When it’s time for a console or handheld system to “pass on,” many wonder what their legacies will be. Will they be remembered fondly as “game-changing platforms” that helped push the industry forward? Will many fondly look back at the software titles they provided and think about how great they were and how they made the series better? Or will they be infamous for taking a publisher down a peg and possibly costing them their hardware-making lives? Of course, it depends on the system. Today, the Nintendo 3DS celebrates its 12 anniversary in the United States, and it happens to be the day that the 3DS/Wii eShops get shut down, effectively ending their lives for good.
It’s a bit poetic that the 3DS was paired up with the Wii U because both systems had to follow up what was easily some of the best platforms that Nintendo ever made via the DS and the Wii. The difference between the two was that Nintendo was able to find success with the 3DS, albeit not in the numbers that its predecessor had.
Regarding lifetime sales, the Nintendo 3DS, as of late last year, was at about 76 million units sold, a very impressive number. In contrast, the DS sold 154 million in its lifetime. So what was with the drop?
While we can’t know for sure, certain things definitely held the 3DS back.
The biggest one is its 3D screen. While the system did keep the dual-screen format its predecessor made famous, Nintendo tried to “go big” by making it so that the top screen could enact a type of 3D vision so that images would “pop” off the screen and give you a new dimension to play in. A nice idea, but one that wasn’t used to the effect Nintendo hoped for. Many people didn’t even use it because it hurt their eyes or rarely improved the gameplay experience.
However, the system did have several significant software titles that led to big sales—one of the obvious ones being Super Smash Bros 3DS, a first for the franchise. Then there was Fire Emblem Fates, which helped the RPG franchise blossom even further. Finally, super Mario 3D Land actually used the 3D screen rather well, and titles like Kid Icarus Uprising were a welcome change of pace for players.
With the Nintendo Switch being the only platform Nintendo currently has, the 3DS is the last handheld system Nintendo will likely ever make. If that’s true, it was a good one to cap things off with.
