The Nintendo 3DS is a beloved mobile game console, with over 74 million units sold and a huge library of fan-favorite titles. But it didn't always start out that way though.

• The system launched in 2011 at a pricey $250 with a tiny, mediocre launch lineup
• The marketing was confusing and sparse
• the core gimmick of the system (Stereo 3D) came at a time when it was a passing fad
• An obtuse, weirdly designed architecture that lacked standard middle-ware compatibility made it difficult to create and port modern games to it.
• Lack of a second Circle Pad was seen as a baffling oversight
• Post-launch drought was miserable with third parties slowly cancelling projects one by one as a result of sluggish sales
• Was facing the looming threat of Sony's slick new PlayStation Vita, which had more power, better controls and a competitive price point
• That, combined with the rise of smartphone and tablet gaming lured a lot of developers away from the system at first.

Things weren't looking good for the 3DS initially, and could've potentially been Nintendo's first big flop in the handheld space. But starting in the Summer of 2011, Nintendo took drastic measures.

• The system got a massive $80 price cut to $170
• Rolled out an Ambassador program of 40 free Virtual Console games to early adopters as compensation
• Nintendo fast tracked big titles such as Star Fox 64 3D, Mario 3D Land, and Mario Kart 7 in time for the holidays
• Aggressively made deals with third parties and indies such as landing Monster Hunter, SMTIV, and Shovel Knight
• Ramped up first party production with Mario & Luigi, Animal Crossing, Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon, Pokemon, Fire Emblem Awakening, Smash Bros., eShop titles etc.
• Tried to get big mobile franchises like Puzzle & Dragons on the system
• Introduced the New Nintendo 3DS, which addressed almost every criticism of the OG models
• Developer support slowly improved, with more indie titles starting to come day & date more frequently

And in the end, it was ultimately succeeded by the Nintendo Switch, which learned from the failings of both the 3DS and Wii U and became Nintendo's most successful console in years. Looking at it in retrospect, it's scary how similar this scenario is to Sony and the PlayStation 3.

A console succeeding one of the best selling game platforms of all time, that was too expensive, hard to develop for, arrived too late to a changing gaming landscape, struggled with securing games, and initially stuck with shoddy ports, before turning itself around in the end after the platfrom holder burned money to make it happen, and was succeeded by a simple, easy to develop console (Switch and PS4) that put the platform holder back on top.

Never really thought about it ngl. That’s an interesting comparison…I’d have to think on it.

Pfff what? 🤣. No

No. PS3 is the SEGA Saturn of its era but the difference is that Sony had the money and muscle to save it. Even tho like Saturn it had multiple processesers that were difficult to program for.

From a handheld perspective, perhaps. I would say Super Nintendo was the closest thing to the PS3 with actual consoles. It sold really well, but struggled against the Genesis on the heels of the world-beater that was the NES.

At first, I thought you meant specs, and I was like "are you joking?" PS3 destroys New 3DS and Vita in specs.
It's tough to compare the situation of the 2 because PS3 is a home console and multimedia device while 3DS is a handheld console. Even if 3DS lost money for a time when the first price cut debuted (Nintendo almost never takes a loss on hardware), PS3 lost crazy amounts of money for Sony, billions in USD.
So I'm not sure if I would really be a good comparison.
PSP might be more apt due to similar pricing, full digital games + DLC, specs, units sold, etc.

Yes. Essentially yes.

Graphics wise noo. But otherwise yes in terms of when the console came out etc.