The Nintendo 3DS Is Now a Collector’s Console

[chainsniff]

More than a decade after launch, the Nintendo 3DS has become one of the most surprising winners of 2025’s retro boom. Prices for used systems — especially the New Nintendo 3DS XL — have surged toward $400, in some cases rivaling or exceeding the cost of a brand-new Nintendo Switch.

Originally released in 2011 with a $250 price tag (later slashed to $170), the 3DS went on to sell nearly 76 million units worldwide. Discontinued in 2021 and cut off from the eShop in 2024, the system has nonetheless gained new life as scarcity, nostalgia, and collector demand collide.

[etfs]

paying switch money for a 3ds is kinda insane but also i get it