Is the 3DS still worth it?

With the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch Lite that was also launched a few months ago, it’s difficult to place in the 2019 handheld gaming world.


Near the end of 2019, is the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS line still worth buying? Handheld consoles are often at the top of Christmas lists for adults and kids, so obviously a shiny new Nintendo Switch is the Christmas equivalent of striking oil in your back yard.

Considering in 2017 Nintendo launched their last 3DS model, the New Nintendo 2DS XL, it sent a message that it still backed the system. A little bonus in my bank account last year, and a lifelong yearning for a Nintendo handheld system, saw me picking up a New Nintendo 2DS XL last year.

My fascination with the Gameboy and eventually the Gameboy Advance is thanks to Pokémon. Back then I could live with playing on an emulator on a PC. But when the dual screen Nintendo DS was launched with Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, the same emulators became hard to use on PC and Android devices.

Considering that Pokémon titles HearGold and SoulSilver, Black and White, Black2 and White2, X and Y, OmegaRuby and Omega Sapphire and Sun and Moon and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were released on Nintendo’s new systems, getting a 3DS made sense.

But with the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch Lite that was also launched a few months ago, it’s difficult to place in the 2019 handheld gaming world.

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