Noticed something strange during yesterday's confirmation of New Nintendo 3DS in North America? Of the two new models Nintendo unveiled last year, only the larger XL variant is coming our way. The smaller unit, which features customizable faceplates and colored buttons resembleming a Super Famicom controller, will stay in Japan and Europe for the foreseeable future. Uhhhhhh… why?
When asked for clarification by Kotaku, Nintendo of America gave this non-answer:
Different territories make their own business decisions regarding individual products and timing. We think New Nintendo 3DS XL makes the most sense for our market. Nintendo makes different systems at different price points for a whole range of consumers, and New Nintendo 3DS XL simply expands those choices even further.
This of course doesn't explain why the rest of the world gets it while we do not. Neither does it necessarily preclude the chance of ever getting it here, but it definitely won't be within the next few months.
If that weren't enough, NoA President Reggie Fils-Aime dropped word during the Nintendo Direct that New 3DS XL will also lack an AC adapter in the box. The reason?
New Nintendo 3DS XL uses the same AC adapter as any Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo DSi system. Rather than raise cost of New Nintendo 3DS XL by charging consumers for a component they may already own, we are giving them the option to only buy if they need an AC adapter.
To be fair, 3DS packages in Europe and Japan have lacked a bundled AC adapter for quite awhile, so this is simply NoA's getting in line with the rest of the world. Still, it's silly that any region would pull out a component necessary for the hardware to function in the first place.
New Nintendo 3DS XL arrives in the US for $199.99 on February 13.
