In 2010, Nintendo revealed the successor to their then-best selling system ever, the Nintendo DS. This was to be a similar handheld with better graphics, a wider top screen and 3D capabilities without the need for glasses. The system's idol was revealed shortly after: Enter Nintendo 3DS!
Nintendo 3DS, as the name implies, is most notable for her 3D effects at concerts. Similar to her respective system, the flashy effects that accompanied her at her shows were no doubt a technical achivement, as they wowed crowds and critics alike. This was a groundbreaking event at the start of the 2010s, where interest in idols began to be heavily renewed in Japan and spread around the world.
It was not without difficulties, however. Nintendo 3DS is a girl who has difficulty showing emotion, so she chose to have her appear in initial photoshoots with a stoic face, making her personality difficult to discern at a glance. Seeming counter-intuitive to the concept of idols, both her and her system were rather unpopular shortly after launch, underperforming for months due to slow software output and the fact that her concerts were barred from children below 7 due to visual effects. It was bad enough that the system got a huge price cut five months into its life, and 3D effects started to be dropped from some live shows. Yet slowly but surely, 3DS began to pick up in sales as she proved herself to be worthy of Nintendo idol fame.
Over the course of her career she recieved more costume redesigns than any other Nintendo idol. Her glossy teal base model outfit is one of the more iconic and well known ones, but she also had a wardrobe spanning the New Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo 2DS, and XL models for each of those variants. Her style leaned heavily into promoting customization, especially in Japan where the New 3DS launched with a commercial collaborating with Japanese pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. Customizable faceplates and an array of different models made Nintendo 3DS extra cute!
3DS is notable for performing for many sequels of existing Nintendo franchises. She has done work for various Super Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Kirby, Animal Crossing, and even the first handheld Super Smash Bros. game. She did the exceptional Fire Emblem Awakening, a game that got so big it saved the series! She also gave way to the Yokai Watch franchise, known for being super popular in Japan, and even some oddball concerts for cult titles such as Face Raiders and Rusty's Real Deal Baseball.
The 3DS had many social features built into it, and this was reflected by many social events hosted by Nintendo. 3DS performed a number of fan meet and greet events, which included the chance to Streetpass her, sending her authentic Mii to the systems of lucky fans. She acted in various short films shown on Nintendo Video, choosing roles that took advantage of her stoic face. She seemed to be good friends with Wii U and collaborated with them often, participating in Miiverse events as well helping to sell the popular amiibo toy line. In the twilight years of her career these collaborations would be with Nintendo Switch, who 3DS helped train to become the best she could.
Despite all we know about 3DS her personality is, as mentioned above, difficult to discern. While many were immediately put off by her stone-faced attitude, it later became remembered as a charm point as many grew to love her style. She seems to have a quirky sense of humor, as evidenced by a number of Twitter posts she made early in her career. While she has described her career to be something of a rollercoaster, she no doubt spread joy to millions as Nintendo's last dedicated handheld idol. Going up against a rising smartphone market that was quickly claiming casual gamers, she stood her ground in a rapidly changing world. Let's hope that one day her diehard fans get that Kid Icarus port they always wanted!