New Nintendo 3DS release date

Nintendo’s popular portable was the star of the show during Nintendo Direct, the first of the company’s regular news videos for the New Year. In addition to showcasing a bunch of new games coming to the system, Nintendo announced that the upgraded model, the bluntly named New Nintendo 3DS XL, will finally arrive in America on February 13.

Unlike previous members of the 3DS family, the 3DS XL and the 2DS, this 3DS adds some substantial new hardware features. The handheld now tracks players’ faces and adjusts the 3D display so players can always enjoy the effect no matter their view angle. The added shoulder buttons and C-stick offer better controls for shooters, like upcoming indie title IronFall, and games like Monster Hunter 4 where camera control is crucial. There’s a built-in NFC reader for Amiibo support so players can scan in Fire Emblemfigures like Marth and Ike to upcoming steampunk strategy gameCodename: S.T.E.A.M.

The system has a better processor making web browsing smoother, downloads faster, and beefy games like Smash Bros. less taxing. While the New 3DS doesn’t include an AC charger, since Nintendo figures most gamers already have a compatible one already, it does opt for a microSD card slot instead of a full-size one, so existing 3DS owners making the jump will have to transfer data. It also looks like the $200 XL model will be the only New 3DS available in America, not it’s more compact Japanese counterpart. That means no custom faceplates either.

But what good is a video game system without games? Along with the titles mentioned above, Nintendo revealed the next Fire Emblem following up on the commercial and critical success of Fire Emblem: Awakening. They showed offPuzzles & Dragons: Super Mario Edition and the free-to-play, Candy Crush-esque Pokémon Shuffle, two games that give off heavy App Store vibes. They highlighted indie games like Citizens of Earth,Gunman Clive 2, and Moon Chronicles. A new Mario vs. Donkey Kong lands in March for 3DS and Wii U that lets players tip each other to reward good levels, but only in stars, not real money unfortunately.

For fans of the peculiar RPGs Etrian Odyssey and Mystery Dungeon, a new game is coming that mashes up the styles of both. The remake of the cult classic Wii RPG Xenoblade Chronicles arrives in April only for the New 3DS. Finally, the 3D remake of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask drops alongside the system on February 13 with a special, GameStop-exclusive Zelda-themed version of the handheld.

Wii U owners weren’t totally ignored, though. While the Fire Emblem news didn’t come with an update on the long lostShin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, RPG fans did get another look at the upcomingXenoblade Chronicles X. Bandai Namco vaguely teased some kind of free-to-play dungeon crawler called Project Treasure. Nintendo detailed the social features of their gnarly nautical shooter Splatoon coming this May.Hyrule Warriors is getting some Majora’s Mask DLC including the loathed Tingle. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is coming on February 20 in all its Claymation glory. A new line of Mario Amiibo figures will be compatible with Mario Party 10 in March, and the Toad figure will work with Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker too. You’ll also soon be able to buy classic Wii games through the Virtual Console like Punch-Out!! and Metroid Prime: Trilogy.

That’s a lot of news. Be happy Nintendo fans