Variant Identifiers: Wii U and 3DS

Modern Nintendo games are some of the easiest to understand from a collecting perspective; they give you helpful data, right on the game, that is predictable and constant (for 1st and 2nd party titles, at least).

What's more, consider this article a deeper exploration into some of the most common changing attributes on ALL games over the span of a console's life (not just Nintendo).

If you are going to collect for these Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, equip yourself with the knowledge in this article to enhance your collecting journey!

"Variant Identifiers" is the start of a new series of essays. Rather than focus on a specific game, these posts will share common variant denominators across a full library of games.

Terminology

Here is a quick glossary on common terms/acronyms:

• UPC: Universal Product Code. This is the bar code on the back of most games that is used for categorizing games at retail.
• Product Code: A five or six digit code near the UPC. It's common on most modern 1st and 2nd party Nintendo games.
• Print: Refers to the numeric portion of a game's product code. For instance, a game with product code 12345B will have the print 12345.
• Revision: Refers to the alpha-numeric portion of a game's product code. Typically it's a letter and the last character. For instance, a game with product code 12345B has the revision B.
• Variant: Refers to a specific print and revision combination of a game.
• ESRB: The Entertainment Software Ratings Board. They provide ratings for games similar to how movies are rated.

Why Do Variants Matter?

One of the key reasons to be keen on variants is they indicate different game content. For instance, a very early variant of a game may be missing DLC content that is later included on a Nintendo Selects release. These later prints can also include game-breaking bug patches.

While I won't speculate on someone's psychology regarding collecting one variant vs. another, I've noticed there is generally a pattern.

Speculators and hardcore collectors are more likely to go for early print copies as they often have the shortest print run.

This is opposed to some collectors who would prefer a later print, such as a Nintendo Selects releases, as they contain the aforementioned additional content.

Then there's some collectors who want every single known print (yes, they exist).

Regardless, there's something here for everyone!

Key Variant Indicators

The Nintendo Wii U and 3DS platforms were primarily active between 2011 and 2017, but have received support up through 2022 and early 2023.

Nintendo had several big changes to its offerings in this time, including amiibo, and a changing retail catalogue via the eShop.

In addition, there were also general branding changes.

All of these and more can help identify with good confidence if a specific variant is early, late, or somewhere in the middle of the system's life span.

Product Codes

As covered in my modern Nintendo variants essay, product codes are the major indicator of a print. They're only excluded on occasion for pack-ins, e.g. console or controller bundle offerings. They're fairly predictable.

The code is always on the back near the UPC. In the below example, the product code is 83664A.

There are two major things to remember:

1. The last character (always alpha-numeric). If it ends with the letter A, then the print you're holding is the original variant of the that print. This letter will descend alphabetically for each time the game had to be revised for production, for instance for fixing mistakes (patches), adding feature text (e.g., amiibo support), and the like.
2. Second is five vs six digit codes. For five digits (i.e., 12345A) that will represent an earlier print, or a variant of an early print (if the code doesn't end in A). Codes with six digits (i.e., 123456A) will often signify later prints, regardless of revision.

Finally, a notable detail about product codes is there can be a lot of them. Mario Kart 7 for instance has nine total variants.

ESRB Rating

At the start of both the Wii U and 3DS life, ESRB ratings had a slightly different design. They officially changed branding in 2013, although some games still used the original design as they were already in production, or had finished production prior, and were about to release. The rating on the back of a given game will also reflect the correct design, but it will be in the larger format including disclosures. For obvious reasons, games produced after 2013-2014 are likely to have only the new design.

Left: Previous ESRB rating design; Right: Current ESRB rating design

Nintendo Network vs. amiibo Logo

Initially, Nintendo included an orange logo signifying internet capabilities, then around the end of 2014 Nintendo launched amiibo for added hardware features in select games. For instance games like Mario Kart 8 and Animal Crossing New Leaf had their Nintendo Network logos replaced with the amiibo supported logo. In the case of the former, for example:

I included a more in depth analysis for Mario Kart 8's art differences in my Wii U population report breakdown.

Nintendo Selects

Starting with the Wii, Nintendo Selects replaced Player's Choice for games that sold more than 1 million units at retail. Here is a full list of games for Wii U, 3DS, and Wii that fell into this program.

There can also be discrete differences within a Nintendo Selects set of prints, too.

Not For Resale (NFR)

This designation is mainly for games packaged in bundles, like Super Smash Bros for Wii U, which received a controller bundle treatment and the NFR pack-in game. Another highly sought-after example is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, which had a very early system bundle edition with a physical copy of the game. It's not only very rare today, but a confirmed early print of the game.

You can identify an NFR print by looking for "Not For Resale" text somewhere on the case art. On Wii U, the disclosure is typically near the UPC and ESRB rating:

Conclusion

In short, you can use the above details to better discern when a game you're holding was produced for your own purposes.

If there's one key take away I give you though, it's to not rely on just one detail to determine the chronology of a variant. You will almost certainly need to leverage product codes and box art in addition to comparing with other known variants to accurately determine the print you have and/or want.

Thanks for reading!