I'm not giving up on the Nintendo 3DS just yet

Hi, I’m Dustin Wilcox. I’m 17 years old, and I really, really, really, really, really want a Nintendo Switch. But don’t we all.

While the Nintendo Switch has been out since March of 2017 and only continues to get better, I haven’t yet been able to get my hands on one. Part of me says, “Not yet, Dustin. It takes you forever to save up $300—don’t blow it all on a Switch when you’ve got other consoles to invest in already! Wait until a price drop comes around.” And it’s true. Some of my consoles, like the PlayStation 2, are ludicrously cheap to collect for and have absolutely stellar libraries.

The other part of me holds on to the past in some ways. That part says, “Well, you’ve already got a perfectly good Nintendo 3DS. Why upgrade now?”

My situation with the Nintendo 3DS was a very interesting one. I already had three main home consoles that I spent a lot of time on: the Wii U, the Nintendo 64, and the PlayStation 2. All three consoles were a joy to play. (Though in retrospect, the Wii U’s library looks kinda weak compared to the other two.) Though I still had (and have) my Nintendo DS Lite, I hadn’t put much time into it in quite a while. I had kind of lost interest in handheld gaming, I suppose.

Then came Christmas of 2016. I had sort of wanted a Nintendo 3DS for some time, but I had never purchased one. Much to my surprise, I was greeted by a brand-spanking-new…er, “New” Nintendo 3DS.

It had all the fancy bells and whistles. Increased processing power. Head-tracking-assisted, glasses-free, stereoscopic 3D. Four shoulder buttons. A “C-stick” nub thing. It was the whole danged shebang. Since my parents had also gotten me Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (which I already owned the Wii U version), I had my work cut out for me.

And so, I dug right in. I spent the rest of that Winter Break clocking in countless hours in Smash and generally messing around with my new piece of handheld hardware.

After Christmas Break, however, things sort of went quiet with my New Nintendo 3DS. It wasn’t until April 29th, 2017 that I got my second game: Super Monkey Ball 3D (it’s a good one, I tell ya). From there on out, my interest was thoroughly reinvigorated. And my little 3DS chugged on. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon on June 1st, Super Mario 3D Land on October 26th, and Regular Show: Mordecai and Rigby in 8-Bit Land on November 18th. Though my library was small, it was pretty darn good.

Most recently, I purchased Metroid: Samus Returns, and though I haven't spent much time with it, I think I really quite enjoy. (Except when I get stuck. That's never fun.)

It’s taken me a long, long time to fill out my 3DS library, and I’m certainly not finished yet. And though I dearly want to jump ship and hop on the Switch bandwagon, I don’t think it’s time for me yet. Like the title says, I’m not giving up.

Of course, it’s not like the 3DS is a dying console or anything. Its user base is absolutely phenomenal (71.99 million units!), and Nintendo continues to support it with quality first-party games. However, it seems to me that many people are ready to move on. Though for a teenager like myself with a very limited budget, the 3DS still seems to be the obvious choice.

The Nintendo 3DS has been around for 7 whole years—it’s had a long time to build up a solid library. For someone who entered the 3DS ecosystem way late in the game, I have a lot of options. And while the Switch’s library just keeps getting better and better, I think there’s nothing wrong with sticking with what I have. I mean, for goodness sake: I’ve only got five games. Just for a frame of reference, here are the games I’m looking to snag up in the coming months:

Kid Icarus: Uprising One of the best games on the handheld, and one that came very early in its lifespan, Kid Icarus: Uprising is a really neat action rail shooter thing from the immortal Masahiro Sakurai. Since I’m not big on RPGs (a genre which swamps the 3DS’s library), Kid Icarus should be a fun, high-action title to keep me duly satisfied.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf In all honesty, I’d be going out on quite the limb with Animal Crossing. The closest thing I’ve ever played to a “life sim” is MySims Kingdom, so I’m not sure how comfortable I’d be with the genre. Still, the game is pretty cheap now, I’ve heard really good things about it, and I enjoy the simple fun of checking in on a game throughout the day (like with StreetPass!), so I think I’d enjoy Animal Crossing: New Leaf if I gave it a fair shake.

Luigi’s Mansion 3D One of the upcoming 2018 3DS games, Luigi’s Mansion 3D is exactly what it says on the tin: a remake of the Gamecube classic. Since I enjoyed Dark Moon quite a bit (minus some tedious bits), I think I’d totally dig the original, too. Besides, I’ve heard from some that it’s better than Dark Moon. I can roll with that.

WarioWare Gold Though I've never actually played any prior games in the series, I know WarioWare Gold is the kind of game I'd be into. I like fast-paced games, and WarioWare personifies speed. Being tasked with completing extremely short microgames in succession to earn a high score is my kind of thing. And seeing as how Gold will have 300 microgames, it will most likely be the best in the series upon its release.

And, if I have the time and money, possibly Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (which I adored on the Wii U) and Detective Pikachu (which seems interesting enough).

That’s a solid list right there. The best part? The list will just keep getting longer and longer. I’ve only had my 3DS for a little over a year, and I’ve barely scratched its library. Despite how impossibly cool the Switch is, I don’t think I have a reason to upgrade just yet.

And beyond that, there are the little things that count. For instance, new 3DS games top at $40; most of the new Switch games are $60. While every big-name Switch does pack a lot of value for the price, I don’t want to get into all that just yet. I enjoy gaming on a budget. It’s why I collect for the PS2, after all.

There are some drawbacks to me sticking with the 3DS. Naturally, I won’t be able to experience the glorious wonder that is Super Mario Odyssey (instead I’m stuck with 3D Land). And there are the technical drawbacks, like staring at miniscule 240p screens. Plus, there is, unfortunately, the mere fact that playing a 3DS in public looks much, much weirder than playing a Switch in public. I know it sounds somewhat vain, but I’d really not like to be caught openly playing a Nintendo 3DS in a high school setting. It’s just…weird.

But still, the 3DS has enough appeal that I’ll be sticking with it for a long, long time. There are so many delightful games that I still haven’t experienced, and I sure do appreciate the lower prices. There’s obviously nothing wrong with moving on to the Switch, but for right now, I don’t think it’s the move for me.

When you think about it, this article was rather pointless. I just told you all why I was sticking with a 3DS. News-worthy? Not at all. But you know what? It’s my gosh danged blog.

Keep it real, ya sweaty nerds.