nostalgia hits different: bringing my 3ds to gamescom 2025
so lets talk about nostalgia for a second.
you know that feeling when you suddenly remember something you used to love? the wii, the wii u, your 3ds collecting dust in a drawer somewhere? yeah. that hit me hard recently.
and it got to a point where i just had to grab my 3ds and actually use it again. not just look at it fondly. actually turn it on and do stuff with it.
so naturally i brought it to gamescom. because why not.
the 3ds in 2025
look, the 3ds is ancient by tech standards. nintendo stopped making them ages ago. the eshop is dead. streetpass is supposed to be a ghost town.
but here's the thing - i pulled that thing out of whatever drawer it was hiding in, charged it up, and brought it with me to gamescom 2025.
and you know what happened?
30 streetpasses.
thirty. in 2025. at a gaming convention.
apparently im not the only person who had this nostalgia wave hit them. loads of people brought their 3ds units. it was like a secret club nobody planned but everyone showed up to.
seeing that little green light blink with streetpass notifications felt weirdly emotional? like finding out your childhood friend still lives in the same neighborhood.
gamescom 2025 was pretty sick
okay so double feature here because gamescom deserves its own section.
the convention itself was great. met a bunch of cool cosplayers, ran into some youtubers, the usual convention chaos.
but the highlight? hands down was this ralsei cosplay from deltarune. like seriously impressive. the attention to detail was insane. took a photo, they were super cool about it.
conventions hit different when youre not just consuming content but actually interacting with people who are as nerdy about this stuff as you are.
on a side note: im writing this in physics class right now. teacher is talking about... something with waves probably? not paying attention. priorities.
why nostalgia matters
heres the thing about old consoles and games - theyre not objectively better than modern stuff. the 3ds screen is tiny and low res. the games are dated. the hardware is weak.
but theres something about revisiting things you loved that just feels good. its comfort food for your brain.
and seeing other people at gamescom with their 3ds units, trading streetpasses like it was 2013 again? that was special. we all collectively decided "you know what, screw it, were bringing back streetpass."
sometimes you just need to grab whatever you miss and reexperience it. even if its "outdated" or "irrelevant" by modern standards.
the wii u deserves more respect
quick tangent: the wii u gets way too much hate. yeah it flopped commercially. yeah the marketing was confusing. but that console had some incredible games.
splatoon, mario maker, breath of the wild (before switch), pikmin 3, wonderful 101...
if you still have a wii u, dust it off. play some stuff. youll remember why you liked it.
same goes for the original wii honestly. that console was everywhere for a reason.
final thoughts
nostalgia is weird. it hits randomly. one day youre fine, the next day youre pulling out a decade-old handheld console and bringing it to a gaming convention.
but you know what? embrace it. if you miss your old consoles, use them. if you want to bring your 3ds somewhere, do it. apparently 30 other people at gamescom had the same idea.
and to everyone who still carries their 3ds around in 2025: i see you. keep the streetpass dream alive.
now if youll excuse me, i have to pretend im paying attention to physics.
stay curious (and nostalgic), zy