{"id":136239,"date":"2026-02-26T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-197916"},"modified":"2026-02-26T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:00:00","slug":"poll-whats-your-favourite-3ds-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2026\/02\/26\/poll-whats-your-favourite-3ds-model\/","title":{"rendered":"Poll: What’s Your Favourite 3DS Model?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"3DS<\/a>
<\/span> Image: Damien McFerran \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gosh, the passage of time is a nasty one, eh? There we are just trying to enjoy our day, when all of a sudden, BOOM<\/em>, we’re reminded that today is the 15th anniversary of the 3DS.<\/p>\n

Yes, the 3DS, that console which, in our minds, is still a relatively young whippersnapper, was released on this day (26th February) fifteen years ago<\/em> in 2011.<\/p>\n

It’s a system that many of us here at Nintendo Life still hold dearly in our hearts, and one that we return to with a surprising frequency, even though we’ve got two<\/em> newer consoles from the House of Mario at our disposal. But there’s something about the software lineup that we just can’t knock. Tomodachi Life<\/a>? A Link Between Worlds<\/a>? Animal Crossing: New Leaf<\/a>? Talk about bangers.<\/p>\n

But we’re not here to discuss the software this time (we’ve got our list of the 50 Best 3DS Games Of All Time<\/a> for that), we want to talk about the system itself. More specifically, we want to talk about its weird and wonderful family.<\/p>\n

Because yes, while the 3DS is a system in its own right, it spawned a whole family of models to choose between. These were released every couple of years between 2011 and 2017, and included everything from bigger screens to additional control stick ‘nubs’.<\/p>\n

As the OG system celebrates a decade and a half since launch, we thought it’d be only right to remind you about each model’s quirks before we pit them head-to-head in a poll to decide, conclusively, which one is the best (or which one is your favourite, at the very least).<\/p>\n

So, here they all are, in release order.<\/p>\n

3DS<\/h2>\n
\"3DS\"<\/a>
<\/span> Image: Damien McFerran \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First released:<\/strong> 26th February 2011<\/p>\n

The first model really was a beauty, wasn’t it? The big selling point was that autostereoscopic 3D screen, of course, but let’s not forget the internal and external cameras for all of those free AR games, a particularly slippery circle pad, and the trio of Select \/ Home \/ Start buttons that never really<\/em> felt like buttons. Magical<\/em>.<\/p>\n

3DS XL<\/h2>\n
\"3DS<\/a>
<\/span> Image: Damien McFerran \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First released:<\/strong> 28th July 2012<\/p>\n

Do it again… but bigger. Just a year and a half after the 3DS first appeared on the market, Nintendo launched the XL model. It had all the same features as its predecessor, but with a 124mm screen, compared to the old model’s 90mm.<\/p>\n

2DS<\/h2>\n
\"2DS\"<\/a>
<\/span> Image: Zion Grassl \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First released<\/strong>: 12th October 2013<\/p>\n

Another year, another 3DS. Only, this one wasn’t<\/em> 3D. Aside from being the ugliest-looking handheld Nintendo had released in a hot minute, the 2DS removed the family’s trademark gimmick (and its internal stereo speakers) for a cheaper, non<\/em>-autostereoscopic model.<\/p>\n

A lot of people didn’t get on with the 3D, so its removal is fair enough. The removal of the clamshell design, however, is a little harder to overlook.<\/p>\n

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