3DS Sales See 73% Year-On-Year Decline, No Future Sales Forecast Provided

Yes because you cannot find a brand new 3DS for sale ANYWHERE!
They only make 2DS nowadays is seems

@Bunkerneath
New Nintendo 2DS XL is the only model still in production.

Nintendo may have moved on from the 3DS, but I haven't 😍

Why in the holy hell is this site so hell bent on telling us the 3DS is dead? Yeah we know the thing is getting old! So what? You can't enjoy an old game system? Like posting these articles every other week is gonna make nintendo officially announce it's discontinuation so you can shut up about it? Holy beating of a dead horse batman!

"Are you sad that its time has come, or are you happy enough playing with the Switch alone?"

I've lost track of how many articles ask this same question regarding the 3DS. All I know is I am still buying games for the system as they are still plenty of games on the system that I have not yet played. 3DS was, and still is, a great system.

@Bunkerneath the 3ds wasn't selling enough to merit them making it.

2ds still actually sells.

@Zeldafan79 Maybe cause Nintendo keeps reporting on its existence?

How dare an old game system be allowed to keep thriving despite it's age! How dare it i say! Now scuse me while i go throw away every console i own that is past it's prime!
😜

Still playing 3DS. Not sad, ha, ha. Thanks for the update.

I rediscovered the nintendo magic back in 2017 Xmas when my wife bought me a switch. I missed the 3ds era and I'm pretty gutted I did. Sounded like a good handheld

That's interesting. Did they mention how the Nintendo 64 console sales were in 2019/20?

I LOVE my 3DS!!! So may happy memories with it and still regularly enjoy playing the fantastic library of games on it

There's about 12 3DS/2DS devices in my household. I expect that number will increase.

@gcunit in the UK, where's the best place to buy them from? And the average price you paid for yours. Understand the current circumstances will have changed the price of them if it has.

Edit: typo

It's almost like the Switch replaced the 3DS a while ago and Nintendo refuses to acknowledge as much...

The 3DS has such a large library of games that I still buy games for mine every so often.
I often wonder why Nintendo didn't put a 3DS/D's card slot on the front of the Wii U (3D TV to play 3DS games on the big screen), if the focus had been on incorporation (playing Wii and Ds games, and having virtual console for everything else) rather than have the Wii U try to stand alone with very few new games etc.
I enjoy the Switch, don't get me wrong. But I miss the 3D aspect applied correctly to games, hence why I still play my 3DS.
An as we are all in lockdown I've been on the Wii U and Xbox alot more than Switch too.

@Benjoo I bought my first in the 3DS family from Amazon France in 2015 when the New 3DS released. I then bought a 2DS from Nintendo.co.uk store for my kid. All the others since have been bought used from eBay, but bar one (which just has a small scratch on the top screen - dishonest seller) they were all in pretty much New condition (overlooking marks on the original cover plates of the New 3DSs cos I have a load of replacement plates).

The average price of my eBay purchases has been around £65 I'm guessing. I got one particular bargain of a virtually unused New 3DS with a CIB copy of Samus Returns for about £50. Prices had started going up before Covid-19 though, and I haven't looked since the lockdown shenanigans started, so yes, they're almost certainly higher now.

@Zeldafan79 yeah barmy mentality. I am actually looking forward to the generation after Switch. At first I thought Nintendo had struck gold, but now it seems too "in-between" to do anything actually 'well'.
This is the first generation where I can honestly say I have been playing more on "other" machines rather than the current Nintendo one. Perhaps I am getting old tho.

@RupeeClock
Likely also to keep the existing 3DS owners engaged with the online services, as to buy more games from the eShop. Even if the install base isn't growing very much, Nintendo most likely still makes a lot of money from digital sales.

There's nothing stopping anyone from picking up their 3DS and playing more. I don't know why people get so sad when a system "dies" in this way. I don't miss the 3DS so much as some of the 3DS features that I really like:

Streetpass remains my all time favorite gimmick. That little green light was always a delight to see, I had thousands of hits while I still played regularly!

Virtual Console is a feature that I am still disappointed did not carry over to Switch. The way Nintendo has dealt with legacy content on Switch is quite the let down compared to past offerings.

But I did pick up my 3DS recently and going back to it is... hard. It's in that awkward point where it's just not old enough to feel nostalgic yet. It just feels like yesterday's dinner when I have a fresh meal sitting in front of me. But give it a few more years and the nostalgia will be there, just like the GBA and Game Boy.

@gcunit wow your examples are cheaper than I thought. Cheers for info 👍

@USWITCH64 whataboutery

I still use mine all the time! Tons of backlog on it that I haven't played yet

"No future for 3DS" - sound scary.

@Zeldafan79 cause it dead. Only 2DS XL alive...still alive. Death of DS generation is coming, like it was with Gameboys.

That's what happens when you show basically no love or support for your own system, which is something Nintendo has been terribly guilty of for generations now once it moves onto the next generation of hardware. But, in fairness, I think the Switch needs to be allowed to stand alone as this point as the single home and handheld hybrid console for Nintendo with all the future games coming to it. I do think the 3DS could have been even greater than it has been but the time has passed for that now imo. So, yeah, just give the Switch everything--and saying that, Nintendo really should try to get as many of the past handheld games on it too as far as I'm concerned, all the way from Game Boy to 3DS (where it makes sense).

@impurekind how I can support that system, if there's no new games, that I wanna play?

@Anvold I'm not talking about the fans; I'm talking about Nintendo.

@impurekind uh, thanks. I understand that you mean now.

@impurekind To be fair, the games they released by the latter half of 2018 didn't sell very well. I'll give them credit for trying to keep the 3DS alive, but you can't expect them to keep sinking money into game development when the majority of people were not longer interested. I wish it were otherwise, I have a bunch of 2018 games I really enjoy.

Working my way through Dragon Quest 7, found a used copy a few months ago and finally have a bit of time to play it.

@Asciidan Hi. I've actually been looking for a new 2ds xl purple, and I can't find it anywhere. I already have a new 3ds xl, but I wanted an extra one just to have. I'm disappointed. Are you sure nintendo is still making them?

I loved the 3ds growing up, and will miss it. However, I will admit it's time for the next generation with Switch style consoles.

It might be something todo with that hideous circle stick or the nub stick that you need a matchstick thumb for.
Great games on the system some of the best but dreadful controls really bad i sold mine to get a switch it was the best decision i ever made.

I always thought if only the Ps Vita had the 3ds games it would have been a beast with proper controls.

I mean... yeah. We're halfway into the Switch's lifespan. I'd expect 3DS has become irrelevant when it comes to new releases at this point.

It has a good run, and I still have a lot of games to play and replay on mine. My 3DS will stay on active duty for years to come, even if it has been partially replaced by the Switch.

I still play on my 3DS. I've bought a couple games cheap recently, so I still have a lot to play.

What "time" has come? I've owned a DS Lite since 2010, a PSP since 2012, a Vita since 2016... I'm a bit foreign to the myth of console lifetime being bluntly synonymous to console production and hayday sales. The massive libraries are there, and for Vita and 3DS the official stores aren't going anywhere yet either (except for the recent news, but those regional eShops sounded grimly token from their description to begin with, so no surprise).

And I'm still shopping there this year myself - from Suikodens and Muramasa on Vita to Lego City Undercover TCB, Fire Emblem Echoes and Radiant Historia on 3DS. Still plenty left on both wishlists and in both backlogs, too. Spare me these obituaries.😏

I wanted to buy one for my fiancé recently. For her birthday. Couldn’t buy any online at Gamestop, not even used, and there weren’t any in either of the Walmarts in my town. The 3DS is almost completely gone.

At some point, everyone that wants one will have one and no need to buy one.

@Zeldafan79 I think you missed the point of this article.
This appears to be the first time that Nintendo itself has essentially declared that the 3DS system family has no future. And that is newsworthy.

So much anger and defensiveness in these comments. No one is telling you that you have to quit playing your 3DS nor invalidate the fun you had (or still have) with it. Stating the inevitable - that the system flat out hasn't had any major meaningful support for it for over two years now isn't an insult. No one is denying the 3DS has a fantastic library of games. But when the "coming soon" page on Nintendo's website has but one or two indie titles on it (if that), it is a console that is clearly well past its prime, hence the "time' has come that the system is very much in the rear-view mirror as far as new content coming.

Certainly doesn't mean people can't still play it and enjoy it.

System to come, and systems go. Circle of life. I've had my fun playing with games I wanted to play for it, so now it is my sub music/ 3D camera device.

@Zeldafan79 why are you so hellbent on taking this away from people who are interested in when a console gets offically discontinued?

Any model of the 3ds is near impossible to find including the 2ds and New 2ds Xl here in the U.S. I think it's fair to say that Nintendo discontinued the 3ds.

I still play 3DS once in a while, such a great system
But the reality is that it’s time is over in the retail scene. It had a great run!

I'd buy a switch port of both Metroid and Zelda 3ds titles immediately

I have said it before, but even though I have newer consoles, the 3ds is my favorite system of all time.

The list of games is just gigantic, and I have never owned this many quality games on 1 system before, and I have been playing since the Atari 2600!

I still regularly buy DS and 3ds games (in fact I have 2 DS games coming in the mail), so I will be good for a long, long time.

I still play my N3DS XL fairly regularly; I have quite a few backlogged 3/DS games still. Nearly all of them have been excellent! I'm currently working my way through Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright after playing the Conquest route some time ago.

In my humble opinion, a console isn't truly "dead" until one perceives it as such. There's still a pretty decent retro market out there.

I mean, all things considered, 690K units in one year is not bad, especially this late in the 3DS life cycle. I still use mine once in a while, but I always gravitate towards my Switch lol.

@impurekind After nine years how much more "love" they can give to the system? It's had an excellent run and it's still very worthy with tons of games that won't be anywhere else. It's been some time Nintendo merged its handheld and console divisions in preparation for switch development, it's obvious whenever a new product releases they'll shift interest but that doesn't mean the old system will somehow disappear

@HeyItsFlapjack On the other hand there was a time A LOT of switch users wanted 3ds to "die already" as there was the erroneous perception releasing new titles for the handheld somehow prevented to get new releases on switch or it was seen as a wasted opportunity

What a great run the 3DS and its family had. Tons of classic games that will be remembered for generations to come.

Not only that, but the 3DS is the best handheld Nintendo ever put out. I will never change my opinion on that.

I suppose almost everyone who wants a 3DS has one now and there aren't that many reasons to buy more.

Just got back into Radiant Historia. This is not a game I should've taken a year long break from.

I myself am just getting started on the 3DS. I loved the system ever since I bought it in 2012 and now I finally have some money to spend on the many awesome games that came out for it. Especially now that they're so dirt cheap, I can't really convince myself to drop 60 Euros on a Switch port I won't enjoy considerably more than a 3DS or Wii U version.

Still play my 3DS today, currently playing Rhythm Heaven Megamix which is cool and I like the large amount of virtual console games available. There's still quite a few games I want to buy as well as the large backlog I have.

@RazumikhinPG same. Just nodded mine and its great!

@Yattaze it's great!. Modded mine. Super easy and I love custom themes and gba games. Been playing bloodstained and aria of Sorrow in it

If they never cancel the eshop, then maybe in a few years or something, I'd make all kinds of 3ds games. It's wishful thinking anyway. I've stuck with the 3ds since launch, no plans to quit trying 3ds browser games even after 8 years.

Time to hack them old 3DS systems!

I play my 3ds EVERY day and I have 3 of them (original 3ds xl, original 2ds, and "new" 2dsXL. I'm honestly appalled at Nintendo over it's handling of transition from 3ds to Switch. I don't wish to go into detail (I'm so tired of telling this story) but 3ds kept Nintendo relevant during it's unfortunate WiiU slump and now that it's clear Switch is a success they are almost enthusiastic about trashing the 3ds. It's disgusting how some developers are being treated that dared to attempt NEW games for 3ds in 2019-2020. Putting them in an impossible situation with no support or advertising and seeming to take actual joy in their suffering. Nintendo should be ashamed of themselves. I didn't mean to go in this direction with this post but too late now.

@Jhomesjones
What are you talking about? All three major games released last year on the 3DS (ML BIS 3DS, Kirby's Epic Yarn, and Persona Q2) all received advertising through all of Nintendo's official channels (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, etc). There's been plenty of Switch games (both from Nintendo and major 3rrd parties) that have gotten less advertising.

And can you please tell me what 3DS games coming out this year need an advertising campaign and I'm not talking about "3D Circle Maker Pro SD Hunter" developed by two people and has one star on the 3DS Eshop.

"seeming to take actual joy in their suffering."
I need a citation on this one.

I wouldn’t discount a few more eshop releases.

@Toy_Link
First of all, thank you for actually reading that and thank you for asking. I intended to reminisce about my love for the 3ds but it took an angry turn pretty quick and instead of erasing it I just went with it. I'm glad I didn't erase it now. Ok be warned this is not a short story but I will try to make as short as possible.
I was actually referring to an indie eShop game "Silver Falls: 3 down stars". It's a "silenthill/resident evil" over shoulder view survival horror about UFOs ,aliens and a small mountain town frozen in time. It was made by "sungrand studios", a very small one man low resource studio. Upon the games launch "something" (nobody knows for sure) happened and what was released was a bizarre broken version of the game. As you can imagine the developer was frantic and reviewers were already trashing it online. Instead of throwing up his hands and moving on. This dude started on updates to fix his game. During this time Nintendo did nothing to help, offered no explanations, and was extremely slow in processing and releasing the updates that were the ONLY chance of this game getting even a droplet of success. Game launched January and currently the game is nearly fixed. The work this one guy did to repair his game is unbelievable and the difference between current 1.2 and 1.0 is extreme. There is one last major glitch that prevents the start of the "ending credits" when the game is beaten. That glitch is also preventing access to 40+ hours of content in the "frontier fighters" mode (which is imo main draw of the game, it's like a wave mode or mercenaries/raid mode from resident evil Revelations). The update 1.3 that fixes that final major problem was submitted over month ago, it released in Europe weeks ago, but "Nintendo of America" jurisdiction not only has not released it but hasn't responded at all, not to daily inquiries from fans, not even to the games developer. I've been trying to help get this games reputation turned around because it's a good game and deserves so much better than the treatment it's gotten. Sorry was so long. Thank you if you read this far.
Jason Jhomes.

Yes I am aware Corona virus could be delaying release, but I've watched countless Nintendo updates go thru, even on 3ds games and eShop games, but not "silver falls"

If Nintendo wanted the 3DS to sell more units, they should have kept more models in production and re-released more NINTENDO SELECTS on a regular basis. (Many, many great games from several years past are still full price on the eShop and in stores, if available)

I absolutely love the 3DS and play mine on a regular basis, and still have a huge backlog.

The Switch is 3 years old now and it's library ISN'T EVEN CLOSE to matching the quality of exclusive 3DS games. (It probably will, but not for at least 2 more years)