Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo put the 3DS on sale in Japan on February 26, 2011. Europe and North America followed in March. It kept the clamshell shape of the Nintendo DS. The top screen was new: it shows 3D without glasses, and a slider on its right edge sets how deep the effect goes. That slider was a deliberate choice. In Nintendo's Iwata Asks interview, Satoru Iwata says a programmer built the prototype to work like a sound volume control. His reasoning was that only a direct analog control lets people adjust depth correctly. Shigeru Miyamoto adds that game makers decide how much 3D each game uses. The 3DS also brought the Circle Pad, a sliding analog pad above the D-pad. It has three cameras. Two on the outside of the lid take 3D photos, and one faces the player. Iwata admits in the same interview that two aligned cameras were expensive to make. His stated reason for keeping them: people love to take 3D photos. The start was harder than planned. At Nintendo's investor briefing in April 2011, Iwata said sales were healthy at first but slowed from the third week after launch. Nintendo revised its plans for the system that year. The surprising detail is how the screens meet. On the original model, owners found marks on the top screen where it touches the lower half when closed. Nintendo later admitted this came from manufacturing, according to My Nintendo News. The larger 3DS XL followed in 2012. Nintendo confirmed in September 2020 that manufacturing of the whole 3DS family had ended.

Playing 3DS cartridges on the hardware they were first made for, with the 3D effect on the top screen. Playing Nintendo DS and DSi cartridges. The 3DS reads both, so one system covers two libraries. A small body. Nintendo's pre-launch figures give 134 x 74 x 21 mm closed and about 230 g. 3D photos. The two outer cameras take stereo pictures at 640 x 480. Easy power. A charging cradle and an AC adapter came in the box, and a full charge takes about three and a half hours. Where it falls short: battery life is short. Nintendo gives about 3 to 5 hours with 3DS games and 5 to 8 with DS games. The manual warns that 3D use by children aged six and under may cause vision damage. Parents can switch 3D off in Parental Controls. The Nintendo eShop stopped taking purchases on March 27, 2023. Online play ended in April 2024, though previously bought games can still be downloaded again. There is no Game Boy Advance slot, unlike the original Nintendo DS. Nintendo no longer services the original 3DS, so repairs go to independent workshops.

Open System Settings and run the Circle Pad calibration. The manual says to calibrate when movement happens without touching the pad. If it still drifts, look for dust along the edges of the lower screen and remove any screen protector.

Calibrate the touch screen from System Settings. Then tap the corners and the center with the stylus. Nintendo also suggests cleaning debris from the edges of the screen.

Open the system fully and look at the top screen with it switched off, under a lamp. Lines or blotches that match the shape of the lower half come from the two halves touching when closed.

Charge it fully, then play a 3DS game with the 3D slider at the halfway point. Nintendo gives 3 to 5 hours for 3DS games. The manual says the pack holds about 70% of its capacity after 500 charges.

Use the Nintendo 3DS AC adapter, model WAP-002, and watch the recharge light. If it lights and goes out at once, or blinks, Nintendo points to a battery pack that is not seated properly.

Run the outer camera calibration in System Settings. The manual recommends aiming at a bright object outdoors, more than 20 meters (about 65 feet) away.

Slide it from OFF to the top while a 3D game is running. Check Parental Controls too, because the 3D display can be switched off there.

The original 3DS closes with the top screen very close to the lower half. In 2011, TechCrunch reported owners finding marks and a cracked D-pad, and linked both to thin rubber bumpers. My Nintendo News reported that Nintendo called the cause manufacturing. It describes the blotches as temporary, and Nintendo offered repairs where they disrupted play. Owners report placing a cleaning cloth between the screens when closing it.

The CTR-003 pack is a 3.7 V, 1300 mAh lithium-ion cell, per iFixit's teardown. Nintendo's manual says capacity drops to about 70% after 500 charges and that packs are sold separately. Replacing it means taking the whole back cover off. That is home work with a small screwdriver. The manual warns that leakage or combustion of the pack can cause injury, so do not charge a pack that has leaked or looks damaged.

Nintendo's support page starts with the adapter: use the WAP-002, unplug it for 30 seconds, and check both ends. A charge light that goes dark at once or blinks points to the battery connection, which is reseated under the back cover. A system that stays dead after that needs a workshop, since Nintendo no longer services it.

The top screen and the cameras connect through ribbon cables that run through the hollow hinge. iFixit rates the top screen replacement very difficult: 40 steps and four to five hours, with heat to release the glued front panel. A damaged connector or cable stops the top screen working. The 3DS uses JIS screws, and iFixit warns that a Phillips driver can strip them. This is workshop work.

Nintendo's first step is recalibration, then cleaning and removing screen protectors. If drift remains, the Circle Pad needs service. Nintendo no longer offers that for the original 3DS, so an independent workshop replaces the part.

Nintendo suggests cleaning the buttons and around the touch screen, recalibrating, and a full restart by holding POWER. If a button still fails, the lower shell has to come open. iFixit's teardown found the bottom half came apart easily once the screws were out. The button itself is then cleaned or replaced.