastic library. It lasted through both my high school career and my college undergraduate career. My favorite system of all time as of now, and one I'm sure to remember fondly for a long time.

That being said, recently a professor brought her 6 year old daughter to class who proceeded to sit at the front desk playing her New 2ds XL. At that point I realized "this system line is literally older than some of the kids playing on it". The system has lived a wonderful life, far longer than anybody expected at it's unfortunate launch, and though it's time to go it's going out with all the dignity expected from a Nintendo handheld.

I finally broke down and got a New 3DS XL late last year and have been amassing a small collection of must-have games. Finally got to play through Link Between Worlds, and started Ocarina. The 3D is so cool, but easily forgotten when I’m immersed in a game. Still I wish they hadn’t abandoned it.

Only bought a new 2ds recently, so i've got lots to look forward to. First replayed the original Super Mario Land trilogy and Link's Awakening, now Super Mario 3D Land is next. Followed by A Link between Worlds and Hey Pikmin. Happy days!

Nintendo is still selling more 3DS units than Microsoft is selling Xbox. Why would they stop? It’s steady income. Companies like money, especially when they don’t need to invest in marketing or R&D.

I'd wished they had release more snes games on virtual console. Those games takes little resources to port, and it could easily extend the life of the 3ds for another year.

They also could have licensed or distribute some of those Japan-only games that need minimal translation like Sega Ages Vol. 3.

The 3DS being in its death throes has reignited my interest in the system. The last few months I’ve been buying up quite a few games while I still can - I’ve now got quite a large backlog to work through.

Luckily there’s not much I want on Switch until Mario Maker 2 and FE Three Houses

Disappointing.

I personally think Nintendo should continue to support the 3DS but just make sure any new games for it also get an up-res'd Switch version too.

Great system. 130 games and counting.

wise choice. they are killing it off finally, even if they arent calling it that. guess they are still banking on fools tool naive or to realize, or too cheap to admit it, to buy up any remaining stock. they wasted a lot of time and resources delaying this though. theyll need to make up for lost time.

@LinksMightySword perhaps, but they dont need to keep producing new things for you to play through your backlog.

3ds was great (if you like handhelds) I never play mine as I can't stand portable lol ... Let it die and port some games to Switch

@retro_player_22 Would have been THE perfect way to close the book with DQXI.

Maybe they don't make more games and stop the production of consoles too (in a year or too maybe). But for me there's still loads of 3DS games I haven't even touched. Heck, I even got DS games I want to play but have not even bought yet.

I hope the new mini handheld console people refer to as the Switch mini is backwards compatable with the 3ds games.

Watch a blockbuster movie at the cinema then watch it on a small screen phone, not good.
The good thing about the ds/3ds is that games were made or customised for the DS screen size.

A one size card that fits all size Switch's wont be good. Imagine playing Zelda botw on a DS size screen.

@zool
The Switch and 3DS not only have different interfaces, but they also run on different architectures.

The chances of 3DS backwards compatibility on Switch is 0%.

Likely means the June Switch Mini rumour is correct, if Nintendo's not supporting the 3DS anymore they'd want people to move to Switch.

A great handheld console. I still play mine and have about 8 games left in my backlog just waiting to be played. I still wish to purchase a new 2DS XL shortly to keep in stock for the future and pick up another 5/6 games over the next couple of years if/when I can get them at a good price.
The device has sold well, just shipped over 75 million now with another 1 million predicted by Nintendo this year. It will end on around 76 million which is quite a feat considering how the system looked a few months after launch....
Well done 3DS, the little handheld that could!!!!

It's kind of funny that some find this celebratory news despite it not being terribly surprising or shocking that a console almost nearing it's decade since launch has been going through steady slow releases that was bound to come to an end.

Despite that, I haven't been using my 3ds as nearly as long as it's been released, wasn't one of those people who were able to grab every game that came out on top of finding enough time to sit and play through them. So my 3ds gets just as much use as my Switch so I can be missed with that 'move on' mentality.

@NotTelevision I would like Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask in HD on Switch. I know they've been done in 3D but I would still like them to look great on the big screen.

Dead console walking.
Good bye 3DS thsnks for the good times.

There’s still a few 3DS games I need to pick up. It’s my favorite system, not handheld, of all time. I will eventually buy all the gameboy and gameboy color games, SNES and Sega as well. I just need to get that snes 3DS XL next month that I put off month after month when I get paid and I’m locked in for life. Well, as long as the system physically holds up that is.

I’m saddened by this news but I saw it coming. Seriously though, the 3DS is/was a perfect system. Still wish it had miiverse support :/

I much prefer the 3ds to the Switch for portable gaming, even though I'm not really a portable person.

I still feel like there might be one last port/remake from Nintendo in an attempt to squeeze one last holiday sales season out of the 3DS, but otherwise, you had a great run, old friend.

Did not mean to put the implication out there that I thought they should keep the 3ds going strong from a development standpoint . It is just such a huge and amazing library that there will be quality games to play for years going forward . Especially if you are a JRPG nut like me .

And why would anyone not want more quality games to come out for a system you love should developers wish to make the effort to bring those games to market for said system with a huge install base ? People not wanting more good games ... I don’t understand

I am also fully in the camp of doing anything to continue this meteoric rise of the Switch . No reason they can’t do that and also continue to roll out a nice release here and there for 3DS. Or if they choose not to ... groovy! I will still be buying and playing games on it for years .. that was my only point

@Trajan Me too, it just feels more suitable. I play my Switch docked 99% of the time using my 3DS for portable gaming.....

@Grumblevolcano I read "Switch Mini rumor" as "Switch Nintendo Direct Mini rumor" and was confused why they would do a Mini Direct ahead of E3.

Yeah, smaller Switch seems likely in June w/ SSM2.

I still think 3DS can get 1 more big profile game: Frozen 2. Possibly also on Switch but it could sell well on 2DS this holiday.

@Anti-Matter i expect that to come when Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode, Monster Strike or Yu-Gi-Oh! Saikyo Card Battle gets a dubbed.
i hate the fact that that horrible Duel Carnival got a US release(one that was also butchered in the process) & Saikyo Card Battle didn't, just about everything about Zexal was a kick in the nuts for the Yu-Gi-Oh fandom...

The 3DS is my favorite handheld gaming platform ever. With its backwards compatibility with the huge DS library, to how much fun I had with the Mii Plaza Street Pass mini games, to how much I looked forward to seeing the new Miis arrive at my gate, and the bunny in the Arcade Badge game... And not to mention that 3DS had a lot of GREAT games in its own right and some really pleasing designs.

It may be time for it to go, but it provided me with eight years of fantastic experiences.

Goodbye to the best handheld ever, and a golden period in Nintendo's history!

I can say that I'm not at all surprise by this news. I knew it was on it final leg when Kirby Extra Epic Yarn in March. My last games I brought for my 3ds was Yokai Watch 3 and Etrian Odyssey Nexus.

I also saw it ending and brought a bunch of 3ds games and eshop ones, so I agree with people that I still got some years left to plow through backlog.

It is now time though to give the 3ds a proper send-off and let the switch take up the mantle. I need to buy a switch and 2019 have a ton I will be getting gamewise but until I do, my 3ds will still have love. A lot of the 3ds games I play the developers have already move on to switch. Etrian Odyssey, Level-5, mario, zelda, pokemon and others. The signs were there.

Love the 3DS XL my all-time favorite Nintendo system. I still play the 3DS literally daily and I don't see that changing any time soon I have a huge backlog of spectacular titles to play , I have over 300 games and counting for my 3DS as there are still a few more games I have yet to purchase. My only hope is that Nintendo will not drop the stereoscopic 3D effect from future systems I would love to see it used with a newer system some day.

Not so long ago, they were still harping about the 3DS appealing to a different, more budget-oriented market, and so it made sense to keep supporting it alongside the Switch.

Took them a while to wisen up, huh? I love the 3DS, don't get me wrong – but it's obvious that investing resources on it is not the thing to do anymore.

I just need a comfy, durable Switch Mini before I say goodbye to the DS line completely. I love the Switch, but it definitely feels like a hybrid rather than a proper Nintendo handheld.

The clamshell design is also hard to move on from completely; I've loved it ever since my GBA SP.

Hmm if they had one or two final 3DS games to announce at E3, would they announce that right now ? i don't think so, so there's still a chance we might get a few more first party games i think.

Obviously if none are announced at E3 then Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn will be it's swan song. I'd rather it was a Wario Land game though.

This was so sad to read. This was the system I grew up with and I'll miss it being common. Long live the Switch!

Used to play with the streetpass a lot on the 3DS, now I don't. But I still play games on it from time to time.

3ds is great.

Before I got my switch, I thought, I will play both systems.

I still bring my 3ds to work for breaks, but that is about it.

Thank you, nintendo, for the switch!

"Despite the system's age, 3DS game sales are still going strong."

No they're not, Mario Kart 7 is as people still pick up the system cheap to play its many games and this is usually packed in with it. The games that Nintendo have released on it recently have barely registered on the charts such as Luigis Mansion and Metroid, quite why the former wasn't released on Switch as well if not instead is anyone's guess

I’ve still got a ton of games to finish so I’ll be playing for a long time yet.

My backlog is terrifying already and I don't even have all of the 3DS games I still want. As much as I love the system I'm not too sad about no new releases.

Now if we could get all those useful features on the Switch please...

@Anti-Matter- Not happening, RPGs take longer to translate, and another game on a similar spot back on the DS era, Inazuma Eleven 3, never got translated.

And even that title had more reasons to be translated due to the 3DS (The new console) being backwards compatible with DS titles.

@ReaderRagfish Hmmm, it's almost like something happened 2 years ago that displaced the 3DS...what could that be? lol...

I love the 3DS. Coupled with it being easy to softwood, I play a wide variety of games on it. I think I have enough to go forward another 20 years or so...

@westman98 The GameCube had the GameBoy Player. They could totally make a Switch 3DS player "cartridge" or USB peripheral if they wanted. I doubt it, but the Switch has basically all the needed controls and more.

Aside from online play concerns, I don't know why people seem to be so concerned about when games stop being released ; the system never really dies, people even find ways to circumvent online play going down. I still have my original GBC and still play it from time to time

@carlos82 Ok ok, tell me when metroid was on the 3ds (besides a cheap pinball and a decent gameboy remake) because id love to know. And animal crossing NL had decent sales for a 3ds game. Explain how the 3ds had bad game sales.

@Bubble_Bobble "Ok ok, tell me when metroid was on the 3ds" then you describe 2 Metroid games on the 3DS and what's New Leaf got to do with any of this? Read my comment, the article states that 3DS sales games are still going strong just because 1 game still sells and all I did was point out that recent releases (pokemon aside) haven't sold in big numbers. I said nothing about 3DS games not selling well over the course of the systems life as it was hugely successful

3DS is a great system, although I am not entirely opposed to Nintendo going all-in on Switch as a handheld platform.

Some of the cool features that the 3DS had that I miss on the Switch: Lenticular 3D. 3D screenshots (and low-res photos.) Dual Screens. Stylus. Streetpass support in games. Streetpass Mii Plaza (and all of the surprisingly fun Streetpass minigames.) Gold-pants Mii characters from Nintendo (like Iwata, Aonuma, and Reggie.) Miiverse. Swapnote/Letter Box. 3D notes. Flipnote Studio 3D. Virtual Console. DSi backward compatibility. Web browser. Netflix. Nintendo Video. Hardware Wi-Fi switch and LED. Nintendo Zones (and Streetpass Relay.) Download kiosks. Download Play (local multiplayer from a single game cartridge.) Hardware volume slider. Clamshell design.Themes. 3DS Sound recorder/player. AR cards in the box. Physical rewards from Club Nintendo.

Regarding lifetime hardware sales the 3DS may yet beat the PSP.

Handheld systems are great and I greatly prefer them to smartphones for gaming simply because they have physical buttons and controls and are designed with gaming as the primary application.

Well, there still will be a bunch of very uninteresting third-party downloads (like horror-stories. I played the demo. One of the worst things I ever played. A disgrace that such a thing exists on a Nintendo device), though there are always people who like those I guess.

I do hope that Nintendo still brings Picross e9. I would download it, just for completions sake. But I guess it won't happen.

I'm still getting new games for it. Just picked up Pokémon: Blue Rescue team and LBX

As a Switch owner, I have to say that I still love my 3DS, and I see no reason to stop buying games for it if companies keep making them.

The 3DS is my choice for portable gaming. It fits in my pocket with out looking like I am carrying a game machine around, and the clam shell keeps the screens protected during transport with out adding size to the machine because it is built in.

Also, the 3DS' ability to start playing immediately when you open the shell and stop immediately when you close the shell is perfect for quick little gaming sessions at the spur of the moment.

Seriously, the 3DS is a near perfect portable gaming machine. Just update the screen and cpu/gpu, and Nintendo could get another good ten years out of it.

Heck here's an idea. Update the 3DS to interface with the Switch to be a specialized controller for Switch Docked mode.

Still my preferred way to play handheld games. Love the Switch, but I play mainly docked. The 3DS has one of the biggest and best game libraries on any system. Even after getting off to a rocky start, it's become one of the most versatile and long lasting systems that's ever been produced. I still have so many games I haven't even played on it yet, that I will eventually get to. It might be "dead" but I won't be done playing on it for years to come.

@Jango296 I agree. Nintendo missed a golden opportunity to keep StreetPass functioning. The thing is, they could keep it going on Switch with just a simple firmware update. There's no new hardware that needs to be released. It's purely software. While the SpotPass hotspots at Best Buy and airports and whatnot seem to have all been deactivated, that doesn't mean Nintendo should abandon it. Flick the switch, activate StreetPass and let us connect with others who have the system in their bags! So many people on transit have their Switches with them, or in the parks.

It's possible the 3ds and 2ds are coming to there end..

The 3DS has easily become my favorite console of all time. I was really hoping we were somehow going to get DQ11 here in the US, but I guess not.

My backlog is still a mile high, and I have plenty to play on this awesome system for years to come.

@carlos82 hahaha gotcha, i thought you said the 3ds never had any good sales. yeah that describes my 100 iq eyesight. Oh and i was using animal crossing as an example of good game sales. just ignore me

The 3DS has a huge backlog. Honestly, I don't think it's possible for anyone to look at the entire library of games and go "I want more" for it. I highly doubt you could dislike every current game that has been released on the system in the past eight years. Thus, I believe it's perfectly fine for the 3DS to come to an end.

For now, the Switch needs all of Nintendo's development behind it. It has had a lot of amazing games come to it the past couple of years, but the 3DS still has tons of amazing games as well. It has had a full life and, despite how well the DS sold, it did end in eight years as well, beyond some third-party releases in 2013, similar to how the 3DS will be getting some in 2020.

It is not the end of your fun. Chances are, Nintendo will support the 3DS servers for many more years, but shutdown Wii U servers long before those ones do. Nintendo knows the user base is still there, and just released a new revision not too long ago, so there is no way it is going to shutdown its servers for at least another half of a decade or longer.

So, enjoy your huge backlog, 3DS fans, and let the Switch finally get full development. It needs it due to how much more detailed the games are.

@Notshane Wii U and 3DS will be shutdown at the same time, it's why MiiVerse discontinued on them at the same time, disputing your theory of which will shutdown first.

Switch Lite is the successor for 3DS now. This comment, and now the next dedicated handheld means you don't have to have an IQ of 1,000 to see this is the replacement for 3DS.