In case you missed the memo, Nintendo has announced that starting this month it officially stops taking in 3DS and 3DS XL consoles for repairs. However, the New Nintendo 3DS, New 3DS XL, and 2DS models will remain unaffected for now. As reported by Pocket Gamer, the Kyoto-based developer and publisher stated that it has run out of parts to repair the hardware via its Japanese website.
Regarding the repair reception of the Nintendo 3DS main body and Nintendo 3DS [XL] main body, since the parts necessary for repair are out of stock, we sincerely accept the repair reception of the Nintendo 3DS main body and Nintendo 3DS [XL] main body up to March 8, 2021. [The repair service] will end when [the consoles] arrive at our company. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.”
Nintendo already said that the company is going to discontinue 3DS repairs since last month because spare parts are running low. Although at first, the repair service was intended to continue until March 31. Nevertheless, even if a device was received before the aforementioned deadline, it won’t guarantee a repair. Quoting VideoGamesChronicles,
Due to the difficulty in securing the necessary parts for repair, we will no longer be able to accept repair requests for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL as of March 31, 2021. Please note that even before the above date, we may not be able to repair your product if the necessary parts are no longer in stock. Please be aware of this in advance.”
Back in September 2020, Nintendo officially announced that it is discontinuing all models of the 3DS, almost 10 years after its debut. At the same time, the Mario maker confirmed that all attention was now being placed on its successor, the Nintendo Switch. The company also stopped releasing first-party games in September 2019. As I’m writing this article, Switch has already passed the 79 million unit sales worldwide. Meanwhile, the 3DS console lifetime sales are at 75.94 million units.
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