Nintendo Today, Ebay tomorrow: How 'Loyal' Fans Sell Exclusive New 3DS Consoles At Way Over The Original Price!

In a continuation from our 1st of January post about an exclusive early UK release for Nintendo's New 3DS console, reports are now emerging that some of the special limited-edition New 3DS consoles that have been offered to selected Club Nintendo members are today being sold on the auction site EBAY for almost four times their recommended retail price.

According to an article on Eurogamer earlier today, over fifty New 3DS consoles have now been listed for sale, with the 'Buy It Now' prices reaching as much as £400 in most cases, which is a massive markup on the bundle's original £179.99 price tag. Furthermore, many of these consoles have yet to be shipped to their intended original owners by Nintendo.

Whilst Nintendo's exclusive invitation was a very clever idea, the New 3DS consoles were supposed to be sent to loyal Nintendo fans only, but today it seems as though loyalty counts for nothing when there is a quick profit to be made. Nevertheless, with the New 3DS reaching its official release dates in Japan and Australia, it is likely to be only a matter of time before these models end up for sale on the UK site as well.

For non Club Nintendo members in the UK, the choice is clear: either fork out for a massively overpriced limited edition version of the New 3DS console, or wait for confirmation of a release date for the official one. 

Nevertheless, with no official release date confirmed in the UK, fans of the handheld console are in for a long wait and Mini Gamers cannot help but wonder how many of them will succumb to the idea of an early look at what promises to be a great addition to the existing 3DS range, even if it means paying a lot extra for the privilege...

Why Today Is A Great Day For Nintendo Fans...

Yes, the 21st of November 2014 is a great day for Nintendo fans! Not only is Nintendo releasing its latest Pokemon title - Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire for the 3DS throughout North America and Japan today (European gamers will have to wait until the 28th of November 2014 for their version the game), but today officially marks the release of Nintendo's first wave of Amiibo figurines.

 The NFC Amiibo figures are expected to retail for around £10 each, and can allow users to add their favourite Nintendo characters to some of exciting Wii U, 3DS and New 3DS console games in the future. However, these figurines will be initially used in the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. 4, which also debuts today!

Thus, whether you are a 3DS or Wii U gamer, there is definitely a lot to celebrate. Well done, Nintendo!

Introducing the NEW 3DS...

Nintendo have today officially announced a new handheld console in its 3DS range via a Japanese-exclusive Nintendo Direct broadcast. The console, which so far has the working title of 'New 3DS', boasts a SNES style colour-scheme for its four main buttons, and is expected to come with several new features, including a small circular analog stick, called a C-stick, and in-built Near-Field Communication, which will be used in conjunction with Nintendo's Amiibo range.

However, for those of you who were expecting an NFC peripheral to adapt your existing 3DS console for use with Amiibo, Nintendo are still planning on releasing a 3DS NFC adapter some time in 2015, but the advantage of the new 3DS is that this technology will already be available within the console itself.

There have been two models of New 3DS announced today: The standard model and a new XL model, which has been called New 3DS LL. both models will be slightly larger than their current 3DS counterparts. This all sounds very appealing, but rather controversially, the console features a whole new CPU and therefore, the new 3DS titles will not be compatible with the older 3DS systems. This means that gamers who wish to play the new titles will be forced to upgrade to the new system.

One of the titles which has been announced for the system is a new Xenoblade Chronicles game, although details of how the game will use the features of the New 3DS console are unknown at this present time.

The New 3DS will launch in Japan on the 11th of October  this year and is expected to launch in Europe and the US some time in 2015. The news of a new 3DS is a slight 'mixed bag' for those fans who have already invested in a 3DS or 3DS XL, but the New 3DS will be much more advanced than its predecessor, and thus may well tempt gamers to either trade in their old consoles, or splash the cash on the New 3DS when it becomes available.

So, what do you think of the New 3DS? Are you tempted to buy one? If you have any thoughts about the new console and wish to share them with us, then please feel free to get in touch via our comments link at the bottom of this post.

It looks as though 2015 is already shaping up to be an exciting year in the world of handheld gaming. Keep checking in with the Mini Gamers blogsite for more news about this console as it develops.