Nintendo has simply kicked off its Swap 2 period of gaming, however the firm can be saying goodbye to its 3DS line of handheld gaming consoles. Whereas Nintendo continued supporting the 3DS and its varied fashions through a restore service in Japan, even after the methods have been discontinued, Nintendo started to slowly wind down these operations over time. The New Nintendo 2DS XL was the final console to be formally supported on this approach, however the firm has introduced that that is coming to an finish.
“As we’ve run out of components wanted for repairs, we’ve discontinued restore companies for the New Nintendo 2DS XL as of September 4, 2025,” Nintendo mentioned in a press release (through VGC). “Repairs for all different Nintendo 3DS collection methods have additionally been discontinued.”
This successfully brings the Nintendo 3DS period to a detailed, as Nintendo now not has the components mandatory for it to carry out repairs on models submitted to its Japanese amenities. The firm ended assist for the unique 3DS handheld in August 2024, and it ran out of components for the Nintendo 2DS not lengthy after.
It is also value noting that Nintendo closed the eShops for the 3DS and Wii U console again in 2023, with restore assist for the Wii U ending final 12 months. Whereas the 3DS would not have online-play performance anymore both, it is nonetheless residence to a wealthy assortment of video games which are accessible in a bodily cartridge format.
The 3DS was a stable performer for Nintendo, because it went on to promote 75.9 million models worldwide throughout its run. The evolution of the best-selling Nintendo DS handheld provided an attention-grabbing 3D display gimmick, however later fashions, renamed to 2DS, would drop this characteristic totally. At one level, Nintendo even offered a 2DS that did not have a clamshell design and was geared towards youthful family members.
In the meantime, it appears to be like just like the Swap 2 is off to a stable begin. Gross sales of the Swap 2 are outpacing gross sales of the unique Swap within the US by a large margin, with 2 million models offered as of August 27. Globally, the Swap 2 offered greater than 6 million models within the seven weeks after launch, even with its comparatively excessive worth.
