Can’t Get the Parts, Mate: Nintendo 3DS Spare Components Sell Out
If you need your Nintendo 3DS repaired, you might be hard pressed to find the right parts because, following Nintendo’s announcement that it would stop supporting original 3DS, 3DS LL, and XL models, the company has actually sold out of spare parts. At least, in Japan. Nonetheless, this means that anyone with select 3DS consoles won’t be able to send their unit off for a fix-up.
Nintendo Japan revealed it would stop supporting original 3DS models from 31st March 2021, some 10 years since it was initially released, and this led to an influx of repair requests. This isn’t a massive shock – hardware production ended in September 2020 – but what did come as a shock was how quickly Nintendo ran out of spares. All 3DSes received by the repair shop before 8th March will be the last batch repaired by Nintendo.
Here are the units affected:
- Original Nintendo 3DS – Model No. CTR-001 (Serial numbers begin with “CW” or “CB”)
- Original Nintendo 3DS XL – Model No. SPR-001 (Serial numbers begin with “SW” or “SB”)
- New Nintendo 3DS – Model No. KTR-001 (Serial numbers begin with “YW”)
But don’t panic too much.
This only affects Japan right now, although it will surely hit the rest of Nintendo worldwide. Still, if you know what part(s) you need, we’re sure you’ll still find them through third-parties. Even eBay should do it.
Nintendo will still (for now) repair newer models. Nevertheless, it’s sad to see the 3DS, one of Nintendo’s best-loved consoles, nearing the end of its dotage. And 31st March feels very close indeed…
Philip Bates is the co-founder and editor of The Doctor Who Companion. His most recent books are 100 Objects of Dr Who, and The Black Archive: The Pandorica Opens/ The Big Bang. His first console was the SNES and he’s been an avid fan of Nintendo ever since (with brief sojourns into the realms of the PlayStation).
