New Nintendo 3DS XL Pikachu Yellow Edition heading stateside in February

By Danny Cowan January 24, 2017

nintendo brings pikachu themed 3ds stateside header — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Though the upcoming launch of the Nintendo Switch console will mark a significant shift in Nintendo’s multiplatform strategy, the company’s current handheld gaming system still has plenty of life left in it, as a new 3DS XL model is set to hit North American store shelves in February.

The upcoming New Nintendo 3DS XL Pikachu Yellow Edition includes an etched faceplate design featuring Nintendo’s Pokémon mascot Pikachu, making it a perfect fit for hardcore fans of the recent series sequels Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon.

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Nintendo’s Switch console, launching worldwide in March, effectively bridges the gap between Nintendo’s console and handheld development divisions, serving as both a portable gaming device and a dedicated home console via an included docking peripheral. The move represents a risky venture after the commercial failure of Nintendo’s Wii U console, but the long-lasting popularity of the Nintendo DS line of handhelds could drive Switch sales in the months ahead.

While Nintendo recently confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be its final first-party release for the Wii U, the company has not announced any plans to abandon or discontinue its Nintendo 3DS platform in the months ahead. The New Nintendo 3DS XL Pikachu Yellow Edition will keep Nintendo’s portable console family stocked at retail, and its announcement hints at future 3DS software releases at retail and digitally via Nintendo’s eShop.

Nintendo previously leveraged the popularity of its Pokémon series for a boost in 3DS platform sales last year with the launch of the Pokémon 20th Anniversary Edition New Nintendo 3DS. While the 20th Anniversary Edition New Nintendo 3DS included preinstalled digital copies of the original Game Boy Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue games, the upcoming Pikachu Yellow Edition does not include any digital bonuses as part of its retail package.

The New Nintendo 3DS XL Pikachu Yellow Edition will premiere in North America on February 24 for a suggested retail price of $200.

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Nintendo’s eShop closures are a necessary, but messy move

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Nintendo last week announced its intentions to shut down the Wii U and 3DS eShops, the systems' digital storefronts, in March 2023. This decision was disappointing for hardcore fans who stuck with Nintendo during that rocky era and extremely worrying as many of the games available on the platforms won't be preserved.
More significant Wii U games and a handful of 3DS titles were ported to Switch, but many titles are still stuck on those systems and can’t be ported. Once the digital storefront shutdowns, digital-only titles will be gone forever, and physical copies of these titles will get more expensive and harder to experience. Fans and game preservationists have not been pleased by this decision, with the Video Game History Foundation giving the most candid response.
https://twitter.com/GameHistoryOrg/status/1494398068346654720
Following this announcement, Digital Trends spoke to an industry analyst and game preservationists to get a better idea of what exactly caused Nintendo to shut down these stores and to learn how it could do a better job at preserving its legacy.
Why is Nintendo shutting down the 3DS and Wii eShops?
Officially, Nintendo’s FAQ on the eShop closures says “this is part of the natural life cycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time." The answer doesn’t get into specifics and might confuse those still playing games on the system or fans of games only available on Wii U or 3DS. Omdia Principal Analyst Matthew Bailey explains Nintendo’s user base argument in more detail, highlighting the massive gap between the number of people playing the Switch as opposed to the Wii U.
“While Omdia expects the number of Switch consoles in active use to exceed 90 million on a global basis this year, the Wii U’s global active installed base will drop under one million in 2022,” he explains. “Even when you include the more enduring 3DS family of consoles into the equation, the Switch still comfortably accounts for over 90% of Nintendo’s total active console install base.”
If one is going off just the numbers, it’s sensible that Nintendo would want to focus on the majority of its players. Bailey admits that “Switch users are already reaping the benefits of Nintendo’s singular first-party development focus on one platform.” Still, one might argue that Nintendo should just let the eShops remain up even if it isn’t actively updating or maintaining them.

Unfortunately, Nintendo doesn’t see that as possible due to cost and security issues. Game Over Thrity, a Twitter user with over 20 years of experience working on IT projects and infrastructure, shed some light on what might have influenced Nintendo’s decision-making in a thread.
“As these systems age, they require patches, security, special contracts, updates, and personnel that know how they were built (and maintained),” his Twitter thread explains. “As time goes on, there are security holes, servers, code, infrastructure, etc., that can’t be brought up to modern standards. It becomes a constant struggle between maintaining legacy systems, paying people to do so, and trying to keep up with global regulations. It’s not cheap by any means. They can’t just ‘leave the lights on’ and stop supporting them. What if someone hacked the payment processor?”
With every passing year, the Wii U and 3DS eShops likely became more expensive to maintain and an increased security risk for the video game publisher. Instead of investing the time and resources into pleasing a smaller amount of players, the easier option is to turn everything off entirely. While he isn’t affiliated with Nintendo, Game Over Thirty’s assessment aligns with what we’ve heard from Nintendo and Omdia.
"The Wii U’s global active installed base will drop under one million in 2022."