Nintendo 3DS



"Take a look inside."

The Nintendo 3DS was the successor to the hugely successful Nintendo DS handheld. It retained mostly the same design, but added a very unique feature: a stereoscopic screen that produces a 3D image with no need for special glasses. It sold poorly at launch due to being too expensive, but after a swift price cut, it took off and became one of their most successful systems.

There is a also budget variant, the 2DS, that plays the same game but without the 3D effect.

The 3DS is fully compatible with DS/DSi games, except games and add-ons that use the GBA port (that is, the same that didn't work on the DSi).

Cartridge Based
This icon indicates cartridge games that are also available on eShop; note that not all cartridge games available on the eShop are available in all regions at the same time.

New Nintendo 3DS
Please be aware that any games on the "New" Nintendo 3DS list can only be played on the newer models with the extra thumbstick.

Nintendo eShop


Amusingly enough, Nintendo dropped the "Ware" name from Wii and DSi, because they felt devs and audiences would think they were making inferior products (given the notorious restrictions associated with the names, they weren't too far off with that). These are downloadable with real world monies and taxes, which requires you to use a credit card monies or a 3DS card to add cash. If you don't have enough cash at the moment of buying the game and are only off a little, you can use your credit card to add just what you need to make the difference.

WARNING: the 3DS eShop will be shut down in March 2023.

"Infinite" Games
These games have that "Tetris appeal" in that there is no real "ending" to shoot for, and you can replay them constantly. Most of these are puzzle games (a small few aren't), but with a variety in gameplay. Most of these have some sort of single-player goal-centric mode to accompany endless modes, however, the main meat of the purchase comes from the latter.

Applications
These are not technically games, but have neat features. These include internet-based and/or sometimes creative-driven applications, along with other things that may come in handy or are just kinda fun to mess with. Unlike DSiWare, these are not limited to your 3DS' system memory, but run off your SD card. Which is good, because some have pretty big file sizes.

3DS Virtual Console


If you missed them the first time, and feel like supporting the classics over pirating them, check out this page for a good idea of what (may be up) to buy: Game Boy (Color). The only games that not really up for grabs are typically those with licensing issues, such as Disney games. Game Gear is also worth checking, if Nintendo ever gets off its fucking ass and puts more stuff on there outside of Japan.

Note that the availability of these games will be different depending on your country. For NA, check availability HERE, EU checks HERE, and JP checks HERE.

''Although mostly similar, the VC libraries and prices do differ per region, so beware. Also, in case you didn't know, the NES VC for 3DS is different from the Wii NES VC and the two have access to different separate libraries instead of the same one. Pricing seems to be company set, and not all games cost the same, regardless of the game's original system.''

Info:
 * NES, GB and GBC all have "save state-like" functions called "Restore Points", located on the touch screen. If you wish, they can also be disabled (and re-enabled at any time).
 * All games are presented as is, so no in-game coding has changed (with a few exceptions).
 * NES Games are locked in at a specific ratio and cannot be changed. For turn-taking multiplayer, such as in Super Mario Bros, pressing L+R+Y will switch between player 1 and 2. Regarding simultaneous multiplayer, a few games currently utilize it and it is done via Download Play (i.e. Player 2 sets their 3DS for Download Play and gets sent the game data). Restore Points are turned off during Download Play multiplayer.
 * Game Boy games are only in monochrome (black/grey/white or shades of green; switch with L+R+Y) and have no Super Game Boy or Game Boy Color support. Game Boy Color games are always full color in their original palettes (so no monochrome option, and still no Super Game Boy support).
 * Holding select or start upon starting a GB or GBC game until it loads up will let you play GB and GBC games with a system border and the original resolutions.
 * Regarding controls: For NES, GB, and GBC, B is B and A is A, just as Select and Start work respectively. Y acts as a short-hand version of the Select button and X acts as a 2nd B button for NES only. For GB and GBC, X instead brings up the VC menu.

Unlike Nintendo's VC, the Game Gear features many more options (excluding multiplayer (out of Japan at least)), including: fully customizable buttons that include options for rapid-fire, screen mode (tiny ass screen with GG system border or expanded, full-screen mode), system color, "Blur" (ghosting/after image), system performance (normal or original (i.e. likely includes slowdown and things like that)) in addition to the normal save state-like restore points. The system colors (i.e. the border) to pick are black, blue, yellow, or red. Damn. Even now, Sega does what Nintendon't.

Screen/Menu Example (text is respective to country, so it's likely in English for you):

DSiWare


It may seem odd to want to play something that would be considered "outdated", but fuck you, DSiWare had some pretty fun stuff. It will also be supported for a little while longer, so you might want to keep your eye out for some future releases anyway. Of course, now you get charged sales tax, but that's entirely Nintendo's fault. Thankfully, they get reviews and videos on 3DS, so you can get a preview before you buy.

DSiWare is downloadable and transferable with the 3DS. However, you won't be able to keep any of your save data (due to Nintendo's legal bullshit). That said, all you have to do is download a free application off of the DSiWare Shop (the 3DS already has the means to do so without said app). Have both plugged in (or you'll get a fuckton of warning messages), set up a full or custom transfer (the full is much more convenient), and Pikmin will transfer all your data. If you get an error message, whatever was in the middle of being transferred will have to re-transfer, but everything else will already be sent over, and won't start all the way over.