The new 3DS is set to help with amiibo, which already seems to be a giant success if pre-orders are any indication, but on top of that it's capable of handling ports of Wii and Gamecube titles. I'm thinking Nintendo is going to release 3D versions of their classic games like Mario Sunshine, Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime, and Pikmin for the new handheld. Ports take very little time to make and Nintendo needs games.
Most gamecube games are very good and have a dedicated following, but they're fairly new to a LOT of people. The gamecube only sold ~20m units, and if the New 3DS only sold half as many units as the 3DS has, it'd reach that. That said, the amiibo is coming and this system is now the cheapest way to use them. So now you have the amiibo which is currently on fire, and a little restricted by supply, and a whole library of great games that are now being offered to an audience that potentially dwarfs the people it was open to before, and can now be brought on the go. With third parties having bailed, repackaging games you've already made for an entirely new audience is a genous move, and that's exactly what the new 3DS does.
Nintendo is about to pull another wii from under its hat.
