After 13 years, the 3DS is a retro console in a new Pokemon ad, and millennial Nintendo fans can't handle it

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"Can't we wait until a system is 20 years old before we do a childhood flashback scene"

The leader of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Team Star laughs menacingly
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

It's 13 years since the Nintendo 3DS arrived on the scene, and according to Nintendo, that's long enough for it to be considered old. 

This came to light in a new Nintendo Switch ad featuring Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. In the clip, we see an older teenager pack up his belongings as he prepares to leave home and make his way out into the world. As he shuffles through his old belongings, he comes across a shiny blue Nintendo 3DS and proceeds to reminisce about the times he spent playing Pokemon games on it with his brother when they were both children.

It's touching, for sure, but it's also stirred up other feelings among Pokemon fans who think it's too soon for the 3DS to be seen as a device of the distant past.

"Can't we wait until a system is 20 years old before we do a childhood flashback scene," Stealth asks. "If 3DS is retro now in the eyes of Nintendo, then the systems I grew up with are ancient artifacts."

In the same boat is @WaysideChase, who writes in the comments, "And just like that…I'm an old man." There's also @jordanhth23, who says "I feel so goddamn old now," and they're far from the only ones. 

Then there's @DHStom, who, clearly not reading the room, points out that with the 3DS being 13 years old, "its release is closer to the Game Boy Advance than to today." Let's also gloss over the fact that its predecessor, the DS, turns 20 later this year, shall we?

Further cementing the 3DS' status as a system of a bygone era, back in October, Nintendo announced it was ending online functionality for the 3DS as well as Wii U in early April 2024. This comes after the closure of both system's eShops last year, making physical copies the only choice for those looking to bolster their library of games going forward. At the time, Nintendo said it had "no plans" to preserve titles outside of those offered in Nintendo Switch Online memberships.

Take a trip down memory lane with our pick of the best 3DS games of all-time.

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Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.