I remember the day I got my Nintendo 3DS like it was yesterday. The handheld, which is 15 years old now, never really appealed to me at first; its 3D effect made me nauseous, and the available games didn’t particularly interest me. However, over time, with more releases and, specifically, new Pokémon games, I relented and bought one for my sibling and me. Thus began a love affair with the handheld, a deep dive into its phenomenal selection of games, and even the purchase of the utterly unnecessary New 3DS with Xenoblade Chronicles plates to go on top.
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It has been a long time since then, and while my affection for the device hasn’t waned, my usage of it has. So, recently, I thought about changing that, and, out of curiosity, decided to look up the current state of the console. To my surprise, it has made quite the comeback, with Nintendo 3DS prices skyrocketing to unthinkable heights. I was curious as to why this device in particular is so popular now in 2026, perhaps even more so than when it was actively being supported. So, I looked into it, and I think I’ve figured it out.
The Nintendo 3DS Is A Symbol Of Better Times
The Nintendo 3DS left a surprisingly storied legacy, one marred by an initial slow start but ultimately saved thanks to its incredible long-term performance considering the steep competition it faced from the then-burging mobile gaming market. Still, despite its relative success, I’d wager there are still a lot of people who either didn’t get one at the time or did but abandoned it midway through its lifespan. It sold around half as many units as its predecessor, despite a plethora of amazing games launching on the platform, rendering it not a failure, but certainly a less-popular console as a result.
I think this is partially where the newfound affection for the handheld comes from. The 3DS’ library is incredibly impressive, boasting a handful of amazing JRPGs, platformers, and Nintendo staples like Mario Kart, Party, and Smash Bros. There’s easily one of the best Animal Crossing’s available on the platform, a game that far exceeds its successor in terms of quality, as well as numerous older Nintendo games, including past Legend of Zelda and Pokémon games, that are yet to make their way to the Nintendo Switch. Its accessibility, modern touches, and 3D graphics ostensibly make it a comparable experience to the Nintendo Switch, albeit without the current lineup of AAA exclusives.
Where the 3DS excels over the Switch is in its gimmicks and quirks. It has eShop music, something Nintendo refuses to put on the Switch, a camera, little minigames built into the console, customizable backgrounds, and a greater focus on Miis. There’s also StreetPass, a 3DS exclusive function that still functions to this very day, despite the closure of the console’s eShop and online functionalities. Simply put, you have a fun, feature-rich console that was somewhat overlooked during its lifetime, packed full of incredible games, many of which rival their Switch counterparts. What’s not to love?
It is also a reminder of simpler times, an era when a lot of Nintendo’s biggest and best properties still resembled their glory days. Zelda hadn’t quite broken out into open-world shenanigans, Pokémon wasn’t the dreadfully bad series it is today, Animal Crossing still cared about its villagers, and many of Nintendo’s other first-party titles were beginning to find their stride. Series like Yo-Kai Watch are also available in the West on the 3DS, whereas they’re absent on the Switch. This is all without mentioning the easy yet very illegal and not recommended ability to hack the device, which gives users access to basically every game in its library. There’s a lot to love about the 3DS, and, clearly, a lot to learn from it.
There’s A Lot We Can Learn From The 3DS
While I don’t think the 3DS is a better console than the Nintendo Switch, I do believe it is considered one of the best handhelds ever made for good reason. The Switch abandoned a lot of the features that made the 3DS so special, its customizability, personality, and in-built gimmicks, and, as a result, feels perfectly functional, but not particularly fun. The Switch 2 exacerbated this issue by more or less copying its predecessor, albeit with greater specs. The homescreen is the same, the device looks the same, just a tad bigger. Playing on a Switch 2 is mostly indistinguishable from playing on the Switch, and that’s a problem
Nintendo illustrated it is capable of creativity and fun with devices like the 3DS, and I think that, and a desire to return to the glory days of gaming, is what makes it such an attractive option for people looking to unwind and relax. I’m not about to pretend that I used the 3DS camera every day, nor that I played that fun little game where you shoot photos of yourself more than a handful of times. However, I can go back on my 3DS and see the photos I took of me and my partner long before we got married, or me and my sibling goofing around, and I can, at any point, boot up that game and shoot at little digital versions of my dog’s adorable face.
Experiences like that, concepts like StreetPass that fostered a real sense of community between 3DS owners, just aren’t possible on the Nintendo Switch. That is really what Nintendo is missing right now: a sense of fun. I think, in an era where gaming is becoming increasingly more expensive, where the industry that creates the games we consume is falling apart, and where consoles continue to rise in price, all people want is a little bit of joy. The 3DS, even at its most inflated price, is still an affordable device that provides that in spades.
Ultimately, the 3DS proves that people are perhaps a little tired of the dour side of gaming, of Nintendo’s seeming lack of creativity on the hardware front, and of waiting for huge blockbuster titles to release that cater to such a broad audience they appeal to no one. The 3DS, for all its flaws, eschews a lot of that, if only by virtue of being 15 years old. I can’t blame anyone for desperately seeking out a 3DS in 2026, as it is a great console worth owning. In fact, perhaps it is finally time I go boot mine up again and see how that Animal Crossing: New Leaf village I abandoned years ago is holding up.
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Sam and Dean Winchester in Supernatural looking out a window.
