Even with Nintendo Switch mania in full swing, 3DS sales remain strong

By Gabe Gurwin January 19, 2018

nintendo 3ds strong sales in december 2017 new 2ds xl 13716 — Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Nintendo had an incredibly strong holiday season, with the Switch selling like hotcakes alongside exclusives games like Super Mario Odyssey. But the company’s aging 3DS handheld hasn’t been forgotten. In fact, the system had its best month in three years.

Nintendo revealed that in December, the various models of 3DS managed to sell more than 750,000 in the United States, alone, which is the highest total the system has had since December 2014. It’s also 27 percent more than what we saw from the 3DS a year ago, and that was following the worldwide phenomenon that was Pokémon Go. To date, the 3DS family has sold more than 21 million units in the United States. It’s a far cry from the nearly 60 million DS units sold in the United States, but the 3DS continues to prove that dedicated handheld gaming systems can still thrive alongside iOS and Android phones.

Aside from Nintendo being on everyone’s minds because of both the Switch and the SNES Classic, the launch of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon appears to have also had an impact. According to the NPD Group, the games were the 13th- and 14th-best-selling titles of December, even though they released during a remarkably crowded holiday season. Switch games on the list include Super Mario Odyssey in the third slot, as well as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe at No. 4. July’s Splatoon 2 even managed to come in at 16th, likely as a purchase for those who just received their Switch system. According to Nintendo, the Switch is the fastest-selling home console in U.S. history at this point, with nearly 5 million units sold since it launched last March.

The launch of the Switch hasn’t slowed down the software support for the 3DS in the slightest. Aside from the aforementioned Pokémon games, 2017 saw the release of the excellent Metroid: Samus Returns as well as Fire Emblem Echoes — Shadows of Valentia. Upcoming 3DS games in 2018 include Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, and Detective Pikachu. Sadly, that game will not feature the voice talent of Danny DeVito, though a film adaptation will star Deadpool‘s Ryan Reynolds.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

What games will Nintendo Switch 2 launch with? We have some ideas

Mario and friends zip through a race course in Mario Kart 8.

We’re officially on “new console watch.” Reports from credible publications like Eurogamer say that Nintendo secretly showed developers its next system behind closed doors at this year’s Gamescom. While it’s only a rumor, it’s a realistic one. We’re six years into the Nintendo Switch’s lifespan and even the longest-running consoles turn over at eight. If Nintendo’s next system is one or two years away, it’s time to start lining up support from third-party developers.

We’ve speculated on features we’d want in a new system before, but the reality of a new platform has me asking another question: What games would you launch with something like this? The Nintendo Switch’s launch day was crucial to its long-term success thanks to a bonafide classic in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While the rest of its launch lineup wasn’t as impressive, Nintendo capitalized fairly quickly with titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Splatoon 2. If Nintendo’s going to push Switch owners over to a new system, it’ll have to roll out the big guns.

Gaming

The best RPGs for the Nintendo Switch

Marth glowing blue.

The Nintendo Switch is a smash-hit with a wide library of titles across all genres, so it should come as no surprise that it has amassed a wealth of great role-playing games. Many of them are ports of titles previously released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but others are exclusive to Nintendo's hybrid system -- such as Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Whether you're looking for a turn-based classic or something new with a massive open world, the portable console has it all. Here are the best role-playing games on Nintendo Switch.

Gaming

As the 3DS eShop closes, devs reflect on a golden age of Nintendo indies

Best Nintendo 3DS games

The 3DS eShop is no longer allowing Nintendo fans to make new game purchases, marking the end of a long era of DS-branded handhelds. Not only that, but it's also sunsetting a vibrant indie community in the process. After helping smaller developers break through with WiiWare and DSiWare, the 3DS eShop was where indies really started to flourish on Nintendo consoles. Multiple games and developers built success stories on the platform, starting series that are still recognized in the eyes of Nintendo fans and stand as some of the 3DS’ most iconic games.

Within a year of the eShop's launch, WayForward's Mighty Switch Force provided one of the system's best 3D experiences, Renegade Kid's Mutant Mudd showed the potential of a platformer where players can hop between the foreground and background, and Hörberg Productions' Gunman Clive provided a short, sweet, and cheap throwback platformer experience with lots of styles. By 2014, Yacht Club Games' Shovel Knight had cemented itself as one of the best indie games of all time on the 3DS. Titles like that gave the 3DS a reputation as a haven for smaller developers. a platform where they could break out of a niche and connect with a larger audience.