Nintendo 3DS Family Getting 3 New Models

Releasing special edition 3DS consoles is nothing new for Nintendo, And therefore, their latest announcement shouldn’t really be a shock – Nintendo plans to role out three new special edition 3DS XL units. 

First up, on September 17th, is the Super Smash Bros 3DS. The handheld looks great, and might be a must own for any Smash fan. The hardware will NOT ship with a copy of the game – due out October 3rd – which could be an oversight. In light of the other 3DS systems coming, it seems like offering up Super Smash early for those that buy this day one could have been a nice incentive.

The second of the three 3DS models to launch this year is the Persona Q model. This will be the least desired of the three available systems, and like the others, will come gameless at the price of 199.99.

The final and most impressive 3DS model will be launching in October. This NES inspired 3DS is gorgeous, and will probably sell out quickly…at GameStop and EB Games. Yup, this unit is exclusive, and probably a smart move by GameStop executives! Even the box is great to look at. If you don’t care about this 3DS, you may consider purchasing it as an incentive. Like other exclusive 3DS models – the Pikachu edition for example – it will become fairly hard to fine, and incredibly expensive to obtain.

Although I am due for a 3DS upgrade soon, there is no way I’m purchasing any of these models. Next year, Nintendo will be launching the New 3DS and New 3DS XL in North America. This new console will boast better controls and a faster processor, and the regular sized NEW 3DS will have interchangeable faceplate and those awesome colored buttons, making it almost as awesome as the NES model visually.

While these devices have probably been in the pipeline for a while, it seems like a last ditch effort by Nintendo to make money using the old 3DS model. After all, after the announcement of new systems a few weeks ago, how many people were going to rush out to the nearest store to put 200.00 down on something that will soon be underpowered and eventually unavailable. Very few. These new handhelds, however, might sway a number of people that value the visual appearance over what’s ‘under the hood.’