Upsetting the core audience was expected.
Nintendo has finally explained why the company decided not to bring the smaller, standard model of New 3DS that supports swappable face plates to North America.
Damon Baker, the Senior Manager in Marketing and Licensing at NoA, told Nintendo Life that it came down to making things as clear as possible for consumers in the North American market.
"Look, the face plates are super cool, but we're a different market. And now we have clear differentiation between those three systems," he explained. "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."
Naturally the company knew it would upset hardcore Nintendo fans, but that was a sacrifice the company was willing to make. "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."
Are you disappointed the smaller model isn't available in North America or are you more than happy with the XL? Let us know in the comments below!