Nintendo reveals updated “New Nintendo 3DS”

Out of nowhere Nintendo has announced that the Nintendo 3DS family is getting a mid-life hardware refresh.  In Japan at least, for now.

The “New Nintendo 3DS” and “New Nintendo 3DS XL” (yes, those are actually the names) includes a second C-Stick analog nub, new ZL and ZR buttons, a “Super-Stable 3D” function, NFC support for use with the upcoming amiibo figures, customizable face plates, and a slightly redesigned form factor.  The non XL 3DS screen size is also slightly larger.

The refreshed hardware is headed to Japan in October, and Nintendo has confirmed that it will not be available in North America or Europe this year.

Head on over to the announcement here.

Nintendo Co., Ltd. will launch ?New Nintendo 3DS? and ?New Nintendo 3DS XL? on October 11, 2014 in Japan, at the suggested retail prices of 16,000 yen and 18,800 yen (prices not including consumption tax), respectively. The systems will be the newest members of the Nintendo 3DS family, the sales of which in Japan alone are estimated to already top 16 million units to date.

The new C-Stick, ZL button and ZR button, which will enhance the play controls of the existing Nintendo 3DS hardware, have been added, and the new ?Super-Stable 3D? function will provide players with an even more comfortable 3D gaming experience. Furthermore, the new ?NFC feature? will enable the use of the ?amiibo? on Nintendo 3DS.

As for ?New Nintendo 3DS,? the LCD screens are bigger than those of the existing Nintendo 3DS, and the exterior design of the hardware can be customized simply by exchanging the ?Cover Plates,? which will be sold separately.

As for the overseas markets, our local subsidiaries will separately confirm. However, there will be no U.S. and European launches this calendar year.