The New Nintendo 3DS is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It is the fourth system in the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld consoles, following the original Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, and Nintendo 2DS. The system was released in Japan on October 11, 2014, in Australia and New Zealand on November 21, 2014, on January 6, 2015 in Europe in a special Club Nintendo-exclusive "Ambassador Edition", and at retail in Europe on February 13, 2015. Like the original 3DS, the New Nintendo 3DS also has a larger variant, the New Nintendo 3DS XL, released in all three regions. In North America, the New Nintendo 3DS XL was released on February 13, 2015, while the standard-sized New Nintendo 3DS was released later on September 25, 2015
Improvements upon the previous models include upgraded processors and increased RAM, an analog pointing stick , two additional shoulder triggers (ZR and ZL), face detection for optimizing the autostereoscopic 3D display, an included 4 GB microSD card and built-in NFC, as well as minor design changes (such as colored face buttons, and the availability of face plates for the smaller-size model)
The New Nintendo 3DS received positive reviews from critics; although criticized for certain aspects of their design (such as the microSD slot placement), the consoles were praised for their improved performance, additional control options, and better 3D image quality. In the July 2017 lead-up to the release of the New Nintendo 2DS XL, Nintendo confirmed that production on the standard-sized New Nintendo 3DS in Japan had ended. The XL model remained in production until July 2019, when production ceased and it was removed from their website