Those models are 2015 for the West.

That 2015 date makes me feel a little bit better seeing as I was just about to buy a new 3DS to have something to play while I work abroad for the next few months. But all signs point to this new redesign as being the version to play, specially if the new buttons and improved the CPU means games the older systems can't play.

Son of a whore...

I'll probably pick this up eventually, definitely won't buy it at launch. My XL is barely a year old.

I love Nintendo, and their systems. But this is  a money grab pure and simple and I think it's time to stand up to Nintendo and say "No". I would accept this if Nintendo went all the way and made it a new system with all the bells and wishes (and improved screen resolution/graphics). But this, and then having games exclusive for it? No.


And the name? "New 3DS"? Come on Nintendo, did you learn nothing from Wii U? "Hey, this game is only playable on the New 3DS". Yeah, no.


Nintendo had their chance to add things to the 3DS with the XL version. Pushing out a system that fragments the 3DS market is not a good idea at all. Yes Nintendo has a history of upgrading systems which is fine. But none of them have fragmented the market besides the camera added to the DSi.

Some interesting choices were made on the inclusion of new buttons, but not a 2nd nub.
That said, it blows my mind they did all this to port Xenoblade Chronicles to a handheld.  I take it the Japanese market loves playing their lengthy RPGs on a handheld?

fuck you nintendo


By the way, this was probably not just to port Xenoblade, but for the eye tracking of the 3D.

I do.
Seriously how can you call that a GCN Controller version if the buttons aren't the right color and the c-stick isn't Yellow?

It's a shame there are exclusive games that make use of the improved CPU, namely Xenoblade Chronicles (which I've barely played on Wii). This isn't terribly surprising. Gameboy Color did the same, technically so did DSi though they were few and far between beyond DSiWare. It made sense to combine the Circle Pad Pro and Amiibo functionality though the right Circle Pad looks weird.

I can hold off on this for a while as there are no exclusive titles announced that I'm dying to play. It's more likely that I'll upgrade once I wear down the Circle Pad on my XL due to Super Smash Bros. By that time, they might announce a real successor.

If the Price is Right I'll probably jump onto the XL version since I have a launch 3DS and could use the improvement if MonHun4U isn't coming to WiiU.  Plus Xenoblade.

Was just about to buy a new 3DS  for Smash, well thats not gonna happen now!

Xenoblade looks terrible on that screen anyway, so i am not gonna cry about that.

And I don't think it runs very fast either. The GIF I saw made it seem like 15 FPS.

Sounds like improvements. Makes me glad I held off on the 3DS so far. I'm guessing all the negative responses in this thread are from current 3DS owners. :P

There's at least one Unity dev who would bring their game to the new 3DS if it was supported. Wonder if Web Framework will follow suit?

I prefer my original model 3DS over the XL for several reasons, most of them revolving around me being left-handed and having quicker, easier access to the retractable metal stylus, which was of better quality than the XL's. The Circle Pad Pro was essential for me to play Kid Icarus, as well, and finding the XL-sized model proves difficult.

If the stylus is stored on the left side of the handheld like in the original model, I'll gladly upgrade to the new design.

I'm not too torn up over this. It was expected and I bought the XL knowing there would probably be another model down the line. I already own Xenoblade, and I'd rather play it on a TV than a 3DS. The improved battery life is nice (though still no where near it needs to be), especially with the improved CPU. I'd be more upset if Nintendo included a higher resolution screen as that was the main thing I wanted. Since that isn't the case, this existing is fine by me, and there's a good chance I will buy this in the future, likely after a price drop and a sale on top of it.

I was just coming around to buying a 3DS XL now I might have to wait. This is exactly why I stopped buying Nintendo hand helds, or any hand held for that matter, they keep updating them too fast to keep up with.

Aww... I just bought an XL a short time ago. Would've definitely held off if I knew this was coming.  Oh well... them's the breaks.

Darn, just purchased the current 3DS XL.  :(

Looks good.. Will be picking one up.  I've been waiting for a 3DS refresh.... Looks like Nintendo heard all of our gripes and made a model that addresses almost if not all of them.... Of that it won't be in the US by Black Friday...... Sales will be hurt if it comes our in January or February...... The sales percentage of video game stuff in the US for the holiday season is absurd.

not at all, this holiday is too damn crowded as it is, they need to move things out to give the holiday stuff breathing room. Plus releasing the console in Spring lets them release games the following holiday and sales pick back up then.

Ha, well shit, I happened across the XL Link Between Worlds edition yesterday on sale and ordered it on impulse. I don't really care about the Xenoblade port, but I really hope they don't switch too much output to the new juiced up version. Is there any feasible way they could release some kind of expansion doohickey to make older 3DS systems work with games like Xenoblade?

doubtful considering it has all new buttons, a second analog stick thing and a faster CPU, unless they really are trying to copy Sega to their doom.

Your right Doom was on all those systems wasn't it.

Looks like it might finally be time to sell my original 3DS... Or maybe I'll give it to my 4 year old for Christmas. Then I'm buying this new one and Xenoblade

Oh fuck this!  I just bought a 3DS last year for Pokémon!  This is effectively a new system.  New games that are incompatible with the old system = new system.  This is just merely backwards compatible with the 3DS.  So all you Nintendo whores that bent over backwards for the outright scam that was the DSi, this is YOUR fault!  Fuck all of you for making Nintendo think they can get away with this shit!

Well I'm never buying this new 3DS ever.  I didn't buy the DSi and that was a good decision because the 3DS was backwards compatible anyways so I didn't miss out on anything.  I presume the "4DS" will also be backwards compatible with all variations of the 3DS so I don't need this right away.

I figure this co-existing with the 3DS and 2DS will continue to cause massive confusion with consumers and that's good because Nintendo needs to get knocked down a peg for this Sega-style bullshit.  My thinking right now is that there is no point in buying a Nintendo handheld while it is current because they're just waiting to release some bullshit half-step revision on you.  Might as well wait and get an outdated used model when it's cheap.  That's Sega.  They ruined consumer trust by releasing new platforms that they discontinued early.  I feel that way with Nintendo and handhelds.  I don't trust them.  Hey, now I don't trust Nintendo consoles OR handhelds.  Now that is fucking Sega!

And funny how they'll stick with the flop Wii U but are quick to replace their successful system.  Yeah, that makes tons of sense.  And they didn't even do this right!  Obviously if you're going to do this you stick a second stick on it!

Thankfully I already have Xenoblade for the Wii so the one title announced so far isn't one I would buy anyway.

Game Boy Color was a new system, not a re-design. DSi is a good example though.


I don't really want to buy a new model, though at least this re-design improves the system (unlike the 3DS XL, which did nothing more than make it bigger).


Marvel moviefan, do you also not buy cell phones? Companies like Apple and Samsung update their phones every single year.


Ian, Wii U isn't a flop. It started off poorly, but sales have been improving for months.

I love you Ian Sane. No sarcasm either. I completely agree with every part of your post, for the first time ever.

I'll say what we all already know-- for smartphones and tablets, this kind of business practice is standard.

With that said, of course I'm going to buy this at launch.  It's incrementally better, but still, better is better.  It's just sad that I'm not excited the same way I was when they announced the XL. 

BTW, anyone notice they haven't mentioned DS backward compatiblity?  It's assumed, sure, and I can't think of a good reason why they wouldn't have DS backward compatibility, but still, they haven't been explicit about it, have they?

I still play a lot of DS games, and the 3DS XL is awesome with it.

Not buying this ever? Okie-dokie. What does it matter to you then?

You might want to keep the insults to a minimum. I like my DSi. I bought it specifically to give my DS Lite to my brother so we could play Contra 4 and Phantasy Star 0 together. Both were quite fun.

And kindly stop trying to pass the buck on others. If you bought a 3DS thinking, "Oh, Nintendo will never release a new version or model," that one is on you considering how much precedence there is to the contrary.

You know, I had pretty much decided I'd get a limited edition Smash Bros. 3DS XL when it was released. I've had the original teal 3DS model since the second week it launched which is about 3 and 1/2 years now but I'm having problems with the R button and the bigger screens seemed nice. With it being quite a few years of playing away on the system, it felt like the right time to maybe upgrade and use this new XL to ride out the rest of the 3DS generation. Plus, I liked the look of it a lot.

Now, this announcement is made and I will not be purchasing the Smash Bros XL after all. What's the point now? I don't see how this is going to help Nintendo move more 3DS units this holiday season like they are hoping in the financial reports when they effectively downgrade and make the system inferior with this announcement. Although, there are a lot of people and parents out there who just don't know or pay attention to the news in this sector of entertainment so they'll probably still sell a bunch on consumer ignorance.

I think the reaction to the news really depends on when a person bought or last bought a 3DS. If you just bought one for the first time, say 4 months ago, then you'll probably be more upset about the news. This system won't be released until next year and if it gets release in March 2015, then it will have been 4 years that I last bought a 3DS or handheld. Thus, the New 3DS is sort of appealling to me. The only thing that concerns me is the example of the DSi. It only lasted short of 2 years before the 3DS came and replaced it, ending the original DS line. Is this another last cash grab of getting some money from the 3DS family before launching the next handheld generation like the GBA Micro or DSi? 3rd revisions of hardware do not seem to last as long.

In a twisted sort of way, it sort of further pays off in being an early adopter of the system though. Sure, I missed out on the price cut but I did get the Ambassador games even if some people got both. However, those people also got a bit screwed over when the XL version came out. But now the XL crowd are getting screwed over with the New 3DS when an early adopter, like myself, would be more willing to buy a new iteration. It's full circle. Nintendo is making sure we are all equally unhappy with our 3DS purchase. (And no one cares about 2DS owners because they screwed themselves over the moment they actually bought the thing.) That's good business. You need to make people unhappy and not content with what they currently have so that they will seek out and buy the new product you are offering that will restore them to their contented state. Genius!

It matters because it does affect consumer confidence on any product that is released by the company in the future. You may not agree with it but it is true.

With the 3DS, I was unsure of whether to actually be an early adopter or wait. In the end, I decided to adopt early. Although the Ambassador games eased the regret on missing out on the price drop, I was further disappointed in the release of the XL.

Thus, with the Wii U, I decided to wait until there was a price drop or bundle I wanted. I bought it 8 months after release when a story offered the Deluxe model at $297.00. A couple months later, there was an official price drop made and a bundle of NSMBU and Luigi U was offered. I thought I had made a good decision when I got it a low cost only to regret missing out on being able to get that bundle with the price drop had I waited 2 more months.

You can say "that is on you" for not considering the precedence of these things but the problem is I did consider the precedence of these things and at the time I bought them, I thought I was doing so where there would be a long enough timegap that when they occured, it wouldn't be so bad. However, in both purchases, those things happened faster than anticipated which made me rather a bit irked at having made my purchase when I did.

Thus, it makes it harder and harder to buy a Nintendo product when it seems you end up regretting a few weeks later when a better option comes around. This makes it harder for Nintendo to sell products which then results in losing more and more of the fanbase and market.

So, don't be glib and quick to dismiss other thoughts on the matter because they don't like this idea. It would be ok for you if him or others complained and made the statements they have as long as they mentioned they were still going to buy the system? What logic is that?

Well I figured there would be variations of the same hardware.  Stuff like the 2DS and the XL where there is a difference in form factor but the same games play on it.  The DSi routine was something I feared but didn't necessarily expect and I certainly didn't think it would come so soon.  It's too soon for a proper successor and Nintendo only did this half-step once and it was further along in the DS lifecycle then we are now.  They just released the 2DS less than a year ago.  I can't expect THAT to be the most significant redesign for even a whole year before they announce something else?  So someone buys a 2DS and 10 months later a new 3DS is announced with new games that are incompatible with the handheld they just bought less than a year ago that was a brand spanking new model at the time?  Come on!  That's ridiculous!

How did you come to that conclusion? Complaining about something then buying it is simply a different kind of ridiculous. Of course, others don't have to like the idea. However, raging and ranting and blaming others about something they're admittedly not taking part in ever is a waste of time. They're making the only point that matters by not buying it. Sounds reasonable to me.

What does not sound reasonable is saying things like:

Calm your tits.

In any case, the 3DS that you, me, and Mr. McAngrypants have are still perfectly adequate for playing games. It doesn't cease to function just because something new is on the horizon. The only exclusive game people seem to be talking about is Xenoblade and many of us here have already played it. Every upcoming 3DS game I'm even remotely interested in will be available on the 3DS I already own. Until Nintendo announces an exclusive New 3DS game that I really, REALLY want, I'm perfectly content with what I currently have. They're going to have to do better than Xenoblade. If not, that's their problem, not mine. I don't have to give them money.

I may buy a New 3DS, but that's down the line and it won't be until I have a very good reason to do so, be it a game I want, or as previously stated, a worn out Circle Pad. With DSi, I had a few good reasons. It was a good purchase. My brother already has my original 3DS and he thinks the XL is too big so there goes my best reason to get one sooner rather than later.

The way I see it, New 3DS was made specifically for the Japanese market where handhelds are far more popular. It also makes Amiibo more user friendly. Nintendo will release New 3DS in other territories because sure, why not?

New 3DS is not meant for the same audience as 2DS as New 3DS includes improved 3D capability and is more expensive. There would have to be a New 2DS for there to be an analogous comparison.

Seems pretty solid to me. It's hard for me to believe that people didn't expect a yearly update at this point.

I just wish Nintendo had an account system so I could play my eShop games on multiple systems.

They should call this the 3DS U and then they could do a joint marketing campaign making sure people know "U Means New!"

Another stopgap system? I don't like the sound of this at all.

Hopefully, no game I care about requires this system. Much as I like Xenoblade I'm not interested in buying it again, especially in handheld form. So far so good.

The days of a static handheld platform lasting 8 years are over. Games meant for an iPad Air 2 are going to run like crap on an iPad from 2011.

So the 3DSi isn't coming till 2015... :/

Does that mean no 4DS till X-mas 2016?

Ian is actually right, so is Khush, I was actually planning on getting a 3DS this year, now I am not so sure. They turned off a potential sale with this announcement. Why, because this is an upgrade that actually costs less than the current offering, how can I pass that up when my biggest gripe with 3DS so far is the price. I was tempted to get a 2DS just because the price was right but after trying one at the game store I changed my mind. I might still get a 3DS anyways but I sold my Wii before Xenoblade came out so for me it is a game I hear nothing but good things about, is a game that had been released a damn year earlier I would not have sold my Wii so this is a selling point for me too. But again it effectively stops me from buying the current model this year.

It sounds like you still plan on getting a 3DS, just the New 3DS instead of the standard one. If that's the case, Nintendo didn't stop a potential sale; they just pushed it back a few months. In the end, they're getting your money anyway.

Yeah but next year not this year but it does stop me from getting games right now too.

After having a day to think it over I'm probably still going to get a 3DS just so I have something to play while I work abroad. The new 3DS sounds like the version to have in the future, but I haven't been pulled into handheld game so much that I have to rush to buy this when it comes out in 2015. Xenoblade on a small screens sounds so unappealing.

I have been considering finally picking up an an 3DS XL. Especailly for Fantasy Life and Monster Hunter 4 when they release. Guess I'll hold off and wait for this version.

So this is technically a stopgap between this gen and next gen. Why is it needed? Adding extra buttons that won't be used by a majority of 3DS games is pointless. These additions should have been saved for a proper next gen handheld.

Imagine if Nintendo made a new Wii U with extra RAM and a faster CPU and then said the new games won't work on the old Wii U. Everyone would be pissed.

Nintendo is doing the same thing SEGA did with the Genesis and Saturn.

Imagine if console makers did this. Developers and consumers would be pissed.

This is like the third time Nintendo has done pretty much this exact thing with a handheld line. Anyone surprised by this hasn't been paying attention.

When was the last time they released a souped up version of their existing line just three years after the original, developing exclusive games and releasing a major game and cult favorite onlynforbsaid system?

Sure, they have done it before with the GBC, GBMicro, and DSi. But the Gameboy Color came out ten years later, the Micro released when the DS was already out for about a year, and the DSi came out six years after the original and DSiWare notwithstanding, had no major release exclusive to the system.

DSi was released just short of four years after the original DS. New 3DS will be releasing about a little more than three and a half years after 3DS. That's pretty close. The difference here is Xenoblade which I wouldn't necessarily call a major release. It's bigger than anything DSi had, but it's still a port of a niche game. 3DS has shown that it can handle Wii ports with minimal graphical downgrades (e.g. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D). I can't imagine there are many Wii games 3DS cannot handle, Xenoblade being more the exception than the rule.

I read an article that mentioned that New 3DS' extra processing power greatly improves downloading speeds. That's what I expect was the primary reason for bumping up the specs, not for the purpose of releasing exclusive games. I expect those to be few and far between.

There is no direct parallel but it is close enough to say yeah they have been gearing up for this for a while. Also the market overall has changed dramatically since those days, computers weren't even viable alternatives to console gaming back then, and outside of Game Boy and Game Gear devices you had Tiger handhelds, there were not real competition to the dedicated handhelds and they did actually intend Virtual Boy to be the successor to Game Boy but it failed to catch on so they when back to the drawing board and basically turned it into a Game Gear and called it a day.

Getting back to Game Boy Color, I could be remembering wrong its been a while but didn't they launch it with Zelda DX and Mario DX, basically just colorized editions of games already available on the previous system? I think Zelda is was the handheld version, maybe Link's Awakening, but Mario was just plain old Super Mario Bros, same old NES game they keep re-selling over and over. I don't think Micro had any big re-issues with it but Micro was a mistake from day one, it was just a move to appease share holders incase DS flopped, they learned their lesson about needing a plan b with Virtual Boy being a dud that came close to taking them down, their original strategy back then was to have Ultra 64 also have a similar VR unit too, Sega and Atari were doing the same things then when VB crashed and burned, Sega and Atari fell into a black hole, Nintendo snapped out of their illusion and went with Plan B, which worked out okay for them.

Dropping Wii U and going portable only *IS* plan B for them, its been discussed countless times by everyone, aside from going 3rd party its the most talked about strategy for their future, I think if this holiday fails to meet expectations they might have to implement a plan b to stay in business, unlike Sony who can afford to loose money because they have other divisions to sell off, for now anyways, Nintendo can't they lost money 2 years in a row they are desperate not to have a repeat so they will do anything to prevent that from happening, it was year 4 of Sega bleeding money they went into nightmare panic mode and from there they fizzled out. Atari was different because they had patents to live off for a while and they owned AOL at one time.

Was surprised they didn't announce this at e3,  the 3ds sales spiked last year so it was only a matter of time before a reversion especially in Japan who go nuts over "new" gadgets. 

On the up side, Nintendo themselves might be more supportive of "CCP" options now since the 3DSLL will have those features as standard.  I would've loved KI but the controls were a mess--would rebuy in a heart beat if an second analog control option was available.

I want this one!

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww295/SuperStratos/16699_841734365851810_2015134472897703139_n.png

I would as well. I love everything about the KI reboot except for the controls. I tried to learn them and just don't want to. I wish they would release a patch. They did a control patch for Pikmin 3 on the Wii U so I don't see a problem with the 3DS getting these major patches as well.

Oh yeah? Well YOU didn't buy ExciteBots and many other awesome Wii games, so screw you too, good sir.

I don't think anyone is surprised that this thing exists, except maybe people who are surprised that the sky is still blue.

What the heck?! It was black last night! What happened? I hate blue. Wii want black!

I thought that once you go black you don't go back? I went from a white DS Lite to a black DSi to a blue 3DS XL and now expect to go to a silver NEW3DSXL.

Once you go black, you go deaf. Big difference.

I don't think that person bought or played any videogame in the last decade, let alone Nintendo.

This type enjoy forum activities more than gaming.

This is my only fear with it. Marketing is going to be as bad, if not worse, as the Wii U.
"The New 3DS. Is it a new platform? Is it an upgrade to the 3DS? Who the hell knows?!"
You could replace 3DS with Wii U in that statement and you get how the Wii U originally was.

Nintendo should probably call it 3DS Advance, or Super 3DS (because kytim).

3DS 64.

3DSboy.

Nintendo3DSCube64AdvanceGenesisSaturnStation

You ruined it.

Mods, please close this thread.

All "NEW",3DS games should be exclusive to the eShop and only accessible through said device. That way there can be no brand confusion at retail.




This had been happening since the 90's. Expansion Pack, Dsi, Wii Motion Plus.  And not just with Nintendo. It's at a price point that lends itself to refreshes more so than relaunch.


And it doesn't effect Smash4 far as I can tell so bunk that noise.

He's right here. When they came out with the N64 expansion pack and Wii Motion Plus they continued to make games that worked the old way, but they also made one that only worked with the new hard ware and I don't know about all of you, but my friends and I all figured it out and with N64 that was before the day when any confused mom at Walmart could pull out her smart phone and look it up

Solution: market it on the aspect that it's faster. More RAM, faster downloads, etc.

Bundle in Xenoblade, raise the price versus other markets... and suddenly it doesn't matter that their is a game that doesn't work on older models as its a pack-in to purchase.

I'm still hoping they'll change the name for the US but it probably won't happen.

Who are in charge of naming Nintendo's new systems these days because they need to be fired, and then rehired and fired again.

I'm still hoping they'll change the name of the Wii U...

Is it any worse than Xbox One? New 3DS sounds like they have to make this the last 3DS they ever make otherwise they are in trouble naming wise. Can't have a Newer 3DS down the road. I am more curious what the next Xbox will be called, I just hope not actually Next Xbox.

I think you underestimate Nintendo if you think this name means they can't put out another 3DS revision later on.

NEW 3DSi next May

Great discussion going! I wish we could talk about everything with this much attention.

I want this for Smash because of the c sticking like qualities. Though the Wii U version will be out long before this n3DS hits. At the same time I don't plan on just dropping the 3DS version either because I want to be competitive at both. I love the size of the XL but I want the case swaps to show the world my individuality, only it's only available with the smaller model.

I just don't know what to do and I'm on my second XL already with my latest being bought roughly 2 or 3 months ago.

My biggest question to myself though and to you all is what will you do next gen? Do I become an early adopter knowing full well there will be a 2nd, 3rd and possibly 4th revision just a year away from the last? I was with the DS and 3DS but I didn't expect a revision with something I actually really wanted in it. I feel like if I wait and get the 2nd edition the 3rd will be right around the corner. If I get the 1st edition and wait for the 3rd, a true next gen successor will be coming soon after that!

I usually only get the new handhelds for aesthetic reasons. DS was ugly and so was 3DS, now I want this new thing for a second sick(purely for smash) and swappable covers on a size I really don't want. These mutha Fletchers are working me hard.

So... like the DSi, is this a sign the new handheld from nintendo is coming 'round in the next couple years? If it is, I want to wait for that.

I think you might be getting ahead of yourself. I've heard nothing about Smash 3DS being affected by the NEW 3DS or having the capability to use the c-stick for smashing. (Though wouldn't it be funny if that was a big reason why this revision is bing made.) I find it hard to believe that Smash 3DS will come ready to use it in a control scheme when it gets released later after the Smash has already shipped. Has there been any word or statement on the c-stick being usable for Smash?

I get this is appealing to some but it means nothing to me. I usually keep things the way they are. It might come from cooking. When I make recipes or eat other cooking, I eat it as created to get a true sense of what it tastes like and how things blend. I've long stopped using condiments to add or change the flavor of things after they've been served. Likewise, I just don't bother with changing and personalizing other things. My computer desktop is just the default desktop. I bought a GBA Micro but it was the Famicom edition so I didn't want to buy any other face plates. I was happy with the look of it the way it was. Thus, I'd buy the XL as I'd want the larger screens and losing the personalizing option doesn't bother me at all.

Well I am not sure but isn't this New 3DS launching in Japan before Smash Bros. releases?

The New 3DS is launching on October 11th in Japan, and it was confirmed by Nintendo that the 3DS Smash Brothers will use the C-Stick of the New models for smash attacks, similar to how it worked on the GameCube controller in Melee/Brawl.

so that means if you buy the NEW 3DS and Smash you will have a game play advantage over those who don't? If that is right there is your incentive to upgrade right there.

I'm pretty sure that means you can use the CPP for the "c-stick".

well I am not sure what CPP is supposed to be short for, is that an acronym from the game I am not aware of?

CPP is the circle pad pro. It is about $20 and Smash 3DS has been confirmed to use it. They sell them for regular and XL systems.

I would like to get the the white on but in 3DS XL.  ;D