Nintendo Japan Launches SNES (Super Famicom) Themed New 3DS XL

Last week Nintendo announced that old school SNES games such as Super Mario World and Donkey Kong Country will become available exclusively through the Virtual Console on the New 3DS and New 3DS XL handheld systems. Over in Japan there’s even more reason to get nostalgic about this 16-bit resurgence as Ninty is introducing a brand new New 3DS XL which is designed to look like the much loved Super Nintendo Entertainment System (or Super Famicom as it was branded in the motherland).

Teasing shots of the new portable revealed on the Japanese edition of Nintendo Direct showed off beautiful retro detailing on traditional grey plastic – the stuff all classic Nintendo consoles were once made of. When opening up the portable’s clamshell design the paint job on this special edition New 3DS XL accurately resembles the Super Nintendo and features all the familiar buttons from the early 90s console including Start, Eject and Reset along with the red power light (all non-functional). The actual control buttons of the 3DS come in the same classic colours (red, blue, green and yellow) that were included on the original SNES pad. All the ports and buttons of the New 3DS are also there right where you’d expect them

To see it is to immediately fall in love with it, and this is probably our favourite of all Nintendo’s 3DS variants (and there have been a lot). But unfortunately for us here in the western world the Famicom themed New 3DS XL will only be available in Japan with no announcement for a launch elsewhere in the world. If you want to look into importing one it’ll cost ¥21,600 (around £145) when the handheld is released for sale in April.

Also See: Nintendo Direct Announces SNES Games are Coming to New 3DS