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[LordOfLore]

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Few video game systems have had as strange a journey as Nintendo’s 3DS. The spunky portable console flopped, got a massive price cut, gradually built up a spectacular library of games, and received several bizarre (and confusing) hardware models throughout its six years on store shelves. And now, it’s ditching its biggest selling point. Farewell, 3D.

Last night, Nintendo announced the New 2DS XL, a sleek $150 piece of hardware that is essentially a New 3DS XL without 3D. This is an iteration on 2013's 2DS, a cheaper model that also ditched the 3D but felt uncomfortable and lacked the convenient clamshell design of other models. With the button configurations of the New 3DS XL and the price cut gained by killing the autostereoscopic display, the New 2DS XL is the best of both worlds. Though it won’t replace the New 3DS XL on the market, it will be the better and undoubtedly more popular version.

It’s also a final goodbye to glasses-free 3D, a feature that was once the 3DS’s crown jewel but has long been rendered irrelevant. We’ve come a long way from March 2011, where I watched Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime lead a small crowd of loyal fans in grabbing 3D glasses and tossing them up in the air during a launch event on the streets of Manhattan. “The era of 3D glasses ends right here and right now,” Fils-Aime proclaimed.

What he didn’t know was that the era of glasses-free 3D was never going to start. It took less than a year before the 3DS’s sluggish sales forced Nintendo to slash its price from $250 to $170, a bona fide fire sale, in part because nobody cared enough about 3D to buy it. By mid-2012, Nintendo had removed all mentions of 3D from its marketing materials, choosing wisely to focus on what people actually wanted—good video games—and bolstering the system’s library with great Marios, Zeldas, and much more.

More at the link.

What games used the 3D the best and worst?

 

[Plinko]

Mario 3D Land had the best use of 3D for those isometric pipe sections.

Pilotwings Resort was pretty good with 3D as well.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Best: Mario 3D Land

Worst:

 

[Maintenance]

What he didn’t know was that the era of glasses-free 3D was never going to start

Ruthless.

 

[TS-08]

Yeah 3D Land and ALBW were my favorites for 3D. FE: Awakening actually had some good 3D as well, surprisingly enough.

 

[bananafactory]

I actually like 3D but it was absolute trash on the 3DS

 

[BronzeWolf]

Bye 3D... will VR be the next out?

 

[BY2K]

Ruthless.

To be fair, 3D didn't really start either.

 

[robotrock]

To be fair, 3D didn't really start either.

3D is still pretty big

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

Any Pokemon game might be the worst 3D use, because enabling it made the framerate chug noticeably worse, and the framerate wasn't great to start.

Zelda: ALBW was a pretty decent use of the 3D, it gave a depth the the traditional LTTP overhead style.

 

[moltonasty]

Best: Mario 3D Land

Worst:

Super Mario Maker 3DS

Plays only in 2D

 

[ffdgh]

Nothing surpassed Kid icarus uprising's 3D for me.

 

[Jigorath]

To be fair, 3D didn't really start either.

Avatar made nearly $3 billion.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Bye 3D... will VR be the next out?

It was never in.

 

[5amshift]

Nintendo saying bye to 3D? Not so sure about that

 

[Fat4all]

Can't see simulated 3D images in any case, so I can't say I'm sad to see it go.

 

[GasProblem]

3D made the low res screen of the 3DS look better to me. I'll miss it.

 

[borghe]

I loved the launch Ghost Recon game. It felt like I was playing an actual boardgame.

 

[rjc571]

The Sega 3D Classics series was incredible in 3D. Specifically Galaxy Force, Outrun, Thunder Blade and Power Drift.

 

[Kamina]

Avatar made nearly $3 billion.

I dont think thats all due to 3D though.

 

[Curufinwe]

The only 3DS game I ever played was Theatrhythm, which I played in 2D. After that I gave the system to my wife and I don't think she used the 3D much, either.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Good riddance, in my opinion. I could never stand keeping it on for any extended periods of time. It also pretty much killed the point of having a second screen.

 

[TheMissingLink]

Man, I don't know, I really enjoy the 3D. I think it's a really neat differentiator.

Shovel Knight looks INCREDIBLE with layered backgrounds/enemies.

 

[Ruud_Luiten]

I love the 3d, but only since the new 3DS. All Zelda games are amazing in 3D.

Starting OOT in 3D was the defining moment of the 3DS for me.

 

[Abounder]

3D is still pretty big

LG & Sony stopped this year, and they were the last two major TV makers that supported 3D

https://www.cnet.com/news/shambling-corpse-of-3d-tv-finally-falls-down-dead/

 

[Akuun]

deleted

 

[-MB-]

Avatar made nearly $3 billion.

And only Avatar did that, special case, the 3D market collapsed soon after, even if TV set makers tried to push it onto us for years. Now they ditched it too to focus on the new hotness 4k and HDR.

 

[SporeCrawler]

3D never took off at homes. In theaters yes, but nowadays you are rarely given the option to choose non 3D

 

[Nocturnowl]

I've always appreciated the style of popping visuals you'd get with 2D sidescrollers using 3D, the Sega ports were pretty slick and it's a shame Nintendo never took their 3D classics range more seriously.

Not a great selling point but I always liked the option, especially for the games that really went for it, slapping on that 3D for Ocarina was pretty cool at the time with it being like glancing into the world (as opposed to things actually popping out), kinda drains my eyes as well as the battery though.

 

[NinjaCoachZ]

The Sega 3D Classics series was incredible in 3D. Specifically Galaxy Force, Outrun, Thunder Blade and Power Drift.

Yeah, M2 absolutely blew me away with how good their 3D Classics look.

The 3D effect I still think is pretty cool and the level of depth it gives is pretty great, but it really wasn't a game changer the same way as the DS. 3D Land had some fun gimmicks out of it but that was about it.

 

[maxcriden]

3D kinda bothers my eyes but 3DL, LBW, LMM, KIU, KTD and the M&L games all used it well.

 

[BizzyBum]

I always liked the 3D. The 3DS launch playing Super Street Fighter 4 and Pilotwings was the first time I viewed a display in 3D and it was pretty damn cool. It's unfortunate how dodgy the 3D got though when moving around a lot which was alleviated with the New 3DS. I wonder if it would have caught on better if the New 3DS was the original launch version.

 

[Thoraxes]

To this day, I still think Snake Eater 3D is some of the best utilization of the 3D on the system. The depth was just amazing in that title.

And as someone who uses it 100% of the time if available, I sure do miss it.

 

[SomewhatGroovy]

I could never forfeit Space Harrier's, Kid Icarus', and Pilot Wing's 3D for form factor, as much as I love how the new 2DS looks.

 

[baconcow]

I actually like 3D but it was absolute trash on the 3DS

Did you try out A Link Between Worlds? I thought 3D was excellent in that game, especially within the dungeons.

 

[Adam Tyner]

3D is still pretty big

For home entertainment, 3D is in its death throes. Not a single 2017 model from any TV manufacturer I'm aware of supports 3D, and it was already pretty sparse last year. More and more movies released theatrically in 3D aren't getting 3D home video releases in the U.S.

Domestically, 3D revenue at the box office peaked in 2010, and that's where the only money really is these days.

 

[Intel_89]

3D was pretty cool and gave more value to certain games imo. I'm kinda sad to see it out the door already but I guess I'm in the minority.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

A shame. The 3DS' screen still blows me away in 2017. Pure Black Magic that such things are possible.

 

[LiK]

Zelda: ALBW used 3D the best. It actually enhanced the game.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Personal favorite was LM: Dark Moon. Really nice 3D.

 

[Somnid]

Though it won't replace the New 3DS XL on the market, it will be the better and undoubtedly more popular version.

Uh, that's a bold statement and the entire premise of this article hinges on it. Are you sure you really want to soothsay like that? Especially because it's Nintendo. This is extra baffling because it's trying to pass a knee-jerk reaction to an unexpected stealth release off as "oh, I expected this."

 

[ScherzoPrime]

Can't see simulated 3D images in any case, so I can't say I'm sad to see it go.

Could never pinch the dragonfly wings at the optometrist either eh?

I'm curious, does VR work for people who don't have stereoscopic depth perception?

 

[Cleve]

The 3d was complete shit until the new line, and by the time it came out the novelty was gone. I can't think of a single game that was truly better for it.

 

[SirClinksAlot]

It was terrible tech that only made the console more expensive than it should have been.

 

[Ogawa-san]

3D made the low res screen of the 3DS look better to me. I'll miss it.

Agreed, I'd use it for every game if I had a N3DS.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

3D Classic had really nice implementation

Pokemon XY/ORAS is probably the worst. Not only is it limited to battles, is also negatively effects performance.

 

[Rymuth]

Slightly off-topic: but that opening line really made me nostalgic. 3DS truly had the most bizarre life. So many twists, highs and lows. It's the quintessential Nintendo hardware

 

[robotrock]

LG & Sony stopped this year, and they were the last two major TV makers that supported 3D

https://www.cnet.com/news/shambling-corpse-of-3d-tv-finally-falls-down-dead/

3D revenue at the box office peaked in 2010. For home entertainment, 3D is in its death throes. Not a single 2017 model from any TV manufacturer I'm aware of supports 3D, and it was already pretty sparse last year. More and more movies released theatrically in 3D aren't getting 3D home video releases in the U.S.

No doubt about the home video and TV stuff. I still think 3D, despite peaking at the box office in 2010 (was that still riding on Avatar?), is still pretty big. Talking specifically about theaters.

 

[N.Grim]

They missed the 2DS the first time?

 

[TZchassis]

Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D & ALBW were good. I really liked the 3D but after MK8D on Switch, I wouldn't pick 3D over console-level games on the go.