Nintendo stops production of New 3DS in Japan

A report on the Nintendo Japan website shows that production of the New 3DS has ceased in the home country. It is unclear whether the handheld will continue to be available in other regions. The production stop comes shortly after the introduction of the New Nintendo 2DS XL.

Where Nintendo Japan states on the New 3DS page that the handheld is no longer in production, there is no such statement on the 2DS, New 2DS XL and New 3DS XL pages. It is not yet clear whether the New 3DS will be withdrawn from sale worldwide. However, that seems to be the case, especially given the statements that Reggie Fils-Aime already made in May. When the New Nintendo 2DS XL was announced, the CEO of Nintendo of America already stated that the new variant is suitable for people who ‘want something between the 2DS and the New 3DS XL’. He left the New 3DS unmentioned.

Also in other statements about the New 2DS XL, Nintendo only mentions the 2DS and the New 3DS XL, and not the smaller New 3DS. In the same interview, Fils-Aime states that as far as Nintendo is concerned, the 2DS is suitable for the youngest target group, the New 3DS XL is the showpiece and the New Nintendo 2DS XL should fill the gap between the two.

The New 3DS was released in October 2014 and sold 2.49 million units worldwide until the end of last year. The XL variant appeared at the beginning of 2015 and was immediately more successful. Until the end of 2016, 9.82 million copies have been sold. Also considering the sales numbers, a production stop of the New 3DS seems logical.

On the left the New 3DS, on the right the New 3DS XL