Nintendo has run out of spare parts needed to repair the original Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL in Japan. With this shortage, Nintendo announced that the company is now unable to accept any additional units for repairs, earlier than expected. All original 3DS units received by March 8, 2021 will be the last batch repaired officially by Nintendo.
A recent tweet from the company translates as the following: “Since the stock of repair parts has run out, we will stop accepting repairs for the Nintendo 3DS main unit and Nintendo 3DS LL main unit on March 8, 2021, when they arrive at our company. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”
Just over a week ago, we reported that Nintendo will stop repairing 3DS and 3DS XL systems at the end of March, “due to lack of parts.” It seems that this warning was a wake-up call for many system owners as customers flooded the request forms on the website to send their 3DS systems in for repair before the deadline.
From Nintendo’s American Customer Support page, the 3DS models that are unable to be repaired are:
- Original Nintendo 3DS – Model No. CTR-001 – Serial numbers begin with “CW” or “CB”
- Original Nintendo 3DS XL – Model No. SPR-001 – Serial numbers begin with “SW” or “SB”
- New Nintendo 3DS – Model No. KTR-001 – Serial numbers begin with “YW”
Despite the official repair service phaseout, Nintendo assures folks that customers can still send in other unlisted units for repairs, including the “New Nintendo 3DS” (excluding the serial numbers listed above), “New Nintendo 3DS LL,” “Nintendo 2DS,” and “New Nintendo 2DS LL.” Additionally, the 3DS online Nintendo Network service will remain accessible.
