A photo of a Nintendo 3DS chilling in a museum display case recently blew up on X (formerly Twitter) in Japan. For tons of gamers, the 3DS is still that familiar handheld from their childhood or school days. Seeing it showcased as an exhibit? Yeah, that hit different and made a lot of people feel the relentless march of time.
The original poster shared their visit to the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku, where they spotted a white 3DS console and game cartridges on display. Their first thought? "Oh, cool, a modern exhibit!" But a closer look revealed the shocking truth: it was nestled right in the "Retro Exhibit Zone."
The post went viral, and netizens were just as stunned: "Is the 3DS considered retro... already?" "Wait, it's retro now?!" "The thing I held in my hands in elementary school is now, without me even realizing it, officially deemed retro... Whoa."
After all, for many players, the 3DS isn't like the Game Boy or Famicom—devices that are firmly categorized as nostalgic handhelds. Instead, it's more like a vibrant memory of youth, playing "Animal Crossing" or "Mario Kart 7" with friends, or connecting with fellow enthusiasts through StreetPass.
The Nintendo 3DS originally launched in 2011, boasting glasses-free 3D stereoscopic displays. Back then, it felt incredibly futuristic. Fast forward to today, and it's a product from over a decade ago, with Nintendo officially discontinuing its online services. It's truly becoming a symbol of an era.
And precisely because that distance isn't quite 'historical' yet, seeing the 3DS in a museum hits differently. People are still collecting them, still playing them, yet without anyone noticing, it's already become an artifact of a bygone era, displayed for all to look back on! QQ