Graded Nintendo 3DS consoles hit $1,500 as sealed Majora’s Mask units spark battery safety fears

If the skyrocketing prices of used Nintendo 3DS on eBay weren’t enough, scalpers and collectors have taken things a step further by grading and sealing unopened Nintendo 3DS handhelds, and fans of Nintendo’s beloved, discontinued gaming handheld aren’t happy.

Recently, a Reddit post on r/consoles surfaced showing two graded and sealed New Nintendo 3DS XL Majora’s Mask Editions that the redditor purchased for a premium.

While the Redditor did not list the exact price, a Nintendo 3DS XL Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask VGA Graded Silver 85 NM+ can cost anywhere between $1,200 and $1,500 (via eBay). This post has drawn widespread criticism from gamers and YouTubers like Shane Luis, who have called the situation “beyond incredibly dumb.”

The reason is that encasing unopened handhelds could cause the lithium-ion batteries inside the consoles to expand, potentially leading to leakage or an explosion.

Grading and collecting video games, comic books, and Pokémon cards has been an explosive trend in recent years, with mint-condition cards and rare cartridges selling for thousands of dollars. The grading of the item is handled by organizations such as WATA and VGA, which consider its condition and authenticity. These collectibles are then sealed in acrylic cases.

However, extending this practice to portable consoles that house batteries has certainly raised a few eyebrows in the video game market. The Reddit post featured two PAL-region Nintendo 3DS XL Majora’s Mask systems, fully boxed, which are now locked behind an acrylic case after grading.

Some 3DS models are selling for as little as $230 and as much as $1,000 on sites like eBay, including limited-edition collector's models. This absurd trend has made functional 3DS models harder to procure, frustrating retro gamers and buyers who want to use them as intended, i.e., to play Nintendo 3DS games.

Shane Luis from the Rerez YouTube channel shed light on this situation and gave his two cents on Bluesky. He said:

I hate when people get tricked into doing stupid stuff like this. NEVER EVER use a video game grading company to seal new consoles that include batteries. You’re basically locking a battery inside a sealed plastic coffin that will either expand, leak, or explode.

Amid the controversy, a commentator said sarcastically:

The best way of giving an object value is to completely disable its primary function by covering it in plastic. That’s why I’m plasticizing my firstborn son, to keep him minty fresh and prove to the world how valuable he is. What could be a greater display of affection than that?

Buy a renewed Nintendo 3DS on Amazon here