Finally Regular-sized "New 3DS" Officially Arrives in North America

[Nz17]

Source: https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/...-north-america

Nintendo has announced new hardware exclusive to GameStop in the US at the retailer's manager conference in Las Vegas, including the North American debut of the smaller New 3DS.

The New 3DS will come in a bundle with a download code for Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, two New 3DS faceplates and an Amiibo card at a MSRP of $219.99. The bundle releases with the game on September 25. The colored buttons of the European and Japanese models will be retained, while a charger will still be sold separately.

Also announced at the conference were the following special edition pieces of hardware:

A special edition New 3DSXL with Hyrule emblems that launches on October 30, a week after The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
Special Wii Remote Plus models badged with Bowser, Toad and Yoshi. The first two will release a week from Friday to coincide with Super Mario Maker, while the Yoshi will release on October 16 with Yoshi's Woolly World.

All of the hardware is showing in stock on GameStop's website as of press time.

[Niku-Sama]

I see a mate to go with my Zelda 3ds xl

[Flojomojo]

Making it a GameStop exclusive implies to me that there will be a limited number of smaller systems manufactured for North America. I hope no one is planning on buying them up as some kind of "investment."

[Tanooki]

Oh you know people will do it, especially with Christmas three months out. It happened with the other Gamestop exclusives with games and what not, so why not try and ruin some parent, adult, or kids Christmas with an overpriced hype flip in time for the 25th? It's Nintendo, sadly it should be expected.

I wanted the smaller model but we were denied it, but looking back I'm glad they didn't. Seeing the amount of dust and crap that gets into my GB Micro with the removable plate, or the crap that gets between the glass and the cover on my otter case on my iphone5s, I want nothing to do with that repetitive cleaning mess. It's ballsy charging that much for the smaller model too, even if there is a game in the box with the plates. Usually the smaller of the two systems has been less money, not more. I know it's superficial but I wished the colored buttons were on the XL model as it reminded me of the super famicom.

[FieryReign]

What a bunch of bullshit. This is the model people wanted from the door. A portable that's actually portable. Are they still being cheap bastards and excluding an AC adaptor? Nintendo is a joke.

[Gameguy]

I'll just wait for the newer new version that's bound to come out after this new one. There's always a newer version coming out.

[FieryReign]

Still too cheap to include an AC adaptor.
Still too cheap to include a physical copy of a game.
Animal Crossing? Seriously?
Faceplates and a stupid Amiibo card.
Gamestop exclusive.

Sounds like an overpriced bundle of garbage to me. Yet somehow it will sell. Mostly the Nintentards and resellers selling to the fanboys.

[The Adventurer]

I'll just wait for the newer new version that's bound to come out after this new one. There's always a newer version coming out.

So like every video game console ever?


Personally I'm quite happy with my XL, the small screen of the regular is just a big turn off.

[Gameguy]

So like every video game console ever?

Most consoles have maybe 2 or 3 versions tops, besides small minor revisions most people don't pay attention to besides collectors. I'm not counting firmware differences or reliability changes(like PS1 models), or differences between chips like the Genesis can have. Just counting major versions.

NES and NES toploader, SNES and SNES mini, Master System and Master System II, Sega Genesis 1, 2 ,3, Sony Playstation and PSOne, PS2 and PS2 slim, Gameboy and Gameboy Pocket, etc.

What does the 3DS have? There's 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, new 3DS, and new 3DS XL. That's five already. And some new games aren't compatible with early models, so it's not even an optional upgrade if you care about those games. Never had to worry about compatibility with the Gameboy and Gameboy Pocket, or PS1 and slim PSOne. Those were optional type upgrades. Usually it's the other way around, later versions are usually lacking some compatibility to save on cost so early adopters are rewarded in some way, they're not usually punished for buying too early.

[SparTonberry]

Thankfully for people who bought an original 3DS, it's only two games so far incompatible with New 3DS (though probably not so thankful for people who bought New 3DS expecting MANY exclusives.)

They sort of did the same with DS, the DSi only could play DSiWare games (though 3DS eShop included backwards compatibility for those). There were four retail games that were only compatible with DSi as well, but none of them are games most people will care about. There were a number of DS games that were supposedly "enhanced" by playing on a DSi but they could still be played on a DS (and without region-lock on a DS).

[Leo_A]

Thankfully for people who bought an original 3DS, it's only two games so far incompatible with New 3DS

Two games? Besides the Xenoblade Chronicles port, what's the other?

though 3DS eShop included backwards compatibility for those

3DS is fully DSi compatible, which is how those work. Sonic Classics Collection for instance won't suffer the slowdown that it does on a regular DS, just as it would when it's played on an actual DSi.

and without region-lock on a DS

Nope, despite the DS officially being region free, it still respects the region lock for DSi Enhanced software.

[Nz17]

Despite the DS officially being region free, it still respects the region lock for DSi Enhanced software.

No, it doesn't. My "DSi-enhanced" European copy of Sola to Robo runs just fine on my US DS Lite but won't run on my US 3DS.

[Tanooki]

That's odd, that Solatorobo won't work on the 3DS as it was an import. I thought they just blocked 3DS games from other regions.

[SparTonberry]

DSi was the first region-locked Nintendo portable. When DS games are run on a DSi, they will be region-locked. Since 3DS BC functions as a DSi, therefore DS games will run on a 3DS in DSi mode and will as such be region-locked if the game has a DSi mode.

And the second New 3DS-only game, from what I've heard, is the eShop port of Binding of Issac.

[Tanooki]

That's not true I ran a few Japanese DS games on the DSi I had at the time. I had Jump Superstars and a few others, Band Brothers, and a couple others. DSi only locked DSi games (4 release cards) and eshop stuff.


And yes it is the Binding of Isaac which is New3DS only.

[Leo_A]

No, it doesn't. My "DSi-enhanced" European copy of Sola to Robo runs just fine on my US DS Lite but won't run on my US 3DS.

Thanks for correcting my correction.

Sorry to say that I've repeated this false information two or three times around here.

When DS games are run on a DSi, they will be region-locked.

That's not true I ran a few Japanese DS games on the DSi I had at the time.

Read the rest of his post though. This appears to have been a slight typo that was inadvertently the opposite of what he intended to say, since he's clearly aware that original DS software isn't region locked.

DSi only locked DSi games (4 release cards) and eshop stuff.

Nope, there were dozens more. Not only did the DSi have a handful of exclusive retail releases and the eShop content, there was also a line of DSi Enhanced retail software that was backwards compatible with the DS/DS Lite.

All such titles are region locked (And more often than not, it's the only reason they're classified as such since few put the extra features and power of the DSi to actual use). But per Nz17's post, the lock is only active when played on the DSi or an equivalent. When played on original DS hardware, DSi Enhanced releases are for all intents and purposes, apparently region free.

[Tanooki]

I don't even consider digital rental games legit titles remember? I was speaking of a physical retail presence. I know of the DSi Enhanced stuff, I've talked it up before and if not here elsewhere did a comparison on how Sonic behaved between the two systems, but those still do work without issue between regions.

[Gameguy]

Two games? Besides the Xenoblade Chronicles port, what's the other?

I know there's only a couple odd games that aren't compatible with older systems, but at least with Xenoblade it's not just any game. That's one of the most sought after games for the Nintendo Wii, when a port of it was announced it seemed like it would finally be a reasonable way of playing the game without having to track down the expensive Wii version. Instead, you need to buy an expensive new version of the 3DS console plus the game itself. If it was some horrible game like Girl Petting Zoo Challenge 2 I wouldn't care.

Imagine if you just heard of Super Mario Bros 3 announced to come out, but it would only be compatible with the new NES Top Loader systems. Would you or anyone who already had an NES system be ok with this, or would you be upset? I know the release dates don't add up on my example, but it's just an example.

As for the DSi enhanced games, usually those extra features just include something like using the camera feature to put your own pictures in the game. Not really something important if you miss out on those. If the games aren't too great, it's no big loss.

[Leo_A]

I don't even consider digital rental games legit titles remember? I was speaking of a physical retail presence. I know of the DSi Enhanced stuff, I've talked it up before and if not here elsewhere did a comparison on how Sonic behaved between the two systems, but those still do work without issue between regions.

That's not what I mean though.

I just mean that there's more region locked software for the DSi line than just the actual DSi exclusives. You said "DSi only locked DSi games (4 release cards) and eshop stuff", but like I said, the titles with optional DSi "support" are also region locked when played on DSi or 3DS hardware and their derivatives.

As for the DSi enhanced games, usually those extra features just include something like using the camera feature to put your own pictures in the game. Not really something important if you miss out on those. If the games aren't too great, it's no big loss.

Most don't even do that much, although it sounds like NZ17's Sola to Robo actually does.

With numerous DSi Enhanced games, it was evident it was classified as such merely to allow it to have that restriction, while offering zero performance improvements and/or optional features like some utilization of the camera of the DSi hardware.

[Nz17]

One of the problems with DSi "Enhanced" (More like de-hanced, eh?) is that games which use region-locking don't use any wording on the box nor game to let people know. It is intentionally kept quiet so unless the game box brags about having DSi features there is no way to know if these later "DS" releases have these de-hancements or not without referring to online listings developed by collectors.

The best such list is the one written by pdrydia over at R.F. Generation.
"DSi enhanced titles - an incomplete list"
Posted on October 29th, 2011 at 03:39:40 A.M.
http://www.rfgeneration.com/blogs/pd...-list-1969.php

That's why the best bet with these games is to always play them on a DS or DS Lite... or at the very least, have a DS/Lite available as a fallback just in case you need one.