Nintendo has discontinued the Nintendo 3DS family of devices nine years after its initial launch, according to its Japanese web site and confirmed by Nintendo via Polygon and GamesIndustry.biz.
“Production of the Nintendo 3DS series has been discontinued,” says a message on the 3DS hardware page.
Meanwhile, the 3DS page on nintendo.com now leads to the company’s homepage; nintendo.com/3ds has been removed.
Also, the Nintendo Spaniard and French web sites mention the Nintendo 3DS family of consoles is no longer manufactured. Both 3DS pages now show the following: “Nota: Las consolas de la familia Nintendo 3DS ya no se fabrican” and “Remarque : la production des consoles de la famille Nintendo 3DS a cessé.”
Nintendo first announced the portable device in 2010, and launched in many regions in 2011. It took a price cut (from $250 to $169 in the US) for the 3DS to become a successful device after unsatisfactory sales of hardware and games. The original 3DS saw many variations along the years, with the introduction of the Nintendo 3DS XL, New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 2DS, New Nintendo 2DS XL, and New Nintendo 3DS XL.
There is a link at the bottom of the homepage for the Nintendo 3DS Family support page.
“We currently have no plans to end any existing online services for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Online play and Nintendo eShop will continue to be available and it will be possible to access and redownload all previously purchased content in the foreseeable future,” told a company spokesperson to GameIndustry.biz.
Long live the 3DS!
[Sources]: Polygon: The Nintendo 3DS is discontinued. GamesIndustry.biz: Nintendo 3DS Discontinued. Nintendo: Spain: Familia de consolas Nintendo 3DS – [Archive – JPG] [Archive – HTML].
