Nintendo 3DS
The Nintendo 3DS is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo. The console was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generation console, its primary competitor was Sony's PlayStation Vita.
The original Nintendo 3DS in aqua blue | |
| Also known as | 3DS (shortened name) iQue 3DS (China) |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nintendo Research & Engineering |
| Manufacturer | Nintendo, Foxconn |
| Product family | Nintendo 3DS family |
| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Eighth |
| Release date | Nintendo 3DS:
Nintendo 3DS XL: Nintendo 3DS LL:
|
| Lifespan | 2011–2020 |
| Introductory price | |
| Discontinued |
|
| Units shipped | All models combined: 75.94 million (as of September 30, 2022) |
| Media | |
| Operating system | Nintendo 3DS system software |
| CPU |
|
| Memory | 128 MB FCRAM, 6 MB VRAM (Fujitsu MB82M8080-07L FC-RAM) |
| Storage | 2 GB Toshiba eMMC |
| Removable storage |
|
| Display | 2 TN LCD screens
|
| Graphics | DMP PICA200 @ 268 MHz |
| Sound | Stereo speakers (pseudo-surround, via Dolby Surround 2.0), microphone |
| Input | A/B/X/Y buttons, Circle Pad, L/R bumpers, D-pad, 3D depth slider, volume slider, wireless switch, power button |
| Camera | Rear: 2 x 0.3 MP, f/2.85 Front: 0.3 MP, f/2.85 |
| Connectivity | 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, infrared |
| Power |
|
| Current firmware | 11.17.0-50, as of May 22, 2023 |
| Online services |
|
| Dimensions | Body
|
| Mass |
|
| Best-selling game | Mario Kart 7, 18.94 million units (as of March 31, 2021) |
| Backward compatibility | Nintendo DS Nintendo DSi |
| Predecessor | Nintendo DS |
| Successor | Nintendo Switch |
| Related | Nintendo 2DS New Nintendo 3DS |
The most prominent feature of the 3DS is its ability to display stereoscopic 3D images without the use of 3D glasses or additional accessories. Other features of the 3DS include its StreetPass and SpotPass tag modes that are powered by Nintendo Network, augmented reality capabilities using its 3D cameras, and Virtual Console, which provides a method for users to download and play video games originally released for older video game systems.
The Nintendo 3DS was released in Japan on February 26, 2011, and worldwide beginning in March 2011. Less than six months later on July 28, 2011, Nintendo announced a significant price reduction from US$249.99 to US$169.99 amid disappointing launch sales. The company offered ten free NES games and ten free Game Boy Advance games from the Nintendo eShop to consumers who bought the system at the original launch price. This strategy was considered a major success, and the console went on to become one of Nintendo's most successful handheld consoles in the first two years of its release. As of September 30, 2022, the Nintendo 3DS family of systems combined have sold 75.94 million units, and games for the systems have sold 388.89 million units.
The 3DS had multiple variants over the course of its life. The Nintendo 3DS XL, a larger model featuring a 90% larger screen, was first released in Japan and Europe in July 2012. In August 2012, it launched in the US for $199.99. An "entry-level" version of the console, the Nintendo 2DS, with a fixed "slate" form factor and lacking autostereoscopic (3D) functionality, was released in Western markets in October 2013. The New Nintendo 3DS features a more powerful CPU, a second analog stick called the C-Stick, additional buttons, an improved camera, and other changes, and was first released in Japan in October 2014.
3DS family hardware was officially discontinued on September 16, 2020. The Nintendo eShop for the 3DS officially shut down on March 27, 2023. The Nintendo Network online service will shut down on April 8, 2024, with the exception of Pokémon Bank, Poké Transporter, and the ability to redownload previously purchased software.