We live in an era when the console market is ready to offer any solution for the modern player.
Need your own Steam library? Please, she needs a Steam Deck. Do you want something from the Japanese? Switch with its libraries and exclusives to the rescue. You are an enthusiast and you need this experimental? Chinese manufacturers are ready to accept any solution for Windows, just to save their wallet.
However, at the moment, none of the portable game consoles have two things at once: compactness and a unique gaming experience.. And in this article I’ll talk about one great thing that combines both of these aspects – the Nintendo 3DS.
I warn you: by the end of this material, you, too, will consider yourself such a pocket console.
How I got to know the Nintendo 3DS
My personal introduction to the console came in 2015, when I was a huge Sony supporter and proud PSP and Ps Vita advocate. There was no Nintendo in my field of interest. A friend who left his 3DS XL for a year before joining the army broadened my horizons.
That’s when I discovered a world that doesn’t just consist of Mario, Zelda and Pokemon. A year later of course”old lady“I had to return it; I really didn’t want to do it.
In 2019, I already acquired my own console, by this time I had probably looked at all the top games out there and formed my own wishlist projects, most of which I will mention below.
In 2023, I periodically return to the Nintendo 3DS with more pleasure than the same Nintendo Switch or any of my consoles. And I have enough of them – from the already classic PSP and Nintendo DS to the Xbox Series X and the exotic retro-Chinese Anbernic RG 35XX.
And the game library isn’t even the main reason.
What’s so special about Nintendo 3DS?
Nintendo DS Lite and New Nintendo 3DS
Home represents the Nintendo 3DS in that The console can demonstrate stereoscopic 3D without the use of special glasses.
This works in both games and the main menu, creating “diorama effect“
Speaking about the menu and the experience of interacting with the console, it is worth noting that it is much more interesting than the Nintendo Switch. In the latter, everything is strict and even a little laconic – two themes to choose from, a simple set of icons and a minimum of sound. 3DS is the same console from the generation when the user accepted “rrazgowartath“
It’s almost impossible to create a 3D effect through the camera, but I tried
Each interaction is accompanied by a distinct sample, and the settings menu generally has a very peaceful atmosphere. Application and game icons are designed to be 3D enabled and have a sound effect when enabled. For example, before starting the same Ace Attorney you will hear a memorable cry Objection!
There are also many themes here. They could be purchased in the online store, and they, among other things, changed the sound design of the console. For example, if the Pokemon theme is installed, when you open the device you will hear the sound of an activated pokeball.
Outside of this console, it is ideal for those who like to track their gaming statistics. And I’m not talking about achievements, which here include no, but about a special interface that allows you to find out how many hours were played in each game, how many times it was launched over a period of time and how long one session lasted on average.
But not the 3DS’s single-interest interface. Nintendo has always been famous for its unique approach to game design and gameplay, and the console’s library has games for literally every taste. From classic Mario and Zelda to Resident Evil and Monster Hunter.
For me, the Fire Emblem series was almost a revelation – tactical role-playing games with improved relationships within your squad and a permanent death system. In this game, members of your family may have children, and then die before your eyes due to an error in planning.
This is what Fire Emblem gameplay looks like. It seems simple enough, but it’s addictive!
It’s important to understand that most platform exclusives are difficult to replicate on any other console. The 3DS offers a unique gaming experience thanks to its screens. For example, in Super Mario 3D Land, when volume mode is turned on, locations acquire additional information.
The second console screen also often plays a supporting role. In Resident Evil Revelations, inventory is placed there, for example, and in Fire Emblem there are gameplay tips.
Two screens – twice as much information.
In addition to two screens, the console also has a pedometer. It seems to be a basic feature on most devices now, except the 3DS came out in 2011. The console counts steps and issues special coins for this. They can be done in games, such as resurrecting yourself in Shin Megami Tensei 4.
And if the 3DS library itself is not enough, then full backward compatibility with the Nintendo DS at the hardware level is at your service. Yes, the cartridge from the previous console can be easily inserted and it will work. It was thanks to backward compatibility that I became acquainted with such a one-piece product as The World Ends With You.
Also, thanks to the Virtual Console service, you can run games on the 3DS from all variations of the Game Boy, as well as from the stationary NES and SNES. By the way, when the console was still relevant, retro games could officially be bought in an online store. And now they are easy to find on the Internet.
What to play on Nintendo 3DS in 2023
A bright representative of the library of exclusives – a rhythm game based on the Final Fantasy universe
I answer on a small list must-have projects:
✔️ Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
✔️ Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
✔️ The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D
✔️ The Legend of Zelda: a connection between worlds
✔️ The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
✔️ Phoenix Wright: Top Lawyer Trilogy
✔️Pokemon X and Y
✔️ Super Mario 3D Land
✔️ Awakening Fire Emblem
✔️ RESIDENT EVIL REVELATIONS
✔️ Final Fantasy Theater Rhythm: Curtain Call
Where can I get all these games? Provided that support is currently ongoing, the console in 90 percent of events on the secondary market is sold already cracked, there are several places. Either answers sites and trackersor download from the console itself via program.
Where and which Nintendo 3DS to buy
Old Nintendo 3DS XL and new 3DS.
With the question “where can I buy the console?“We need to figure it out. The fact is that globally there are two revisions of the 3DS – Old and New. Within each revision there are 3 models. There is no universal answer to which one to take, so we will briefly talk about each.
Nintendo 3DS Old is the original console from 2011, as well as its larger version (XL) and 2DS version (without 3D effect and in a different form factor). The main problem of these consoles is a frankly tired battery and not very stable operation of the 3D mode. For it to work correctly, you need to look at the console strictly at an angle.
Nintendo 3DS New Appeared in 2015. This revision has more powerful hardware, an additional second stick and shows stable 3D. On the New 3DS, games load faster and the interface runs smoother. There are also a small number of exclusive games, like Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, which do not run in older revisions.
More importantly, new versions often come with a raised battery. And thanks to additional sticks and buttons, some games turned out to be much more convenient. And it is the New 3DS that is the most beautiful due to its customization. You can see it in most illustrations for the design of the material.
But the main criterion for choosing a 3DS in 2023 is the price. It so happens that over the years there are fewer and fewer consoles on our secondary market, and on the contrary, the price is rising. And they often choose problems not because they are determined, but because of what is available on Avito. True, if everything is ready, Aliexpress comes to the rescue; they sell currently reassembled new console cases of all revisions.
It is worth noting that Each revision has a number of minor shortcomings. For example, a TFT screen may seem too stark for 2023. This was partially corrected in the New 3DS XL revision; some consoles were already assembled with an IPS screen, but such a copy is difficult to find.
In the older version, the weak point of this material is the weak hinged screen – it constantly dangles, and the console itself swells in your hands like a cheap glossy toy.
With newer devices the situation is more complicated. The new 3DS has virtually no cons in its standard version. The New XL and New 2DS have an aesthetic problem: peeling paint on the body. This is especially true for limited editions. The new 2DS XL is made of cheap plastic that doesn’t creak in your hands.
There are still more pros than cons
If the mentioned disadvantages don’t scare you, then the Nintendo 3DS is an absolutely wonderful console. A true portal into the world of original and unique Nintendo games in the format of one of the last modern portable consoles of its kind.
Despite its advanced age, the console is still loved and appreciated. Fans even in Russia periodically hold meetings where they play online projects, of which there are many in the library. I advise you to buy a 3DS even for those who are not familiar with Nintendo according to the words at allto provide the enjoyment of 3D effects right on the subway or at your desk break without any additional accessories.
And you should hurry up with the purchase, because over the years there are fewer and fewer such unique consoles on the market. Time, unfortunately, erases many plastic gaming cultures, and this process is irreversible, despite all efforts to slow it down.
On topic:
📍Like a GameBoy, only cooler! I bought an Anbernic RG35XX game console, there are ten emulators
📍 I’ve never owned a PSP. Bought it in 2021 and can see why it’s a classic.
Source: Iphones RU
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
