Semantic Nonsense: New 3DS whitewash

I see a New 3DS and I want it painted black.

As you might remember, I’ve written about the New 3DS (regular size) in the North American sales region a few times already.

Long story short: I wanted to buy the regular-size New 3DS, and I have strong suspicions Nintendo of America has not been fully honest with us over its decisions involving making it a nonexistent-to-rare commodity in the company’s most lucrative sales region.

I’ve spent almost half a year racking my brain over whether to bite the bullet on a New 3DS Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer bundle amid ever-dwindling supply. I don’t like Animal Crossing or its faceplates, so those would all be excess baggage in the bundle. Plus, the faceplates I do want look much better with a black base model rather than the white one included in the HHD.

Word leaked to the Internet today that there’s been a reprieve of sorts, but it comes with the same problem.

So Pokemon is something else I’ve written about quite a bit here.

Pokemon Red and Green were released in Japan on Feb. 27, 1996. Nintendo has dubbed that day Pokemon Day, and is celebrating with several incentives. First, all four (or three, depending on your region) first-generation Pokemon games are being added to the 3DS Virtual Console, updated to use the 3DS’ wireless capabilities instead of ye auld Game Boy link cable. Nintendo also announced a resupply of all the Pokemon Amiibo.

But the big announcement is the special edition Pokemon hardware. Japan sees the 2DS for the first time with four transparent color-coded 2DSes that come with the version of the game matching the color (Red, Blue, green or Yellow) and a download code to unlock Mew, which would be unavailable without the Virtual Console also getting Game Genie.

In North America, the aforementioned original-size New 3DS returns in a new bundle. With it comes downloaded copies of Pokemon Red and Blue, download codes for a home menu theme (so no Mew!) and faceplates based on Pokemon Red and Blue’s box art. Sorry, no Yellow.

Once again, though, the New 3DS for the bundle is the white model, leaving the black one still N/A in NA.

However, I cannot help but be haunted by the Word of God from an earlier 3DS hardware color debacle when the while and silver original 3DS XL was passed over for distribution in North America.

“We have launched silver- and white-colored GBAs, DSes, DSis, and in our [North American] market they don’t sell very well. … in terms of an ongoing SKU, the consumer has responded in our marketplace and said that, for a handheld gaming device from Nintendo, that kind of white or silver doesn’t sell nearly as well as blue or red or even pink.”

—Reggie Fils-Aime, president and COO, Nintendo of America to IGN in 2012

Huh.

So Nintendo of America’s redheaded stepchild of a New 3DS, when barely made available, only ever comes in the color their own experience and market research says sells poorly. It’s almost as if they’re setting it up for failure. Which is odd, as they could have just continued to simply not offer the thing and called it a day instead of going for the End of Evangelion route, which grants each item on the fan wishlist in the worst way possible. You know, offer it, but as spitefully as they can.

(Not that I trust NoA to do competent market research, so even if white units sell OK, the important part remains that NoA BELIEVES that white handhelds = fewer sales.)

I must admit that in both its bundles thus far, a white 3DS goes much better with the included faceplates. That being said, it’s not like Nintendo of America hasn’t had any chances to do a New 3DS bundle that would rock with a black base uint. Fire Emblem Fates was begging for a hardware bundle in black. You know, like this one that DID exist in Japan:

For those New 3DS hangers-on, the clock has been reset. A fresh supply is on its way next month. Those of you waiting for a black or a standalone New 3DS have more time to play chicken. But I do worry neither shall come to pass because of the way Nintendo of America has made its past New 3DS decisions — both the ones it gave us and the ones it did not.