The 3DS. What a fun little machine. What do you think about it today?

[ZSaberLink]

loved the system and its games. Had a great time with it as well. Link Between Worlds was such a delight too. It also was my introduction to Fire Emblem (with Sacred Stones + Awakening) and plenty of other great RPGs and games (Bravely, Ace Attorney, RE Revelations, etc.).

 

[Quinton]

Lovely handheld. Still rock it to this day. I get why folks find its resolution an eyesore now but it doesn't bother me at all. Great games are great games!

 

[Deleted member 77553]

Sold mine and got the switch. No regrets.

 

[mute]

There are a couple games I never got to play/finish that I'd be interested in trying out. Back then, it just couldn't compete against the vita for my attention.

 

[dreamlongdead]

I spent lots of hours with it, but the gaming library doesn't stack up to the DS or GBA in my opinion. The features were gimmicky, and I had multiple units go bad on me.

So, really bad hardware and a decent amount of great games, especially for JRPG players. Had great times with Fire Emblem Fates, Etrian Odyssey, and SMT, but not very nostalgic for it, overall.

The Switch really did kill the 3DS for me.

 

[Dolce]

I keep meaning to buy a new one as mine was breaking and now I can't even find it after moving, but it doesn't seem to be easy to find the 2DS XL for under 100 bucks new.

 

[Mekanos]

Outside of Pokemon, better first party games than the DS, but weaker third party support. Still a solid machine and library.

 

[AgeEighty]

Mostly I just wish they'd brought StreetPass or some analogue to the Switch.

 

[RomanticHeroX]

I think it's a shame that so much good software is stuck on the 3DS. Every iteration I've tried (which is everything except the 2DS line) has felt uncomfortable, and the screens were low quality and low res even at launch. The DS Lite and DSi XL were both amazing pieces of hardware, so it's hard to understand how they got the 3DS so wrong. I don't see myself going back to it any time soon.

 

[Mollymauk]

Fantastic library, and great for emulation too. Also home to one of my favorite games of all time, Culdcept Revolt. I keep it close by for that reason alone.

 

[Glimlocker]

My personal favorite handheld system of all time - the GaneBoy comes close, but I think its game library is far better than the DS library - no Ouendan or Meteos does hurt though.

Ergonomic could've used improvements and the c-stick nub is worthless, but other than that, I wouldn't change anything about it.

I love the low-res screens and use the 3D with almost every game that supports it. StreetPass was tons of fun.

Good handhelds don't need powerful hardware or sharp screens, they need battery life, good portability, and games that work best in a portable medium - and the 3DS had the latter in droves.

 

[BioFan]

Love my 3DS, still play my 3DS every now and then.

 

[i-Jest]

Oh wut, this was a legit theme?

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Yes I believe. If memory serves, there are other Sega console themes too.

 

[Ramsay]

The worst major Nintendo system, period.

Not only was the gimmick was almost completely irrelevant, but so many Nintendo franchises had their nadir on the platform. Fire Emblem, Pokemon and Paper Mario are particularly painful, and while the former has mercifully recovered since, for the latter two series, it's becoming increasingly unlikely that they'll ever have a good entry again.

Third-party support was arguably the 3DS' only real redeeming quality.

 

[Unicorn]

easier to play in bed and before going to sleep than the switch. Also less clicky buttons helps (can't remember if my 3DS XL or the new3DS or the OG 3DS had the quietest). I like the form factor for the same reasons. Means I'm more likely to play in really short bursts compared to my switch. I do wish the screens were better for playing DS games - either blurry or too small to be pixel accurate. I found a smokin' deal on an DSi XL a while back and that has been amazing playing my DS games on, but the buttons are so clicky I can't play before bed because my partner can't get to sleep then..

Lately I've just been sending teams out on expeditions in Monster Hunter Stories while exploring a dungeon or two for a nice monstie egg to hatch. On the DSi XL I've been spiraling through a bunch of turn-based tactics games like Front Mission, FFTA, and Picross 3D.

Desperately refreshing the DQM2 3D remake fan-patch thread though on GBAtemp as I imported DQM2 3D remake when the first one launched a fan patch and I was hoping someone would get to that game. Loved the GBC games but my DWM2 cart corrupted and I could never save and it would only let me play the tutorial until I hop in a well and then it'd soft-reboot back to the title screen. One day I'll experience that game in full. DWM usurped pokemon for me until G/S came out. Hoping DQM2 3D can be the HG/SS for the DWM games...

 

[Daniel Jackson]

Still have a huge backlog that I will never finish. I might try to sell those games.
I'll keep the system though, it's a neat little emulation machine

 

[Herb Alpert]

I had a lot of fun with 3ds and enjoyed a ton of games like kid Icarus, monster hunter, ace attorney, link between worlds, SMT4.
That said, its screen resolution was horrendous and it's really difficult to return to it now.
Never cared about 3d, it was impressive but useless in games to me, even more on og device...

 

[Skyfireblaze]

My CFW'ed small new 3DS is my go-to portable homebrew machine and I still enjoy plenty of titles from the DS and 3DS library. Admittingly the 3D was never that hot for me and I wish Nintendo would have gone all-in on IPS screens for the "new" line-up but it's a great machine.

 

[Hilarious_Bearious]

I bought my New 3DS XL as a souvenir from Nintendo World when I was in New York on my honeymoon. It's a great little device, and I enjoyed my time with it. My one gripe is the low screen resolution. I wish they'd ditched the 3D gimmick and gone with a higher res screen. If the thing were even 360p, I'd probably still play it today.

 

[catboy]

legendaric library between new games and back compat but none of the hardware was comfy for long sessions imo

 

[thenexus6]

The 3DS was the last Nintendo console to really showcase that quirky, fun, playful personality that they seemingly tried to downplay with the "cooler", slicker Switch UI.

Little things like how blowing on the 3DS mic makes games' icons spin (and the fact that it had a mic), the relaxing home screen music and music for the eShop and other system apps, the nice tactile feel of interacting with the UI, arranging icons, etc.

That style that ran through the DS, Wii, 3DS, and Wii U.

That personality is still present in Nintendo's games on Switch, but not really in the system and UI itself. I really like my Switch but it doesn't feel as endearing as those previous consoles/handhelds.

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I had a quick look at the Switch when it first came out, then years later my girlfriend got one (at the start of this year) and I legit can not tell the difference if you handed me a launch switch or brand new one in terms of the UI and software.

This is where Nintendo have done badly. There is no personality, no music, themes, customisation - just a boring strip of icons.

 

[Sovan Jedi]

I just got a nostalgic pang to play a bunch of 3DS games again, particularly Mario 3D Land, so I whipped the 3DS out again for some fun and games. It's still really good fun and puts me in a happy place without fail. Also whistling that damn theme to myself every waking minute right now.

Currently playing that Twilight Princess Picross game in the evenings now. I fucking love Picross.

 

[Axe]

One of my favourite all time systems. So many great games, full BC with DS games, and with CFW you can open up an even wider world. My backlog is huge.

Something I always really appreciated was how versatile the 3DS is. It's got cameras (and can read QR codes), a microphone, a pedometer etc. A lot of 3DS games used these features in interesting ways, and you can feel the loss of these with some Switch sequels.

Plus you have fun features like StreetPass, Play Coins, themes, Badge Arcade, and tons of little tiny flourishes and Easter eggs. It's huge in personality, which is completely absent on the Switch.

I miss that Nintendo.

 

[Sword Familiar]

Been thinking of getting one lately myself. Seems like a great little system.

 

[monali]

Probably my favorite handheld alongside the GBA, just pure fun with one of the best libraries ever.

 

[metal]

Still have my n3ds pokemon edition and n3ds XL Galaxy edition. Fantastic systems with an even better library. Won't be getting rid of these.

Not that I get rid of any of the Nintendo handhelds. Still have a couple Gameboy Pockets floating around.

 

[Zolbrod]

One of my favorite handhelds ever.
Still got some games I've been meaning to go back to!

 

[Fridaynightcatlady]

Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I really disliked it. I was a day 1 buyer, because the DS is literally my favorite handheld console ever. So I figured, the 3DS was going to be just as good. Launch games were bad and I didn't like most games. Even though I'm a big AC fan, New Leaf is also probably my least enjoyable AC game. I also never really used the virtual console. It's probably one of my biggest console regrets. This actually made me skip Wii U after learning my lesson the hard way.

 

[J.Devesh]

I think that I have such a big backlog on 3DS that I should start new games and to stop to obsessively play only Smash and Mario Kart!

EDIT: Also, I love the 3D effect <3

 

[Deleted member 9584]

Probably my favorite price of Nintendo hardware. As awesome as the Switch is, I really wanted a follow up to 3DS that just had more power, better screens, and that's all. The death of miiverse, street pass, and other 3ds features was a shame.

 

[Deleted member 11008]

Yes I believe. If memory serves, there are other Sega console themes too.

Click to shrink...

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The SMT IV Apocalypse theme is soo good.

 

[chilleverest]

Amazing tech. Its a relic piece personally for me and i highly value it. I will probably play on airports and on waiting times.

 

[dead souls]

Bad hardware, though my 2DS was comfortable enough I guess. It has a better library than the Switch so it has that going for it.

 

[camo]

Great console, they really upped the 3D effect on the newer models with the eye-tracking function making it much more comfortable to play.

My only gripes were that they didn't use IPS screens in each and every model - it was absolutely pot-luck that you got one, the difference between them and the TN screens were huge. Also they should have upped the resolution of the XL consoles - the pixel density was pretty poor and it made the screens feel too dark.

Imagine a Switch with 3D capabilities!

 

[The Main Event]

Oh wut, this was a legit theme?

Click to shrink...

Of course. With all Sega consoles to boot. But the Dreamcast one is by far my favorite.



That music is so good.

 

[Mr. Gold]

I really wish Nintendo would work it so I could play my 3DS games on the Switch. That would be hype AF playing them on the TV with a smaller screen to compensate. Nintendo, Atlus, please please port Etrian Odyssey as a collection!!!

 

[Tohsaka]

Good games, terrible hardware. I also pretty much had 3D disabled 99% of the time so the gimmick was useless to me.

 

[StereoVSN]

I have the New 3DS XL and it's a pretty great little handheld. I really wish the screen was 2x resolution though. That said, I have a ton of games for it and still play it. Device itself is meh, but the amount of great games is quite significant.

 

[Ultima_5]

I keep meaning to buy a new one as mine was breaking and now I can't even find it after moving, but it doesn't seem to be easy to find the 2DS XL for under 100 bucks new.

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Check Nintendo's refurb. I've yet to get anything from there that wasn't brand new and it comes with a warrantee I️ think

 

[FarZa17]

It's great to play to this day. The stereoscopic 3D screen still the best thing I ever experience for console gaming, even if it's just a gimmick rather than a useful feature. Many games utilize the 3D screen perfectly and beautifully, while others, mostly Ubisoft games, did not have very great 3D effect; the screen mostly have ghosting .

The system unfortunately still not a good design for my hand and not comfortably ergonomic; my hands cramped when playing more than 30 minutes, which is the same problem I had since NDS.

 

[AhahaICantAnswer]

Still got my OG Aqua Blue launch day 3DS. Got some JRPGs that I still need to play like the SMT and Mario&Luigi series.

 

[Deleted member 10726]

I think it's the best handheld Nintendo made. With its battery life, Virtual Console, the DS BC and the 3DS's own lineup, I'm hard pressed to think of any Nintendo handheld that outclasses the 3DS.

 

[Hieroph]

Every iteration I've tried (which is everything except the 2DS line) has felt uncomfortable

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Well there's your problem.

Anyone complaining about comfort needs to try either of the 2DS models.

 

[Tavernade]

I miss the Activity Log.
And Streetpass.
And the clamshell that fits in my pocket.

Love my Switch but it's not the same.
The 3DS might be a top 3 Nintendo system for me, alongside GCN and SNES.

 

[dead souls]

Well there's your problem.

Anyone complaining about comfort needs to try either of the 2DS models.

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Yep I rocked the original 2DS brick for my entire run with the console and it was perfectly comfortable.

 

[World B. SkiFree]

Absolutely love my 2DS and play it regularly. Recently, I picked up many of my favorite GB games via VC (Mario Land series, Kirby's Pinball Land, DK94, Link's Awakening DX, etc.) just to have those games readily available. The VC selection is very impressive.

Yep I rocked the original 2DS brick for my entire run with the console and it was perfectly comfortable.

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I used my son's OG 2DS for several years before getting a New 2DS XL a couple of years ago. Love both. I still use the OG when I want to swap carts out for quick plays because I would rather not remove the XL's hand grip.

Speaking of, highly recommend getting a grip if you are seeking a more comfortable fit. This is the one I got; it is cheap and terrific.

FYOUNG Grip Compatible for 2DS XL, Hand Grip Compatible for New Nintendo 2DS XL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073TYDXLC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_jGa0Fb4W5GQHJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

My kids and I still battle it out on Mario Kart 7 on occasion. Very fun.

 

[Prophyblakcis]

on it every day still. currently playing pokemon ultra sun

 

[Arilian]

One of my most played consoles of all time, if not my most played (it's either the 3DS or the DS). I'm missing all the 'little' eShop games Nintendo offered on 3DS like Pullblox.

I think maybe the original 2DS had a native screen resolution but I can't remember off the top of my head.

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The original 2DS had only one real screen:

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-10-16-this-is-what-the-2ds-huge-single-lcd-screen-looks-like

I think its fair to presume that Nintendo didn't pay for useless pixels. 😁

I didn't test it, but I don't think the 2DS screen provided better image quality than the 3DS one: without the 3D effect, the 3DS top screen is acting like a 400 × 240 screen. Sure, it's an 800 × 240 screen, but it's not doing anything fancy, just doubling each row.

 

[Novocaine]

I'm one of those guys that sells old systems because I don't like clutter, but I'll be keeping my 3DS until it dies. Just a great system through and through.

 

[choog]

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The SMT IV Apocalypse theme is soo good.

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This is reminding me that I started SMT IV Apocalypse when it came out and never really played it much after that.
Maybe it's time to get my Monster Hunter new 3DS XL charged up again.