Special Edition Charizard 3DS XL Announced For Japan

Nintendo has introduced yet another 3DS XL variant that will probably never see the light of day outside of Japan. While we're okay with that most of the time, we have to say this latest 3DS XL – which features an image of Charizard on the outside – looks pretty snazzy. Thing is, even if you live in Japan, you're still going to have a hard time getting your hands on one.

That's because only those who win a raffle will get the chance to buy one. Yes, we said "buy" there, as those who win the raffle won't just be given one for free. The raffle will run from November 3 to November 26, and prospective entrants can either go to one of the Pokemon Center stores in Japan to enter or mail in their entry form.

Winners of the raffle will be notified on December 7, and then they'll be able to purchase their Charizard-laden 3DS XL between December 15 and January 14. This special edition 3DS XL will cost ¥18,900, which is right around $237, and from what we can tell, there aren't any games that come bundled with it. It'll just be you, Charizard, and a 3DS XL that you may just want to leave in the packaging, considering how hard it was to get.

As far as Pokemon-themed handhelds go, this is one of the better ones, and there have been a lot of them throughout the years. The fact that its availability will be so limited in Japan means that there's almost no chance of it ever becoming available in the US or Europe, which is definitely a bummer considering how nice it looks. Oh well – it looks like we'll just have to settle for the Charizard posters plastered all over and the Charizard-themed bedspread that ushers us into the dream world every night.

[via Kotaku]