Nintendo has started gradually phasing out the Nintendo 3DS consoles from its official repair service. The company announced in Japan that it will no longer accept repairs of Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL of any color after March 31, 2021. The company stated that it is now difficult to secure the spare parts needed to repair those consoles. [Thanks, Game Watch.]
Today’s announcement will only apply to the original Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL (known in Japan as 3DS LL) released in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The newer models—New 3DS, New 3DS XL, 2DS, and New 2DS XL—will still be accepted by the official service center for the foreseeable future. However, it’s only a matter of time until Nintendo runs out of spare parts to repair the newer 3DS models as well.
The original Nintendo 3DS launched in Japan on February 26, 2011, and in the West in March 2011. Production of all regular colors of the initial console ended in Japan by the end of 2016. Although it was succeeded by newer models, the production for all models in the 3DS family ended when Nintendo revealed it had ceased producing the remaining consoles—New 3DS XL, Nintendo 2DS, and New 2DS XL—in Japan in September 2020.
