There’s no regular-size New 3DS in North America because it’d be too confusing

Yeah, we wouldn’t want that

Nintendo has made some unconventional decisions lately when naming new iterations of its hardware. The successor to the Wii was called the Wii U. The upgraded 3DS was named the New 3DS. It’s easy to see how that branding could be confusing for anyone that’s not in the know about these matters.

Well, Nintendo thinks that it’s sparing North American consumers a bit of grief by not offering a regular-size New 3DS. In an interview with Nintendo Life, senior manager in marketing and licensing Damon Baker said that releasing only the New 3DS XL is Nintendo’s way of innately clarifying the difference in units.

Baker stated “Now we have clear differentiation between those three systems. Before, there was a very limited difference between the 3DS and 3DS XL other than size. It was the same resolution, same functionality. Now, there’s the 2DS, 3DS, and New 3DS XL, all of which have their own functionality and features. The different price points give it a clear message for consumers. The core audience, we weren’t going to win with them on that decision. But we had to think about expanding the user base; we had to be able to market it and make it easy to pick up for consumers.”

Nintendo hasn’t yet ruled out the idea of bringing the non-XL New 3DS to North America. However, if that were to happen, it’ll most likely signal the discontinuation of the older model. Nintendo’s a real stickler for clear-cut product branding, after all.

Nintendo of America’s Damon Baker Explains the New Nintendo 3DS XL Decision and Desire to Engage With the Community [Nintendo Life]