Nintendo discontinues 3DS console

Nintendo has discontinued its 3DS handheld console almost 10 years after the device was first launched.

The Japanese tech giant’s UK website quietly announced the news, saying: “The manufacturing of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems has ended.”

Nintendo first launched the console in 2011 with its ability to display stereoscopic 3D effects without the need for glasses as the headline feature.

An XL model with a larger screen followed a year later.

More than 75 million units were sold since it hit shelves, under half the 154 million its 2D predecessor managed.

Pilotwings Resort, Nintendogs + Cats and Steel Diver were among the launch titles, followed by 3D versions of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Star Fox 64 and Kid Icarus.

The company’s current focus is on its Nintendo Switch console, which has sold more than 61 million units since its release in 2017.

This month Nintendo is also celebrating the 35th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros release.