I mean, there’s clearly a demand for it since the prices have gotten through the roof. Should I really purchase one or is it pointless and a waste of money. What’s the reason behind its sudden resurgence despite it being an “old” console as the Switch lineup has replaced it? Does it have to do with physical game ownership?
The 3DS was a solid console. It had homebrew on top of its game library. If you want the authentic original experience, it’s hard to argue with. If you want the actual 3D effect, I think this is your only option.
If you don’t care so much about authenticity, though, there are some amazing emulator handhelds these days that even include a second touch screen for DS and 3DS games. They don’t do the 3D effect as far as I know, but they’ll emulate DS and 3DS as well as every handheld that came before them and many couch consoles. If you just want to be able to portably play 3DS games, get one of them.