Nintendo’s New 3DS XL is selling out and difficult to find

If you were looking to upgrade to Nintendo’s latest portable device, you may have trouble finding the one you want.

The New 3DS XL is selling out at retailers across the country. You might have previously heard that the Majora’s Mask-themed 3DS XL was hard to come by, but we’re now seeing similar situations for every version of the system. Nintendo recommends three retailers to get a New 3DS XL: Best Buy, GameStop, and Target. If you’re shopping online today, none of those options have the system for sale. If you’re shopping in person, you’re likely going to encounter stores that do not have a single New 3DS XL on their shelves.

We’ve asked Nintendo for a comment, and we’ll update this post with its input.

While I completely struck out when I went to Target.com and GameStop.com, I thought I might have found what I wanted on Best Buy’s website: a Black 3DS XL that I could order online. But when I clicked through, the site forced me into doing an in-store pickup, and none of the stores in my area have a New 3DS XL.

So, reluctantly, I started looking at in-store inventory checkers for and calling stores.

First, I got on the horn with GameStop. After getting placed on hold for a very long time, the clerk told me that his store was sold out of every New 3DS XL and so is every GameStop store in the Denver area.

I didn’t even try Best Buy because I already knew all of its stores are sold out thanks to the in-store pickup checker.

Finally, that led me to Target.com’s option to search nearby stores. Of course, the Majora’s Mask New 3DS XL is sold out at every store in a 50-mile radius from my home, but so is the black system. Only about four of the Targets out of the 30 that are near me have the red New 3DS XL in stock.

This is likely good news for Nintendo, which was hoping to see a spike in sales for its handheld hardware from the release of this device. But it’s rough for anyone who is still trying to pick one up.