Why I Love the Nintendo 3DS

• Introduction
• The Bygone Era of Handheld Gaming
• My Personal Experience with Handhelds
• Why the 3DS Is the Best

Introduction

This is my shrine for the Nintendo 3DS-my favorite console of all time.

My first handheld was the Gameboy Advance SP, although I didn't really play it much. In 2007 I recieved a DS Lite; in 2009, a DSi; and finally a 3DS in 2012.

In 2023, my partner got me a New 3DS, whereupon I retired my old one. I've been playing my New 3DS ever since!

The Bygone Era of Handheld Gaming

I think the late 2000s were the peak of handheld gaming. Social media hadn't yet gained traction, and smartphones were still a few years off. Consumer technology was divided between a healthy ecosystem of personal dedicated devices: specialized for a singular purpose, these devices provided portable entertainment and unique user experiences without the insiduous functions later introduced in modern, do-it-all smart technology.

A diverse ecosystem meant a diverse market; market diversity leads to innovation. Since its inception, Nintendo has been known for its creativity in UI, design, and engineering, which-in my opinion-is best illustrated in the 3DS.

Aside from the PSP, Nintendo dominated the handheld market and thus determined an entire generation of gaming. With the DS being the second best-selling video game console of all time and the 3DS models pushing ~76 million units, the entire DS-3DS ecosystem is, collectively, the most successful run of video game consoles ever.

Portable tech is always successful. From the Sony Walkman to the iPod, the first PDAs to the modern tablet, or the Nintendo Gameboy to the Switch (the latter being the protoypical PC/console hyrbid), consumers are quick to jump on the latest and greatest on-the-go gadgets.

The penultimate portable device-the smartphone-was the most successful invention of its kind, as well as the death knoll to every single one of its predecssors.

At the time of writing this in 2026, we are nearly twenty years past the advent of the smartphone, which is now used for anything and everything. Shoving the entire plurality of consumer technlogoy into one device has made us overly dependent; it's also homogenized UI and UX design, leading to a universal design language milquetoast in both its form and function-not to mention the countless ways it's enabled companies and governments to exploit user data.

The smartphone also broadened the consistent handheld design to a vague spectrum of portability.

Consider the average PDA, MP3 player, and gaming handheld of the late 2000s; thought they varied widely in design, they were all roughly the same pocketable size, with smaller screens, compact peripherals, and minimal gimmicks.

Compare this to the tech devices of today: smartphones offered in three different sizes, the smallest of which is no lesser than at least 6 inches; tablets ranging from mini, normal, and pro versions; hybrid game consoles as small as the Switch Lite or as large as the Steam Deck.

All in all, modern portable technology has suffered from bloat in every aspect: hardware, software, UI, UX, etc. We continue discovering the drawbacks, disadvantages, and damage this technology has had in our persona lives as well as society at large; in an effort to remedy these affects, more and more people are turning back to the dedicated devices of the past (such as the 3DS)-an effort I wholeheartedly encourage!

My Personal Experience with Handhelds

From about 2005 to 2009 my little sister did competitive tumbling. We'd drive hours away to her competitions; I'd spend all day following her and our mom around giant sports arenas outfitted for preteen girls, then wait an entire afternoon to watch her compete, before loading back into the minivan and going home.

I always brought my DS Lite. I even had a little backpack for it that also carried my games and a charger. I'd sit in the bleachers and open up Pictochat to find dozens of other bored kids were also in attendance. There was something so organic in loading in and seeing X amount of people in one of the chatrooms-knowing that everyone was somewhere in the immediate vinicty.

I remember going to Gamestop with my parents to buy Pokémon Diamond, my first Pokémon game-my best friend had already gotten Pearl. (Before Diamond, I had to beg my cousin to let me play his copy of Emerald on his Gameboy Advance; he'd only let me ride the bike around in circles).

I spent the drive home reading the back of the box over and over. When I finally played the game, it was a revelation to hold so much fun between my two hands. many of its assets are still imprinted on my mind-like the flowers of Floarama Town, Dawn's impeccple sprite designs, and Jubilee City's theme music. I eventually got Platinum as well as SoulSilver, White, and White 2.

Besides Pokémon, I vividly remember playing hours upon hours upon hours of Animal Crossing: Wild World with my best friend. Once we stayed up until 2:00 or 3:00 AM running around each other's towns, fishing, catching bugs, etc. I also played a lot of Nintendogs, Cooking Mama, and other miscellaneous cozy games.

I was 13 when the 3DS came out in 2011, by then able to take on bigger games. Whereas I'd previously sat on the sidelines watching my best friend play Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64, I played it myself on the 3DS port. As a huge Adventure Time fan, I bought Hey Ice King, Why'd You Steal Our Garbage? and Explore the Dungeon Because I Don't Know! Both titles oozed with charmful character emblematic of their time period--perfectly at home on the 3DS.

I played a lot of other games, including the DS backlog I had accumulated over the years. But the game I put the most hours into out of any title on any console (besides Skyrim on my PS3) was Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

Why the 3DS Is the Best

If the late 2000s were the peak of handheld gaming, then the early 2010s were its most idealized state-and the 3DS was the highest iteration of the DS concept.

By this point, the form factor, engineering, and technology