Since its launch in February 2011, the Nintendo 3DS has gone through multiple hardware iterations, improving the design, build quality, and even the console’s highly regarded 3D capabilities. Its latest versions, called New 3DS and New 3DS XL, are vast improvements over their predecessors. The difference is so significant that even if you’re an early 3DS adopter, it’s well worth picking up one of these.
But it’s important to remember that unlike Google, Apple, Sony, or Microsoft, Nintendo doesn’t make it easy to share games across your devices. Your system settings and digitally downloaded games will not automatically appear on your new console as they are not tied to your Nintendo Account. Instead, they are hardware related. This makes transferring data cumbersome and having to carry your old 3DS with you to transfer data to the new 3DS. In order to make this work, you need to know the following. You’ll need an active internet connection using Wi-Fi, and an SD or MicroSD card in both consoles (and two 3DS devices, of course).
1. Turn on both systems.
2. On both consoles System settingsThen Other settings.
3. Select System transmission. The system will now be connected to the Internet.
4. Click Transfer between Nintendo 3DS systems.
5. On the old 3DS you want to transfer data from, select Sent from this system.
6. On the new 3DS you want to move the data to, select Received from Nintendo 3DS system.
7. Follow the prompts on both devices and select moveand then wait for the transfer. This may take a while.
8. Once completed, the device will ask if it can restart. tap Yes.
9. If you had the game pre-installed on your new system before transferring, you may need to re-download it from the eShop.
Once you’ve done this, all your settings and downloaded games will be available on your new 3DS and disabled on your old 3DS. The digital games you own can only run on one system at a time – which means that after you transfer them to the New 3DS, you won’t be able to play them on your old handheld. It’s a somewhat anachronistic system, and we’re hoping Nintendo will address this issue at some point, because with this setup, buying physical games makes a lot more sense. This way, even if your hardware stops working, your game is still safe.
Do you have a Nintendo 3DS? Are you considering upgrading to the new 3DS? Tell us in the comments.
