After announcing the new Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)-themed version of the 3DS XL last August, Nintendo has opened up pre-orders for the classic-inspired handheld console.
The console is priced at £179.99, which is about $237, and will be out on Oct. 13. Unfortunately, the SNES-themed 3DS will only be available in Europe. The are no announcements about plans to release this particular version in North America, so it looks like Nintendo fans in the U.S. will just have to wait, or settle with another special-themed 3DS XL. The latest special themed version of the 3DS XL that is available in the country is the Samus Edition, which will be available in stores on Sept. 15.
The SNES-version looks similar to the Super Famicom-themed 3DS XL, which was sold exclusively in Japan last year. The European version just swaps out the Famicom logo for the SNES logo.
Fans of the handheld console should hurry with pre-ordering the SNES-themed 3DS XL, as Nintendo products are notorious for selling out instantly – soon as pre-orders become available. It can be remembered that gamers encountered a lot of trouble in pre-ordering the SNES Classic edition, which was announced earlier this year.
Some retailers even put up pre-orders during unexpected hours like 3 a.m., but the SNES Classic still kept being sold out on the spot. In some websites, the product was selling out between the times that a customer adds the console to his or her cart and clicks the button to check out.
It seems like Nintendo is relying very heavily on the nostalgia that classic games and gaming consoles stir up in people, and is doing so very successfully. The gaming giant is one of the pioneers of the gaming industry and is reaping off the abundant rewards, rapidly selling out pretty much anything that it releases, from modern consoles like the Nintendo Switch or nostalgia-driven re-releases of 90s games.
