[UPDATE] Limited Stocks of new Nintendo 3DS XL's in North America

Published: February 17, 2015 9:31 PM /

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new nintendo 3ds xl

North America seems to be suffering from a low stocks of the new Nintendo 3DS XL. All official retailers for North America: GameStop, Best Buy, Target and Toys'R'us, have completely sold out of their online stocks.  Consumers still wishing to pick up a new 3DS will still be able to purchase one in store, particularly in bigger cities, though the in store stock is also reportedly limited.

The extremely low stock update follows the release of the limited edition Majora's Mask 3DS XL which sold out of its preorders within 15 minutes of going live. Kotaku reported that both Best Buy and Target oversold their stock and were offering gift cards for cancelled preorders at $50 and $15 respectively. People are already taking advantage of the desire for this limited edition 3DS, as it is now being sold on Amazon for $569, $370 over its original retail price.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the release of the system in North America, as the North American release only offers the XL version of the new console compared to Japan which also offers the smaller version with swappable face plates to customize your console. The Japanese console which has been selling here since October , is still plentiful and has caused people to export to North America. There are rumors that this model will make it to North America later this year, though this is unconfirmed.

However, like the WiiU, Nintendo has region locked the new console so buyers in North America who purchase Japanese consoles will have to import or download all their games through the Japanese online store where most games are Japanese language only. Despite this many games come out for the Japan region first which can be an advantage to consumers with some knowledge of the Japanese language.

The new 3DS console offers several upgrades from the old one including a second analogue stick, improved 3D capabilities, an extended battery life and face tracking capabilities.

TechRaptor has reached out to retailers to comment on their stock situation, and will update this article when a response is received.

UPDATE: A Q&A with the President of Nintendo Satoru Iwata has revealed that the US port strikes are the reason for the amiibo and console shortages in the States.

Are you interested in getting the new 3DS console?

 

 

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