With its full attention solely on the Switch, Nintendo has quietly discontinued the 3DS. On Nintendo’s Japanese website, you can see the tag “out of production” under the New 3DS LL, New 2DS LL, and the 2DS listings. You’ll also see the notice that the 3DS series has ended production.  

The End of the Nintendo 3DS

The Verge reports that the Nintendo US page has also erased all mentions of the 3DS. You would just see a link to the 3DS support page at the bottom of the webpage, under a similar link for the Wii U. 

Nintendo has discontinued the 3DS https://t.co/C5kmnofg1F pic.twitter.com/g7dZADdepu

— The Verge (@verge) September 17, 2020

Nintendo has also stopped making the Wii U.

The History of the 3DS

In 2011, Nintendo released the 3DS. While it didn’t sell well initially, Nintendo eventually drove up sales by cutting its price a few months after release. Nintendo also thanked those who bought the 3DS at launch by giving them 20 free NES and Game Boy Advance titles.

The 3DS went through several versions throughout its career. Nintendo put out the 3DS XL, then the New 3DS. People who wanted a cheaper DS bought the 2DS, and then finally, the 2DS XL.

Throughout its life, the 3DS sold over 75 million units worldwide. The total sales may not have reached the numbers for the DS, but the 3DS helped Nintendo stay afloat during the lull of the Wii U years. 

The Nintendo Switch Era

By ending the 3DS, Nintendo is fully committing to the Switch and moving away from a dedicated handheld gadget. As of June, the company has already sold over 61 million Switches worldwide. 

The post Nintendo Says Goodbye to the 3DS After 10 Years first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Irene Hawkins

COVID-19 has worked wonders for Nintendo. As the pandemic continues to force everyone to stay home, the company continues to enjoy a high demand for the Nintendo Switch. 

Consumer Demand for the Nintendo Switch

Bloomberg reports that Nintendo has ramped up Switch production by 20%. In the report, Nintendo has asked its production partners to increase output by 30 million units for the 2020 fiscal year. Earlier, the Japanese game company has targeted 19 million units. Then, Nintendo increased the target to 22 million, until upping it again to 25 million. 

The Runaway Success of Animal Crossing

According to Bloomberg, the smashing success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the high Switch demand. Engadget adds that the console keeps getting sold out in some markets. Sometimes, you can only buy overpriced stock on Amazon. 

Nintendo is ramping Switch production again following COVID-19 sales surge https://t.co/RkmazQgiID pic.twitter.com/Q81JgIF3QE

— Engadget (@engadget) September 9, 2020

People stuck at home are running out of ways to entertain themselves. In times of need, they are turning to video games. 

The Future of the Nintendo Switch

Despite a target of just 19 million consoles, Nintendo has already sold 11.4 million Switches in the last two quarters. 

Nintendo also looks to take advantage of this demand. For next year, Nintendo may be coming out with a new Switch model. Reports say that Nintendo may release a high-end Switch. The company has asked game developers to make 4K upgrades of their games.

Engadget reports that Nintendo may also release more Switch models soon, with high-resolution panels made by Sharp.

The post Nintendo Boosts Switch Production to 30M Units first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Irene Hawkins