By Matt Espineli on May 27, 2015 03:46 am
The Path of the Successor
Nintendo's 3DS had a rocky start when it first launched in 2011. But three iterations later, the handheld is now one of Nintendo's most successful current platforms. So here's a visual history of the Nintendo 3DS.
The Next Generation
The Nintendo 3DS is the second iteration within the DS line, which was preceded by Nintendo's immensely popular Game Boy handheld line. Nintendo officially announced the existence of the 3DS on March 23, 2010. At the time, this move drew attention away from the then nearby launch of the DSi XL. This was likely to preempt any potential leaks of the new handheld. Regardless, very little was explained about the handheld's main features during the time of its announcement.
The Big Reveal
Nintendo officially unveiled the Nintendo 3DS at E3 2010. The 3DS is a portable console capable of displaying stereoscopic 3D effects without the need for additional accessories. Also built into the handheld is a six-axis motion sensor, which includes a three-axis accelerometer and a three-axis gyroscope. The 3DS can also play AR (Augmented Reality) games, play Nintendo DS games, and run a variety of applications, such as Netflix, YouTube, and the Nintendo Store.
3D Goes Way Back
Before the 3DS, Nintendo actually made several attempts to make use of stereoscopic 3D technology. Their first attempt with the technology was in 1987 with the Famicom 3D System, which was an accessory for the Nintendo Famicom that enabled stereoscopic 3D effects. With only a few titles supporting it, the accessory inevitably failed to garner any interest and was never released outside of Japan.
Infamous Black and Red
Nintendo's second attempt with 3D came in the form of the infamous Virtual Boy in 1995. It was a portable tabletop system with goggles and a controller that displayed stereoscopic monochrome 3D. The Virtual Boy only had 22 games released for it, most of which, were not well received by critics. Overall, it sold less than a million units and was considered a commercial failure.
Hidden in the Cube
Interestingly enough, the GameCube was a 3D-capable system. Using an LCD attachment, it could display stereoscopic 3D. However, this feature was never marketed to consumers. The only title to support this feature was launch title Luigi's Mansion.
Official Launch Day
On March 25, 2011, the Nintendo 3DS was released in North America at the price point of $250. The handheld had a roster of 15 launch games to accompany it. Notable titles from the lineup included Pilotwings Resort, Nintendogs + Cats, Steel Diver, and Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition.
Failed Expectations
According to Nintendo, launch sales for the handheld in the U.S were the largest of any Nintendo handheld device in history. It was also one of the fastest selling consoles in Australia with 200,000 units sold in 37 weeks. By March 31, 2011, worldwide sales numbers for the Nintendo 3DS reached 3.61 million units sold. Unfortunately, these numbers were short of the 4 million-unit goal that Nintendo projected.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
A notable anticipated game during this time was Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, which was a remake of the critically acclaimed Nintendo 64 game of the same name. It was released for the handheld on June 16, 2011.
The Big Drop
On July 28, 2011, Nintendo announced a price drop for the 3DS from $250 to $170 due to the handheld's low sales numbers. To compensate early adopters, Nintendo created the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program. This program gave players a certificate that granted them free digital downloads of ten Nintendo Entertainment System games and ten Game Boy Advanced games.
Back in the Game
Dropping the price of the 3DS proved successful for Nintendo as sales for the handheld saw an increase of more than 260 percent. By the end of 2011, the 3DS sold 4 million units in the U.S. It even reached 11.4 million sold in sales worldwide.
Super Mario 3D Land
When the 3DS released, its launch game lineup actually lacked a new Mario title. It wasn't until November 3, 2011 that the handheld would eventually get one in the form of Super Mario 3D Land.
Circle Pad Pro and Resident Evil Revelations
An early game released for the 3DS was Capcom's Resident Evil Revelations, which launched on February 7, 2012. It was well received for its return to the horror elements of the franchise. A notable piece of 3DS history to come from the game was the release of the Circle Pad Pro, an accessory for the handheld that gives the console an additional circle pad to control the camera in certain games.
3DS Goes XL
On August 19, 2012, Nintendo released the 3DS XL, which like the DSi XL, was a larger sized version of the 3DS with 90 percent bigger screens and longer battery life. An accompanying Circle Pad Pro accessory was also released for it on April 17, 2013.
New Super Mario Bros. 2
The release of the 3DS XL coincided with the release of New Super Mario Bros 2, which was the first Nintendo 3DS game to be available in both retail and digital versions.
The 2DS is All-Inclusive
To provide consumers with an entry-level 3DS, Nintendo released the 2DS in Western regions on October 12, 2013. Priced at $129.99, the 2DS is a redesigned 3DS that lacks the 3DS' stereoscopic 3D capabilities and only has internal mono speakers rather than the 3DS' internal stereo speakers. It was meant to counteract the warning label of the 3DS' stereoscopic capabilities, which is generally not recommended for users younger than six.
Pokemon X/Y
Speaking of the 2DS' launch, the handheld's release strategically coincided with the launch of Pokémon X & Y, which was the 3DS's first mainline Pokémon series game.
Introducing the New 3DS
During a Japanese Nintendo Direct presentation on August 29, 2014, Nintendo announced an updated revision of the 3DS called the New 3DS. Coming in both standard and XL sizes, the New 3DS features a faster processor, additional ZL/ZR buttons, a new "C-Stick", and face tracking for improved viewing angles of the handheld's stereoscopic 3D effects. Both models came out in Japan on October 11, 2014.
New Only Comes in XL
The New 3DS would eventually release in North America on February 13, 2015. However, only the XL model was released. Nintendo cited that they did not want to confuse consumers who might have trouble understanding all the different 3DS models.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
The New 3DS' faster processor allows it to play exclusive games that are optimized to take advantage of its power. The first exclusive New 3DS game to make use of the upgraded processor was Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, which was a port of the critically acclaimed Wii RPG of the same name. Xenoblade Chronicles 3D was released on April 2, 2015.
An Experimental Platform
Nintendo has been able to use the 3DS as a platform for smaller-scale titles made by established AAA and indie developers. Examples of this include Kirby developer HAL Laboratory's Box Boy! and Yacht Club Game's Shovel Knight. The 3DS has also been a platform for Nintendo's experimentation with free-to-play, or as they call it, "free-to-start" games. Their first title to feature this was match-three puzzle game Pokemon Shuffle.
Numbers Grow While the Family Expands
Overall, as of March 31, 2015, the entire 3DS family has sold 52.06 million units worldwide. It has gone on to become one of the company's most successfully sold handheld consoles in the first two years of its release. Currently, it continues to be one of Nintendo's more successful platforms in the market.
Other Big Names in the Library
With the history out of the way. Here's a handful of other notable games in the 3DS library.
Fire Emblem: Awakening
Fire Emblem: Awakening released on February 4, 2013. It was the first Fire Emblem series game to appear on the Nintendo 3DS.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
June 9, 2013 saw the release of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It was the first game in the series to let players take on the role of major instead of a normal villager.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds released on November 22, 2013. It was a direct sequel to the famous Super Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Bravely Default
Bravely Default was a JRPG developed by Silicon Studio and Square Enix. Released on February 7, 2014, the title was immensely well received with 1 million copies selling worldwide.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
On March 24, 2014, Nintendo released Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. The game was a sequel to the cult classic GameCube launch title Luigi's Mansion, which released November 18, 2001.
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