3DS XL to be discontinued in Japan, no word on western plans

Nintendo of Japan has announced it plans to stop selling the 3DS XL.

The 3DS XL is "ending production soon", but the standard 3DS will remain in production, according to Siliconera's translation of a Nintendo of Japan announcement.

This leaves Japanese gamers hoping to purchase a larger-sized 3DS console with no choice but the more expensive and powerful New 3DS XL. It's unlikely they'll complain too much; it's been the best-selling 3DS model since it launched.

Nintendo of America and Europe hasn't made any similar announcements, but the New 3DS and New 3DS XL haven't even been dated for those territories yet so it's not surprising. We can probably expect something similar, eventually.

The New 3DS has extra processing grunt, two new buttons and a second analog control, among other additions, but it's considered a hardware revision, not an all new console - even though games designed for New 3DS won't be playable on standard 3DS models.

Thanks, GameInformer.