Today, February 25, marks the 7th anniversary of the Nintendo 3DS‘ launch in Japan. The handheld has been an amazing success for Nintendo, selling over 70 million units as of writing. Even with the release of the Switch, the 3DS has continued to sell extremely well and even having it’s best selling month since 2014 by having 750,000 units sold in December 2017, according to NPD. Even though this system is by no means Nintendo’s best selling handheld, that feat goes to the DS, it is still one to be proud of.
The Nintendo 3DS had a poor launch period, releasing exclusive games such as SteelDiver, Nintendogs, and Pilotwings Resort. Eventually, the system found its footing with hits which included Super Mario 3D Land, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and Kid Icarus: Uprising.
Nintendo would eventually release different iterations of the systems. The 2DS, 3DS XL, and the new Nintendo 2DS/3DS XL continued to bring life to the platform. This helped allow more games to be brought into the established ecosystem.
Many publishers were supportive of the system, specifically Atlus. Atlus was arguably the 3DS’ biggest supporter bringing over the Shin Megami Tensai series, Persona Q, Etrian Odyssey, and many more. They have even continued to bring support into 2018 with Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology.
Even as certain games go out of print and become rare, Nintendo brought over their Nintendo Selects program. The program was able to make older games such as Ocarina of Time 3D, Animal Crossing: New Leaf and A Link Between Worlds not only available again, but affordable. The entire 3DS library is also available digitally through the eShop. By doing all of this, gamers are still able to play through this abundant library of games.
Happy 7th Birthday to the Nintendo 3DS family! A system filled with great games, from indie to triple-A, definitely deserves to be cherished. You’ve not only been a magnificent system, but you’ve helped pave the way for the Nintendo Switch.