Finally, after seven months, the New 3DS is coming to North America! The one that came out back in February was the New 3DS XL. The New 3DS (sans XL) has been out in Japan and Europe for months, but until now it was unavailable in the U.S. and Canada.

The N3DS will be coming out in North America on September 25 bundled with the upcoming Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer.

The two handheld consoles are almost identical, but they have a few interesting differences. First, the N3DS is smaller than the N3DS XL (XL stands for “extra large”). Second, the N3DS has removable face plates, so you can customize the look of your console whenever you want (kind of like old cell phones). Third, the buttons on the front of the console use classic Famicom colors.

Happy Home Designer bundle

Feast your eyes on the new bundle.

The new bundle will include the N3DS, a download of Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, two swappable face plates, and one card amiibo. (There will be hundreds of card amiibos to collect, so get ready for that.) Suggested retail price is $219.99.

Not sure about the differences between the Nintendo handheld consoles? I made a chart about it back when the New 3DS and New 3DS XL were first announced. Rest assured, the new Animal Crossing game will work on any version of the 3DS. If you want to use any card amiibos with your game, however, and you don’t have a N3DS or a N3DS XL, you’ll have to spend $19.99 to buy an amiibo reader accessory.

Don’t want to buy a new handheld console? You can buy just Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (one amiibo card included) for $39.99 or a bundle that includes the game, one card amiibo, and the amiibo-reading accessory for $49.99.

Click here for more details on Nintendo’s upcoming releases now through the end of the year.

[UPDATE: Nintendo has also announced a new New 3DS XL design featuring artwork from The Legend of Zelda! That console will be available exclusively at GameStop for $199.99. Here’s a picture:

Hyrule Edition N3DSXL

N3DSXL: Hyrule Edition

The Hyrule Edition of the N3DS XL will be available on October 30. Check out product details here.]


This article was written by

Courtney is Pixelkin's Associate Managing Editor. While working with the Girl Scouts of Northern California, she mentored young girls in teamwork, leadership, personal responsibility, and safety. Today, she spends her time studying adolescent development and using literary analysis techniques to examine video games.