New Nintendo 3DS
Variant of Nintendo 3DS
- Manufacturer
- Nintendo
- Released
- 2014
- Generation
- Gen 8
- Type
- Handheld
- Launch price
- $199
- Media
- Flash
- Units sold
- 75.9M
About New Nintendo 3DS
The New Nintendo 3DS is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. Part of the Nintendo 3DS family, it is a revision of the hardware rather than a full redesign. Improvements over previous models include upgraded processors and increased RAM, an analog pointing stick, two additional shoulder triggers, face detection for optimizing the autostereoscopic 3D display, an included 4 GB microSD card, and built-in NFC, as well as minor design changes. There were also software improvements, such as support for HTML5 in its web browser.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Library & collector facts
1,432licensed games
- North America: 807
- Japan: 725
- PAL: 765
What's different from Nintendo 3DS
- C-stick (nub-style second analog) on right side
- ZL and ZR shoulder buttons
- Amiibo NFC reader built into bottom touchscreen
- Faster ARM11 quad-core CPU (~268MHz vs. 268MHz dual but with more cache and 4 cores)
- Doubled RAM (256MB vs. 128MB)
- Face-tracking 'super-stable 3D' via inner camera
- Interchangeable faceplates (standard size only, not XL)
- MicroSD slot (vs. full-size SD) accessible under back panel
- Included AC adapter (NA/EU, continuing 3DS XL precedent)
- Backward compatibility with original 3DS charging cradle (different fit)
- processor: ARM11 dual 268MHz → ARM11 quad-core with more cache, ~1.5-2x faster in practice
- 3d quality: Fixed sweet spot 3D → face-tracking 3D usable at off-angle
- exclusive games: All 3DS games run on all 3DS → some games New 3DS exclusive (Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+, SNES VC)
Lineage
Release timeline
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- October 11, 2014
- 🇺🇸 North America
- February 13, 2015
- 🇪🇺 Europe / PAL
- January 6, 2015
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- November 21, 2014
Pricing
Launch price (2014)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $199
- 🇪🇺 EUR
- €170
Launch titles & exclusives
Pilotwings Resort · Nintendogs + Cats · Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition · Steel Diver · Madden NFL Football · The Sims 3 · Ridge Racer 3D · Lego Star Wars III · Dead or Alive Dimensions · Bust-A-Move Universe
None at launch; Mario 3D Land bundle later popular
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D · A Link Between Worlds · Majora's Mask 3D · Super Mario 3D Land · Mario Kart 7 · Fire Emblem: Awakening / Fates / Echoes · Pokemon X/Y/Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon/Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire · Animal Crossing: New Leaf · Bravely Default / Second · Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate · Shin Megami Tensei IV / Apocalypse · Persona Q 1 & 2 · Etrian Odyssey IV/V/Nexus · Kid Icarus: Uprising · Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon · Yoshi's Woolly World / Yoshi's New Island
Just Dance 2020 (2019) was among the last major Western releases; JP eShop continued briefly before the 2023 eShop closure
Pokemon Bank exclusives; Cubic Ninja (Ironfall vulnerability vector, prices spiked post-modding interest); Culdcept Revolt sealed; Etrian Odyssey Nexus boxed; gold/silver Zelda Anniversary 3DS XL bundle
Hardware specs
- Os
- Nintendo 3DS system software
- Cpu
- 804 MHz ARM11 MPCore quad-core
- Gpu
- 268 MHz DMP PICA200
- Ram
- 256 MB (64 MB dedicated to the OS), 10 MB VRAM
- Power
- New 3DS: 1400 mAh battery, 3DS games: 3.5–6 hours, DS games: 6.5–10.5 hours, Sleep mode: ≈ 3 days, New 3DS XL: 1750 mAh battery, 3DS games: 3.5–7 hours, DS games: 7–12 hours, Sleep mode: ≈ 3 days
- Sound
- Stereo speakers, microphone
- Weight
- 253 g
- Dimensions
- 142 × 80.6 × 21.6 mm
- Display Output
- New 3DS: Upper: 3.88" autostereoscopic (3D) LCD @ 400 × 240 WQVGA (120.2 Pixels per inch, ppi) per eye, Lower: 3.33" resistive touchscreen LCD @ 320 × 240 QVGA (120.2 ppi), New 3DS XL: Upper: 4.88" autostereoscopic (3D) LCD @ 400 × 240 WQVGA (95.6 ppi) per eye, Lower: 4.18" resistive touchscreen LCD…
- Storage Internal
- 1 GB internal flash memory, 4 GB MicroSD included
Hardware revisions
- Original 3DS CTR-001(2011)
launched at $249, dropped to $169 after just five months in the 'Ambassador Program' (offered free NES/GBA VC games to early adopters)
- 3DS XL SPR-001(2012)
~90% larger screens, no second analog stick
- 2DS FTR-001(2013)
budget non-folding flat form factor, no 3D effect, locked-hinge design
- New 3DS KTR-001 / XL RED-001(2014)
faster CPU, C-Stick, ZL/ZR buttons, NFC, exclusive games (Xenoblade Chronicles 3D)
- New 2DS XL JAN-001(2017)
folding 2DS with New 3DS internals, no 3D
Launch colorways & special editions
- Super Mario White Edition
- Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth Edition (JP)
- Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Edition
- Majora's Mask New 3DS XL Edition (2015)
- Hyrule Gold New 3DS XL
- Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer Edition
- Fire Emblem Fates Edition
- Pokemon 20th Anniversary Edition (Red/Blue patterns)
- SNES Edition New 3DS XL (EU)
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- soft-mod
- Custom firmware
- Luma3DS (CFW); Boot9strap (the underlying exploit chain); FBI installer; Anemone3DS for themes
Reception & legacy
Disastrous launch — $249 price was too high, library was thin, and the dramatic 'Ambassador Program' price cut alienated early adopters; recovered strongly through 2012
Standard-size New 3DS was NA-skipped at launch (only XL released in NA initially) — collectors had to import; AC adapter not included repeated the 3DS XL complaint; New-3DS-exclusive games created confusing fragmentation; microSD swap requires tools (vs. easy SD slot)
Defined the early-2010s handheld market against the smartphone tide; eShop closure became a flashpoint in the game-preservation movement; final dedicated Nintendo handheld before the Switch unified handheld and home console
References
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