After almost a decade on the market, Nintendo has discontinued the 3DS and its extended family of handheld gaming consoles.
The news was quietly announced via the gaming giant's official Japanese website, with each model of the 3DS listing their status as "out of production." Curiously, the American Nintendo site has seemingly gotten rid of any mention of the 3DS, too, as the Verge pointed out.
Initially introduced in early 2011, the Nintendo 3DS saw a number of revisions over its lifetime. Some of the newer models included the 3DS XL, the 2DS, the New Nintendo 3DS, the New 3DS XL, and the New 2DS XL. Despite poor sales in its launch year, the system eventually grew to have a sizable game library and Nintendo shipped over 75 million units in just over nine years.
Nintendo's focus these days is entirely on the Switch, which has continued to do well for the company. As of the end of June, Nintendo had shipped more than 61 million Switch consoles worldwide. If the newer system keeps up that momentum, it could overtake the 3DS by the end of the year.
Fans of the 3DS mourned the discontinuation on Twitter, paying respects to one of the most beloved handhelds ever produced.
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