Nintendo 3DS will be 10 years old on March 27 (in the US anyway), so what better time to remember House of Mario's groundbreaking handheld. Successor to the Nintendo 2DS, the 3DS brought 3D gaming into the homes of millions of people, without the use of 3D glasses. Nintendo's 3D handheld has gone through several iterations after its Western release in 2011, in the form of the New Improved Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL. To date, the 3DS family of consoles has sold more than 75 million units worldwide. To celebrate 10 years of the 3DS, the TechRadar team has decided to collect some of your favorite Nintendo 3DS memorabilia.
Vic Hood, Game Editor
When I first moved to London from Northern Ireland as a student, I took around five boxes with me containing my most valuable possessions: clothes, stuffed animals, my laptop and a variety of practical items that I would need in (I thought) three years. . Among these treasures was my dusty old Nintendo 3DS, which I had hardly touched in years; instead I chose to play on my PS4. But Nintendo 3DS really took off around this time. Away from home, sometime before the Switch launched, I went back to my 3DS to play Pokémon Black and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. The Pokémon series, in particular, provided a sense of familiarity and the fact that I could stick my trusty boyfriend in my pocket on busy tube rides and while waiting between lectures gave me a basic feel. 3DS made me feel at home, even when I wasn't. A light but solid game library
Samuel Roberts, entertainment editor
Unlike the Nintendo DS, which was released before mobile gaming exploded with the proliferation of smartphones, the 3DS lacked a massive library; in fact, the casual game genre for which the 3DS has become known isn't. It wasn't really a device on this handheld. . Still, the Nintendo 3DS offers at least 10 absolutely essential games, from Kid Icarus: Uprising to Animal Crossing: New Leaf (which you can skip if you have New Horizons on Switch). My fondest 3DS memory is going on vacation to Rome in 2017 and almost ruining it for my partner by delaying our plans every day by conquering the secret levels of Super Mario 3D Land, a phenomenal platformer that fit the game perfectly. computer. While the 3D functionality for the 3DS never helped me much, the handheld was a nice piece of Nintendo kit, especially the New Nintendo 2DS that I'm currently enjoying.
Nick Pino, Editor-in-Chief, Home Entertainment
Before joining TechRadar in 2014, I spent the early years of my career working elsewhere in the gaming industry, first at Official Xbox Magazine and then Best Buy's gaming magazine @GAMER. While my memory of the time before TheComparison began to fade (your brain can only hold years of editorial memories), I'll always remember the reviews I wrote for Animal Crossing: New Leaf and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, my two favorite games on 3DS. There was something surreal about sitting in an office, lost in the world of Animal Crossing: New Leaf for a week. While others around me perused the broadsheets and spreadsheets, I sat in the mayor's chair, shaping my city into something beautiful. After seven days I felt ready to sit down to write the review, but was torn by the paucity of content after the first few days. Because of this, I remember how unsure of what score I wanted to give it: Should I give it an 8 because, while fun, it really didn't have the ability to provide players with good price-performance? Or should I give it a 9 because I really enjoyed the 40 hours I put into it? In the end, I went for a 9 out of 10, and hindsight showed me I was right about the money. The lesson there? Always follow your instincts. I also struggled with Zelda's scoring, but for a different reason. There were so many great games in that franchise already, and while A Link Between Worlds really captured some of that charm of A Link to the Past, it was also very different. The more I played A Link Between Worlds, the more it pushed me. I soon felt that its break with tradition was actually a strength, and the new mechanic, while jarring at first, allowed A Link Between Worlds to broaden the scope of its puzzles, making them more difficult. She had to acknowledge where the franchise came from, of course, but she also had to appreciate where A Link Between Worlds had taken her. Half a decade later, I can fondly look back on these games and appreciate them for what they were: absolute masterpieces for Nintendo's handheld system. Technology ahead of its time
Adam Vjestica, Senior Video Game Writer
Nintendo tends to be behind the curve when it comes to implementing cutting-edge technology, but having a device that delivered convincing 3D without glasses back in 2011 remains a feat, even to this day. Even though it had its fair share of detractors, I've always played Nintendo 3DS games with the 3D slider turned down, as it really helped add *ahem* more depth to some titles. Games like Super Mario 3D Land were brilliant examples of the magnitude of the stereoscopic 3D effect, and I still remember smiling in amazement when I first played Super Street Fighter IV 3D, although it did leave me a little uneasy. after. Watching the cast of Street Fighter characters fight in what looked like a small portable diorama was truly impressive. The Nintendo 3DS might have seemed like an iterative upgrade over the Nintendo DS to some, but there's no denying that its glasses-free 3D was, and still is, a bit of magic.
Matt Hanson, Senior IT Writer
I bought my 3DS XL with enthusiasm when it was released in 2013 and after playing a few games I put it in a drawer and forgot about it... for about seven years. However, when the Nintendo Switch was released, I began to consider buying the new console, mainly to play in handheld mode. I had been commuting to work by bus ever since I left town, and with the birth of my daughter, I found that playing traditional game consoles (or using my PC for games) was becoming more and more difficult, so a portable console made a lot of sense. . The only problem was that 1) the Switch was impossible to buy due to high demand, and 2) it was broke (due to the aforementioned baby and commute). That's when I remembered my 3DS. Why not dust it off and use it instead? So I did it, and I'm really glad I did it. First of all, it allowed me to revisit those brilliant early 3DS games. Also, during this period, the 3DS had amassed an excellent catalog of games, many of which could now be bought cheap second-hand. I was able to catch up on some great 3DS games I had missed without spending a fortune. I also bought Pokémon X and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, rekindling my love for the Pokémon games for the first time since playing Diamond on the DS. I also loaded the 3DS with classic games from the Virtual Console online store, including Pokemon Yellow, the first Pokemon game I ever played. Suddenly, I had an amazing handheld full of awesome games I'd never played before. I'm still playing it to this day as I haven't managed to get a Switch yet. It's been a fantastic alternative, and when I finally get a Switch, I'll have a lot to do. Streetpass was a great social experience
Rhys Wood, Surge Writer
Nintendo has always played with occasional features to expand its reach beyond the games it creates, but none were arguably as productive as Nintendo 3DS's Streetpass feature. Streetpass did what it said on the box. While you were on the go with your 3DS in tow, your handheld was recording other 3DS media that was in the area. These users' Mii avatars would appear as visitors in your Mii Plaza, and when you went to see them later, those Mii characters would greet yours, giving you gifts like collectible puzzle pieces that completed a series of beautiful 3DS renderings. Titles. Streetpass was a fantastic icebreaker for meeting new people: a common sight at conventions would be gatherings of people sharing their Miis to collect new puzzle pieces, but more importantly, starting conversations and getting to know each other. Streetpass encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone, meet new people and make lasting friendships. It's a feature I sincerely want to return to the equally portable Nintendo Switch, which invites owners to use its portable capabilities. Today's best Nintendo 3DS deals