Today, Nintendo President Kimishima, imparted information regarding the future relationship of the Nintendo Switch and 3DS. You can read the entire transcript for the presentation here, but here are a couple highlights.
As for the future of the Nintendo 3DS business, Nintendo 3DS family hardware has continued to spread through our markets, reaching sales of 62 million units worldwide. Our efforts will focus on the opportunities to take advantage of this installbase.
We will continue to introduce new titles that players can enjoy for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.
We have heard speculation that Nintendo Switch will replace the Nintendo 3DS, as both are game systems that can be played outside the home, but Nintendo 3DS has unique characteristics that differ from those of Nintendo Switch. Furthermore, the price points and play experiences offered by the two systems are different and we do not see them as being in direct competition.
We plan to continue both businesses separately and in parallel.
Image: Nintendo
This slide shows the major announced games for Nintendo 3DS that have been recently released or that are announced for release later this year in our markets. We will have several follow-up titles from popular franchises on Nintendo 3DS and we are developing many other unannounced titles to continue to enrich the software lineup going forward.
Essentially, a major thing to take away from this is Kimishima's promise that there will be many incoming titles for the 3DS, many of which from "popular franchises." This statement explains that Nintendo is not yet done with producing titles for the 3DS, and will be continuing to support the handheld even after the Switch's launch. We touched on this topic in a recent Talking Point, and it seems as though we were right in assuming that the 3DS won't be retired anytime soon.
What do you think? How long will the 3DS stick around? Drop us a comment in the section below.
This is good for the short term but eventually there willl be a price drop for the switch and Nintendo needs those3ds owners to make the upgrade to switch to expand the install base which will attract3rd parties. Furthermore i wonder how inflated the number of3ds owners are i imagine that there are many individuals which own more than one unit as the attachment rate for the3ds is not as high especially compared t to the wii u. I would like to see Nintendo eventually only focus on developing games for one piece of hardware.
I'm not ready for the 3DS to die, it's so unique and I love the 3D effect. On the other hand the sooner they put all their development eggs in the Switch basket the better.
@Joeynator3000 But NS will replace 3DS and Wii U, Nintendo just want to make more money with 3DS big install base and i don't see nothing wrong about that.
Third-parties, as well as Nintendo, seem to be uninterested in using any stereoscopic 3D in 3DS games, now, so, this is most likely PR talk to sell soon-to-be-released titles. Dual screen features have also been severely irrelevant in most recent titles. Once the Switch gains a foothold in the market presence, 3DS will officially be put to rest. A good 6 years, though.
Nintendo would be foolish to abandon the 3ds right away. The switch hasnt been released yet and nintendo needs a source of income. Should the switch become a success they will sooner or later drop the 3ds. It will also depend on sales.
I think the 3ds will stick around for just for a little while, until the Switch starts gaining momentum. If the Switch doesn't do to well in the long run, then we might see a successor in the DS line, to make up for a possible loss, but so far the Switch seems to be a promising investment by Nintendo.
If the Nintendo Switch had built an installed base more popular than the 3DS and is successful with third party support in line and first party titles ramping up, then likely it will replace the 3DS and Nintendo will slowly end support of the handheld making the Switch the successor to both 3DS and Nintendo Wii U.
If the Nintendo Switch failed to built an installed base and fail to succeed like what the NES, Super NES and Wii had, then Nintendo would create a new successor for the 3DS instead of replacing it with the Switch. With this direction, the Switch will be replace by its own successor, a new home console.
So it depends on the Nintendo Switch, if the Switch succeed it will succeed as a hybrid and replace both Wii U and 3DS, if it failed it will only failed as a home console and the 3DS handheld line will lived on with a new successor probably the 4DS (make sense since 4K is the new resolution hype now) or an HDS (make sense cause we're living in the era of HD now). It's a win-win for Nintendo either way, if Switch succeed, then it replace both, if Switch failed then 3DS and the handheld line lives on and the Switch will be replace by a new console instead.
Hopefully DS and 3DS VC can happen on the Switch in some way. Nintendo realizes the power of their old games and VC/BC has often been my most used feature on the Wii, DS, 3DS, and Wii U.
I really hope that they drop the 3DS after the first year or so of the Switch. It is dangerous for Nintendo to have its development split between 2 systems. What's going to make the Switch sell is if we get games like Pokemon on it. If the next Pokemon game comes out on 3DS that will be a terrible idea. They can't let the 3DS leech sales away from the Switch.
If they are still making money off it then great. He is right in saying that the price difference in the systems position them for different audiences.
I don't really believe that the 3DS will continue to receive big first party titles for more than a year after the Switch launch, but I can say that if it DOES, I will be EXTREMELY disappointed. Right now, with third party support still very iffy on Switch, the main thing it has going for it is that at least it will (or at least should) get Nintendo's full development attention.
To me it would have been a dumb move to phase 3DS out, especially when there is so much potential with it as a budget system. The New 3DS (face plates) is the sexiest handheld I've ever seen, especially with my camouflage plate on there. I would really like to see the regular New 3DS put out in mass qualities because the original batch sold out in 5 minutes.
I reckon 3 main series fire emblem games is about the best the 3ds can do. And im sure that nintendo thought really hard about changing echoes over to switch but ultimately the fe games sold so well on 3ds why bother porting an almost finished game for probably less sales.
I'm happy to be proven wrong.. but we've seen this song and dance before when the DS first came out. "Yeah... we're toooootally gonna keep the GBA around, promise!"
@millarrp At least Nintendo is telling you they won't completely leave 3DS in the dust unlike Sony who says flat out "We're through with the PS Vita." I rather be happy with a white lie than given the middle finger.
A year or two is a long time. It makes sense for them, at the start of 2017, to make this statement, even if everyone really knows the 3DS will be done by Holiday 2018. That's a ways off and they want to sell systems. I also never believed in the Pokemon Stars rumour. Any 3rd game in that generation would be on 3DS. They will save the Switch Pokemon game for much later, after the other big nintendo guns are already out and the 3DS is really done. Then the Switch game won't look like an upscaled 3DS port, it'll be a new generation.
@Embassy If they were to allow Game Freak to do that, they'd be damning the Switch. It needs a main series Pokemon game this year if Nintendo wishes to avoid the same catastrophe that almost took place with the 3DS. They got really lucky that time.
I'm really hoping theyre just gonna release a few more "big" titles for the 3ds and be done with it. It's been nearly 6 years - the 3ds needs to be good and dead so 100% can be focused on the switch.
@mjnmixael They did kept it around though, til 2010 even. The DS launch in 2004, the last NA GBA game was released in 2007 and the Game Boy Micro and GBA SP2 were launch in 2005. GBA support for DS ended in 2010 after the DSi launch and when Nintendo is discontinuing the original DS and DS Lite. So from 2001 to 2010 (almost as long as the PlayStation 2), that's a long period to be keeping the GBA alive. Even now the DS support is still active even though DS, DS Lite, and DSi came and gone.
It'll probably be around for another year before they kill it. They're likely waiting to see how well Switch does. If it sells like gangbusters then so long 3DS, it was nice knowing you. They've said this kind of speech numerous times before, only for said platform to be gone in no time.
I would like to see Nintendo focus all their resources on making as many top quality switch games as possible - they can't afford to have game droughts this time around.
@LordGeovanni Sorry to ask, but about what kind of "untapped potential" are you talking in regards of the 3DS? It's extremely old hardware which struggles to run the new Pokemon games? It's 3D effect, which is barely used in games? Or it's size, which makes it more portable than the NS, although the XL versions of the 3DS are nearly as big as the Tablet if they are folded together.... Or do you mean dual screen play, which is used less and less with every release on the System?
Sorry to say this, but the 3DS is old tech in every aspekt. Yes, it's an awesome handheld and has awesome games, but there is one thing the 3DS dosn't have anymore and that's a future besides the NS (if the NS sells well, if not, they will spin the switch concept and hardware so long until the successor to the 3DS is born).
I think, that this year will be a really good last year for the 3DS. After that there won't be any more games from Nintendo (except for some really small titles perhaps). 3rd Partys will push some switch ports onto the 3DS in 2018, but it will be dead after that.
The 3DS is their parachute in case the Switch underperforms. It inexplicably sells really well even though they keep releasing the same game for it over and over. They could put together a Fire Emblem game in a weekend and it'll sell well, or reskin a JRPG from 1968 and it'll still turn a profit. So they are going to keep it around for a while until they'll find a way to produce another portable system with cheap technology and then they'll release another handheld to live side-by-side with the Switch.
They can keep the 3ds around as a budget nintendo console and maybe even re-release some older titles like Resident Evil revelations and MGS3D. A lot of 1st party games are 'player choices' now. The 3ds doesnt have to go anywere and can survive atleast 3 years if nintendo keeps the marketing at a certain level.
I do believe that another dedicated handheld may be released in the next year or two, but not one to replace the 3DS. After the success of the mini Nes I wouldn't be surprised if they release an all in one GBC with a number of classic games built in and it probably sell even better than the Mini Nes. But as far as replacing the 3DS, I think they will gradually try and move more people over to the New3DS instead of replacing the system all together and this may give us a couple more years until a true successor comes about.
I reckon Nintendo had a successor to the GBA ready to bring it to the PSP in case the DS never took off. There is a reason the phat DS looked like a prototype. When the low-tech/high margin DS took off the GBA2 got shelved.
It will be the same again: somewhere at Nintendo HQ sits a 4DS prototype to step in should the Switch bomb. This is why the 3DS continues.
As much as I appreciate them keeping my 3DS stocked with new games, I think it would behoove Nintendo to start rapidly winding down on 3DS support, at least from a first/second-party perspective. I know it must freak them out to contemplate a scenario where they don't have a second system to fall back on since they've never been in that situation before, but they need to come to terms with the facts that:
A) Switch is better off being pitched as their new handheld; since this space is where they've achieved their greatest success, marketing Switch as a handheld with console-quality games would give it its greatest chance at succeeding. And if you're pitching it as a handheld, you don't need the 3DS because Switch will fill that role.
B) If they want to avoid Wii U-like software droughts on Switch, the best and easiest way to achieve this would be to allow all of their internal development teams and partner studios to develop exclusively for Switch. This could potentially allow Nintendo to achieve one of the most productive generations they've ever had in terms of software shipped, since they won't have to develop for multiple systems anymore. And...
C) The market simply isn't conducive to platform holders maintaining and managing multiple units of hardware. Moreover, Nintendo's share of the market is gradually shrinking, and for them to offer two systems is beginning to only serve to splinter that share even further and cannibalize their own sales. This will only become more evident if people are forced to choose between two redundant systems.
Get over it people. The Switch is not a handheld, it's a portable home console. Sooner you guys get in your head, the better off you will be. They are two different price points and two different markets. With the New 3DS only being what two or three years old, there is plenty of life left in it. And there's plenty of room for both of them. Plus there is just no way right now that the Switch will sell at the same kind of numbers as the 3DS. It's $451.99 here in Canada alone and that isn't with a game or anything. And I disagree that there isn't room for more than one system. Plenty of people have more than one home console already, myself included (PS4, Wii U and 3DS here). And I manage just fine buying games for all of them.
@Pokefanmum82 Both are portable/handheld systems, no matter how you look at it. The only difference is that the Switch has an HDMI-out so that it can also display the game on a TV.
Man, this list really makes it clear how likely it is that the 3DS will be replaced.
They're qualifying Boxboy as a major first party release. Then there's a port, a Mario Sports game (And those really don't sell in bulk) An RPG with no brandpower, and a game that will also be released on the Switch. Their real games that sell aren't headed to the 3DS anymore. There's only two exclusives from established franchises.
The Fire Emblem remake, which admittedly looks really awesome. But that's coming out in May. Just two months after launch. Of course they'd still be supporting the 3DS at that stage.
Then there's Pikmin- but that's appealing to a niche audience, and at the same time doing what they did with Chibi-Robo, effectively throwing out the gameplay that attracted even that small niche audience.
Unless they show off a 2018 game at E3, I think the 3DS will be done before the Switch is a year old.
@SanderEvers Hm.. But Unseparated D-pad on the Left Joy Con, you can't use them as ABXY Command button when being played Horizontally. The Unseparated D-pad shape will be so difficult to use to give simple commands like Pressing A or B or X or Y button.
As long as they can keep pumping out a steady stream of titles for the Switch too I am certainly ok with them keeping the trusty 3DS around. That list they showed was quite nice when you consider how long the system has been around and since they stated they have more titles in development that gives me more reasons to be content with my 3DS.
@Donderpants The niche games like Pikmen are the reason I think they will support it for a couple more years yet. Games will be cheaper to make for the 3DS compared to the Switch and they could try to see how big the potential audience could be and give an old niche IP and ew IPs a bit of attention without spending too much before investing in a switch deluxe version / sequel. I can't see many more main series IPs coming to the 3DS but they are already on the 3DS like MK7 etc.
I believe the 3DS has some life left in it, despite a general decline trend had good sales through the holidays. Nintendo would be foolhearty to rescind support for it. I imagine it will be like the GBA, lasting a good two years after the DS was introduced.
3DS has 62 million installed base. Switch has to start from 0. Of course they have to support 3DS until Switch reached at least 30 million: that will be a few years from now.
Nintendo needs the 3DS for 3rd party esp. indie dev because of its large installed base.
I'm thinking of upgrading to a NEW 3DS (I love me that stereoscopic 3D) but my question is... what happens to my digital download games when they do phase out a machine? I guess this applies to my Wii U as well...
3Ds is selling and Nintendo are trying to keep it that way. But as a platform, 3DS is history. I can't see it getting many more big games. I could be wrong. This is all off the top of my head
This is so stupid! 3DS sales will cut into Switch sales, which will cause third-parties to avoid the Switch and sales for the system will again go down.
The 3Ds will still be around well into 2018. The switch has to build up a username for Ninty to even consider dropping 3Ds and who knows how the switch will perform yet. 3Ds still has 1St party games to come plus unannounced games it will also still get 3Rd party and indie games. Like it or not but not everyone who has a 3Ds or wii u is going to jump onto the switch straight away or in the near future. Yes the switch is great but it will still have testing times ahead. Competing against smartphones and tablets on the go the casuals have already flocked to said devices as for home consoles they are flocking to ps4 and MS. Yep it will be tough for switch and I hope it finds its way Almost forgot it doesn't help the switch when Ninty release games on mobile. Eventualy when they have released loads on mobile it will be less reason to buy there dedicated machines. I predict games like mario kart and the likes will make there way to mobile regardless if Ninty say they won't. The seeds r already planted
Isn't the 3DS getting 6 years old a few days/weeks (depends where you live). This gen, I only got the 3DS, no Wii U. I never thought the Wii U would flop, I just couldn't afford both (money and time to play). What else didn't cross my mind is that the 3DS would receive support forever. It's every console story ever.
I see people taking Nintendo's info with a grain of salt, I would as well. This way you could still be pleasantly surprised if it does live up to 2017/18.
I love the little one, but I will try to keep my expectations real.
Why do people care so much about this? If they stop producing games for the 3DS family, big deal. It happens to every console at some point. You can't expect them to continue with it forever. I personally don't mind either way - I still have mine and plan on keeping it as I still play games on it. Pokémon alone will keep me happy for years to come.
I think that many of you have this situation backward. The future of the 3DS does not depend on how well the Switch sells. It depends entirely on how well the 3DS sells. Nintendo will not drop the 3DS until its sales have dropped to the point where it is no longer profitable to support it.
Every time this subject comes up people trot out the whole DS/GBA situation as proof that Nintendo lies about such things. However, the truth in that situation was that Nintendo (and everyone else) was surprised at how quickly the GBA market disappeared once the DS was out. GBA became unviable almost overnight, so they dropped it. If GBA had continued to sell well alongside the DS then they would have kept it going. No company ever abandons a product that is still making them money.
It's the big 3DS based IPs that we want on the switch! So this would say in not too many words we're not getting them.....monster monster sounds like it wants to stay on the 3DS and I'm sure if given the option many other titles will do the same.
To the people saying the Switch can't be a 3DS replacement because it's too big: detach the joycons and it is literally the size of a 3DSXL and two Game Boy Micros. You can find room for that. And in a year, if there's still a market for pocket-sized dedicated game consoles, they can make a Switch that's the size of a smartphone that only plays in 720p. Their goal for the past five years or so has been a single development platform. They're not going to kill off a successful console right away, or give any signals that they're doing it soon, but they don't actually intend on keeping two consoles with completely different architectures in the long term.
I've been playing a VB emulator and looking at some handheld game consoles in the market and I'm really hoping the switch succeeds.
there is so much potential to make the switch do everything a tablet does (with some revisions) and opens the door to new game consoles for future play.
love that it's grab and go like my 3ds, but in the end after so many years of 3ds it eill be replaced if not by switch then by the next.
I wish nintendo would use more of their character IPs to immerse into new worlds.
only time will tell how good the switch is..Nintendo just set the bar high imo.
can't wait to see what Sony and MS come up with next ;D
Yeah, there are several games there, but it's hard not to read into the fact that one of them is literally called "Sayonara, Box Boy".
If that doesn't have the bittersweet air of a swan song title, I don't know what does.
Clearly they're not outright killing the console ala the Wii U, but things are definitely - quite rightly - winding down. It's had a long and noble life though, and can rest with dignity.
I just hope they'll keep the eShop alive for a while to come. Nintendo are under no obligation to keep making games for it, but as it's doubtful the Switch will be able to play much from it, the eShop remains vital to preserving its legacy.
Every single one of those games should also come to the Switch eShop/VC as far as I'm concerned. I don't care what Nintendo says about the 3DS and Switch being separate platforms; the Switch needs to get every single bit of software support Nintendo can humanly manage—particularly seeing as the AAA third party support looks decidedly lacking—and it deserves and needs to be pushed as hard as Nintendo can possibly muster. I dang well want the Switch to be a blinding frikin' success, Nintendo—let's aim to completely wipe away the utter disappointment, frustration and hurt, and abysmal failure that was the Wii U—and you should be doing everything in your power to make that happen!
Over the next two years I think that Switch will be a great success for Nintendo. It will pass the Wii U in installed base by the end of 2018. During that same time sales of the 3DS will gradually wind down. In 2019 Nintendo will release a smaller (and cheaper) variant of the Switch that is intended to be the direct replacement for the 3DS at the lower end of the market. 3DS is not going to go for another 5 years.
I'm going to be an optimist and give 3DS 2, maaaaaybe 3ish, more years. My hubby got me an N3DS XL as an early Valentine's Day gift, so I'd be happy for continued support from Nintendo!
It is fine and legitimate for Nintendo to view the 3DS as another "Third Pillar". But ultimately the market will tell them what they should do with it. If people keep buying them and playing them than Nintendo and third parties will keep making games for it... no matter how ancient the 3DS looks and feels by this point. (No really... that display is so bad... and the XL models only make it more obvious, and yet I love the 3DS games... argh!)
The 3DS is proven and successful. The Switch isn't. They don't want to kill their proven product before they know if the new one will be a success, and they can't say the proven product is winding down, if they might need to continue its momentum if the new one doesn't succeed. So all they can do is say they're going to continue supporting it.
And they will continue supporting it, just in case. But for how long? It's a 6 year old console that overlaps functionality with the new console. Sure they have games for 2017. Maybe first half of 2018. Can you really imagine a 3DS E3 segment at E3 2018? As 3rd parties move the bigger games to Switch, I imagine 3DS will fall more to "different play experience" games, a.k.a. budget titles, spinoffs, and "see it mostly works here too" ports. It will still be support, and people who only wish to buy a 3DS will be kept relatively happy with "in between phone games and real games" games, but the bigger games that we've all come to love on 3DS like Bravely Default, SMT, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, Metroid Prime: Federation Force (I kid, I kid....), will probably all move to Switch, while things like Cooking Mama, Pushmo, etc might remain on the 3DS maybe for more years.
I really can't imagine them holding the 3DS out for the next 4-6 years of Switch, and I can't see them rolling out a 4DS that's not based on Switch hardware/cartridges after Switch gets going. The whole point is NOT having to develop separate software for different platforms.
Though the 3DS lover in me is giddy over hearing it. I'll probably want to play with Switch most of the time once I get it, but the 3D screen on 3DS is still so unique and makes games feel so different.
Yup. Almost exactly what I said from the start, before Nintendo Life's last talking point even: 3DS is their cash cow, different pricepoints and different play experiences. They can co-exist.
Lol: Hopefully they port every Switch first-party title to the 3DS, so I don't have to buy a Switch!
But seriously: Wouldn't surprise me at all if next E3 (or the E3 after) they announce a 3DS succesor. Are you guys really thinking Nintendo ends the 2 systems dynamic? That just won't happen!
@marko i doubt 3DS owners will switch over to the Nintendo Switch. one of those reasons is the game play experiences. and i have a feeling that Nintendo will phase out the New Nintendo 3DS and the old Nintendo 3DS. hopefully it will be replaced by a smart phone version of the Nintendo 3DS or as Nintendo may call it "the Nintendo 3DS phone"....
This is pretty much what I assumed would happen. Nintendo would be crazy to abandon the 3DS this soon, particularly with so many late adopters picking up the 3DS thanks to Sun/Moon's popularity.
@Henmii I would say exactly the opposite. Continuing to support two separate platforms would be crazy. In the HD era they simply cannot afford to have two completely different platforms that they need to supply software for. Besides, they did not merge all of their development operations and spend so much time talking about how hard it is to have multiple platforms just so that they could continue doing things the same old way. By 2019 the 3DS will be replaced, but it will be a variant of the Switch that replaces it, but a new dual screen system.
@Timppis This so much this. I don't want to take anything away from 3ds owners. I have one myself it's the only ninty product I have ever bought before the Switch. But developers are going to make cheaper games for the 3ds and not put the backing behind the switch.
No one is saying to kill the 3ds off now. But splitting the development and is going to handicap the switch. There has to be some major work for the Switch this year to release games in 2018, if those games go to the 3ds instead, it will cripple The switch.
I think it'll all depend on the market. If people continue to buy 3DS games and consoles, they'll support it, just like they would be supporting the Wii U right now if it was doing better.
There's still some key differences between these devices that gives the 3DS plenty of reason to keep going alongside Switch. Portable or not, does everyone getting the Switch plan to bring it and use it everywhere they'd bring a 3DS? You've got a $100 "pocket" system, and a $300 home console that just happens to be able to tote along like a tablet. I know I won't want to attempt taking it everywhere I might take the 3DS. If a PS4 pro was "portable", would you take it to play at the beach?
Let a number of people drop, scuff, and bang up their Switches out in the wild and we'll see just how portable many players will see the system as.
Plus the 3DS still gives them a 2 screen system to develop for, not every title should be fully able to port between systems if they utilize the unique features of each unit.
@MitchVogel yes they are being conservative which is good but lets be honest if Switch sells it will replace everything. After all Iwata before leaving us said that they want it and need it to create an easy development ecosystem for their in house developers so the transition between handheld and console were smoother and maximize software production.
I am going to call it now. Later this year Nintendo will announce Pokémon Stars for release holiday 2017 ... on 3DS. It will cause a complete meltdown of rage on this site from people who were expecting it to be on Switch even though it makes much more sense for it to be on the same platform as the other two versions in this gen.
However, that will be the last big (AAA) 3DS release from Nintendo. The next Pokémon gen will be on Switch (probably in 2019) and Nintendo will release a smaller and cheaper (kid friendly) version of the Switch to coincide with the release of that Pokemon game.
For once I would wish that Kimishima just says it like it is (like: 'we will continue to support 3DS until the year 20xx').
For quite a while now, Nintendo refuses to make clear public statements, they only make very vage statements so that later on they can change their mind and do something entirely different.
Instead of a clear message, we get a few sentences that basically say nothing or at best, are expressed very diplomatically.
It just doesn't look good when the leader of a big company is always too afraid to make a clear statement. In the past - at least when they were in a situation where they could reveal their plans - you could count on Reggie and Mr. Iwata making clear statements. As I mentioned, of course not always - like when they're developing a new console and can't talk publicly about the details - but at least sometimes we got some information out of them.
Now it seems that they've gotten even more secretive.
I'm mixed on this. I really like the New 3DS ... kind of. Still too small and cramped for me and I don't have near the investment in it many others do. I can get use out of it for years on older games alone, too. So, I really want Nintendo to accelerate to the point at which ALL games are developed internally for a very successful Nintendo Switch.
That said, support needs to exist for 2017 at least. The recent resurgence of sales shouldn't be ignored and it is a decent fallback while Switch ramps up or even if it fails to make projections.
Good news is that I think the 3DS replacement is actually going to be a more portable Switch. Which is awesome for everyone. End of 2018 or early 2019 I think feels right at this point but everything could change after launch and especially after Holiday 2017. One problem with these distinctive hardware offerings that Nintendo comes up with is that consumers don't know what to make of them or how to value them so it's very hard to predict how they are going to sell.
More unannounced titles in development at Nintendo means this is serious support for 3DS owners for awhile.
I'm wondering if there is any concurrent development for titles that will release on 3DS and Switch. They are just as different as Wii U was from 3DS so it's not impossible and it might be worth a couple releases (Pokémon Stars anyone?) to help 3DS owners start to see the advantages of the Switch. Then, spring the super-portable version of the Switch on 3DS fans: no detachable JoyCons, a smaller screen, and longer-lasting batteries — oh, and at $199-ish.
@shani What makes you think he knows when they will stop supporting 3DS? He's going to sell it until it stops selling and he doesn't know when that will be. Later people will call him a liar even as it is. Step in the executive's shoes for a minute, they are just regular people in an industry full of fickle consumers with tons of entertainment choices, they are not clairvoyants.
I know the 3DS is the 'old man' of the console world right now, but the style of play you get from it is still very much unique to the system. I love the StreetPass and SpotPass features. Also it's dual screen set up and resistive touch screen which allows for more exact responses. (Perfect for drawing!) I'm happy to hear the 3DS is having a comfortable place in 2017, I know the Switch seems like a replacement but as dedicated portable systems go, the 3DS is the one for me. ^_^
@aaronsullivan I'm aware of that, it was just meant as an example, like if he knew when 3DS production is gonna stop.
Btw it would've also been okay if he said something like in 'the next 1-3 years' or 'when the number of sold units per year decreases to less than x'. That still would've been a more clear statement than what is cited in this article.
It was more of a general observation regarding Nintendo's official statements. And if Kimishima really doesn't know for sure in every one of those instances, he (and the board) must be either indecisive or clueless. Although I don't really wanna judge that, because I'm also aware that there might be information and internal processes that we don't know of or other things that I might have missed.
And to go back to the 3DS example: but you agree that it's Nintendo's choice when to stop supporting the 3DS, right?
It's not someone else making the decision, it's Nintendo making it.
So if they wanted, Kimishima and his board could make that decision right now.
I'm not saying they should, but I don't see any harm in, for example, publicly stating that 3DS production will end on December 31th 2017 and then to extend it for another year if it keeps on selling. And they could do that year in and year out.
That's not lying - if anything, I find it more honest - it's just making a probable statement/estimate and then adapting to reality afterwards.
What Kimishima's leadership lacks immensely in my opinion is courage or... if you want to put it differently, for me, the biggest trait of his leadership so far is cowardice (but I like the first wording better ^^). Nintendo are not taking any chances recently and this was something that - at the very least, partly - defined them for the last 15 years.
I'd entitle their new strategy "The safe route".
@Mario_Fart As long as you have the games already downloaded you should be able to play them forever. I can still play my downloaded games on my Wii, for example.
@shani "I'm not saying they should, but I don't see any harm in, for example, publicly stating that 3DS production will end on December 31th 2017 and then to extend it for another year if it keeps on selling." You don't think that might cause sales to go way down immediately? A quickly spreading word of mouth that would dampen interest? I do.
"That's not lying - if anything, I find it more honest - it's just making a probable statement/estimate and then adapting to reality afterwards." Promising you will end production and then not doing it is at least lying about your intent unless there was some qualifying statement. I really don't see the advantage compared to what he is actually saying now which is that it is getting continued support.
I guess he could lay out his whole plan for everyone. If it makes x sales and software makes this much improvement we'll maybe keep it going an extra 6 months, but if this particular game fails to make a profit we will use that as an indicator that the market is moving on and we will stop advertising and see if it declines. If it does we will introduce our smaller Switch 2 months earlier, but if not, we'll...
It's just not useful to consumers to know this stuff and makes any change of heart look like a lie or at least draw criticism. Then, you get extra pressures from people that don't have the best interest of the company or consumers at heart.
I do miss Iwata's vision statements which I haven't heard from Kimishima for a long time. I liked what he had to say early on, so I hope once the launch happens we'll hear more about what his thoughts are for trajectory of the company. That helps those following the company.
I don't know if I agree with Kimishima's choices lacking courage. $10 upfront mobile app, motion controls on a portable game console, Super Bowl ad, waiting so close to launch to share details, launching in March. Relying on 3DS for Holiday sales. Burying a current console (the Wii U) so absolutely and intentionally before launching (or announcing details of) its replacement. Many courageous moves in my estimation. He may be a bit safe with managing profits and someone is estimating demand wrong when it comes to NES mini, but what a ride we've been on with Nintendo and what a bold, controversial standout of a hardware launch we have coming up.
Sense the Switch is a single-screen, less portable, no 3D system I never really saw it as a replacement for the 3DS. It's bad enough it's replacing the WiiU, so I see no reason to get rid of the 3DS yet.
And for those saying it's "crazy to support 2 systems," Nintendo's been doing that for decades. Sometimes they even did 3.
YES YES YE!!! I knew it, the Switch is NOT a relacement for 3DS, this confirms it now <3 so I don't actually have to go for Switch, I just can wait for the next 3DS system :3 SCREW YOU 3DS haters
@aaronsullivan Maybe the new Inazuma (a big name in Japan, right?) is being made for both consoles, it would be great if this is the case. (but based on the rythm of the infos revelations, the hope is thin)
@RadioHedgeFund You're lucky. Last time I mentionned a "GBA2", someone made me shut up. (nice picture by the way, awakening my nostalgia)
@retro_player_22 Yes I know, thats was kind of my point. I still think they would have debated porting echoes across but then decided, heh lets release echoes on 3ds and do another game on switch and make even more profit!!! Im not complaining, i love theese games so much!
Comments 109
Please, Ever Oasis for 2017 !
Before the "Oasis" dried up...
...And people keep telling me the Switch is the successor to the 3DS
@Joeynator3000 didn't they say the switch (nx) wouldn't replace the wiiu and that the ds wouldn't replace the gameboy family?
"The DS is a third pillar! We promise the it will not replace the GBA!"
because they've said the same lines more than once in the past aka, if the switch sells well they will drop it real damn fast!
This is good for the short term but eventually there willl be a price drop for the switch and Nintendo needs those3ds owners to make the upgrade to switch to expand the install base which will attract3rd parties. Furthermore i wonder how inflated the number of3ds owners are i imagine that there are many individuals which own more than one unit as the attachment rate for the3ds is not as high especially compared t to the wii u. I would like to see Nintendo eventually only focus on developing games for one piece of hardware.
the role of the 3ds is to be sold well, until it no longer does. le end.
I'm not ready for the 3DS to die, it's so unique and I love the 3D effect. On the other hand the sooner they put all their development eggs in the Switch basket the better.
@kenrulei IDK, maybe it's best if they don't put all their eggs in one basket. Imagine if they didn't have the 3DS after the Wii U launch.
@Joeynator3000 But NS will replace 3DS and Wii U, Nintendo just want to make more money with 3DS big install base and i don't see nothing wrong about that.
Calling it: One of those unannounced titles is a port of Kirby & the Rainbow Curse.
Third-parties, as well as Nintendo, seem to be uninterested in using any stereoscopic 3D in 3DS games, now, so, this is most likely PR talk to sell soon-to-be-released titles. Dual screen features have also been severely irrelevant in most recent titles. Once the Switch gains a foothold in the market presence, 3DS will officially be put to rest. A good 6 years, though.
@marko
I would rather have Nintendo give incentives for people to have both systems. The 3DS still has a lot of potential that has not been tapped.
And make sure Nintendo have to post some Virtual Console games in Wii U.
Although I don't know if I have to pay full or discounted price from my existed downloaded game from Wii U for Switch port of Virtual Console.
I could actually see Nintendo keeping the 3DS around as an entry level console due to the cost of the Switch
Nintendo would be foolish to abandon the 3ds right away. The switch hasnt been released yet and nintendo needs a source of income. Should the switch become a success they will sooner or later drop the 3ds. It will also depend on sales.
Meh, if there is a good game that comes out on the system I will buy it. Until then it just sits there.
I think the 3ds will stick around for just for a little while, until the Switch starts gaining momentum. If the Switch doesn't do to well in the long run, then we might see a successor in the DS line, to make up for a possible loss, but so far the Switch seems to be a promising investment by Nintendo.
I don't think Nintendo will start phasing out the 3DS until they release a smaller, cheaper "Switch Lite".
My theory of the fate of the 3DS is this:
If the Nintendo Switch had built an installed base more popular than the 3DS and is successful with third party support in line and first party titles ramping up, then likely it will replace the 3DS and Nintendo will slowly end support of the handheld making the Switch the successor to both 3DS and Nintendo Wii U.
If the Nintendo Switch failed to built an installed base and fail to succeed like what the NES, Super NES and Wii had, then Nintendo would create a new successor for the 3DS instead of replacing it with the Switch. With this direction, the Switch will be replace by its own successor, a new home console.
So it depends on the Nintendo Switch, if the Switch succeed it will succeed as a hybrid and replace both Wii U and 3DS, if it failed it will only failed as a home console and the 3DS handheld line will lived on with a new successor probably the 4DS (make sense since 4K is the new resolution hype now) or an HDS (make sense cause we're living in the era of HD now). It's a win-win for Nintendo either way, if Switch succeed, then it replace both, if Switch failed then 3DS and the handheld line lives on and the Switch will be replace by a new console instead.
Hopefully DS and 3DS VC can happen on the Switch in some way. Nintendo realizes the power of their old games and VC/BC has often been my most used feature on the Wii, DS, 3DS, and Wii U.
I really hope that they drop the 3DS after the first year or so of the Switch. It is dangerous for Nintendo to have its development split between 2 systems. What's going to make the Switch sell is if we get games like Pokemon on it. If the next Pokemon game comes out on 3DS that will be a terrible idea. They can't let the 3DS leech sales away from the Switch.
If they are still making money off it then great. He is right in saying that the price difference in the systems position them for different audiences.
I don't really believe that the 3DS will continue to receive big first party titles for more than a year after the Switch launch, but I can say that if it DOES, I will be EXTREMELY disappointed. Right now, with third party support still very iffy on Switch, the main thing it has going for it is that at least it will (or at least should) get Nintendo's full development attention.
3DS will live.
3DS will live through the end of 2018.
2019: new handheld or mini Switch.
2021-2022: next-gen Switch
@Decapre for about a year or 2 then it'll be dropped look at the games, pokemon has struggled to run on it even.
@parallaxscroll or switch with no dock for cheaper, after all they are selling the dock separately too.
To me it would have been a dumb move to phase 3DS out, especially when there is so much potential with it as a budget system. The New 3DS (face plates) is the sexiest handheld I've ever seen, especially with my camouflage plate on there. I would really like to see the regular New 3DS put out in mass qualities because the original batch sold out in 5 minutes.
I recall a similar statement regarding the game boy line when the DS was launched...
They always say that X system won't replace previous Y system though.
and sure that ends up being true for about a year or so but it's never a long term thing.
I reckon 3 main series fire emblem games is about the best the 3ds can do. And im sure that nintendo thought really hard about changing echoes over to switch but ultimately the fe games sold so well on 3ds why bother porting an almost finished game for probably less sales.
I'm happy to be proven wrong.. but we've seen this song and dance before when the DS first came out. "Yeah... we're toooootally gonna keep the GBA around, promise!"
@millarrp At least Nintendo is telling you they won't completely leave 3DS in the dust unlike Sony who says flat out "We're through with the PS Vita." I rather be happy with a white lie than given the middle finger.
@bolt05 There's is going to be a new main Fire Emblem game on the Switch next year so FE Echoes for Switch is unnecessary.
A year or two is a long time. It makes sense for them, at the start of 2017, to make this statement, even if everyone really knows the 3DS will be done by Holiday 2018. That's a ways off and they want to sell systems. I also never believed in the Pokemon Stars rumour. Any 3rd game in that generation would be on 3DS. They will save the Switch Pokemon game for much later, after the other big nintendo guns are already out and the 3DS is really done. Then the Switch game won't look like an upscaled 3DS port, it'll be a new generation.
@Embassy If they were to allow Game Freak to do that, they'd be damning the Switch. It needs a main series Pokemon game this year if Nintendo wishes to avoid the same catastrophe that almost took place with the 3DS. They got really lucky that time.
Super Mario 3Dyssey confirmed!
I'm really hoping theyre just gonna release a few more "big" titles for the 3ds and be done with it. It's been nearly 6 years - the 3ds needs to be good and dead so 100% can be focused on the switch.
They'll drop the 3ds like a gameboy if the Switch takes off.
Their desire to protect 3ds is stopping them pushing the Switch like the portable it is.
@mjnmixael They did kept it around though, til 2010 even. The DS launch in 2004, the last NA GBA game was released in 2007 and the Game Boy Micro and GBA SP2 were launch in 2005. GBA support for DS ended in 2010 after the DSi launch and when Nintendo is discontinuing the original DS and DS Lite. So from 2001 to 2010 (almost as long as the PlayStation 2), that's a long period to be keeping the GBA alive. Even now the DS support is still active even though DS, DS Lite, and DSi came and gone.
It'll probably be around for another year before they kill it. They're likely waiting to see how well Switch does. If it sells like gangbusters then so long 3DS, it was nice knowing you. They've said this kind of speech numerous times before, only for said platform to be gone in no time.
I would like to see Nintendo focus all their resources on making as many top quality switch games as possible - they can't afford to have game droughts this time around.
@LordGeovanni
Sorry to ask, but about what kind of "untapped potential" are you talking in regards of the 3DS?
It's extremely old hardware which struggles to run the new Pokemon games?
It's 3D effect, which is barely used in games?
Or it's size, which makes it more portable than the NS, although the XL versions of the 3DS are nearly as big as the Tablet if they are folded together....
Or do you mean dual screen play, which is used less and less with every release on the System?
Sorry to say this, but the 3DS is old tech in every aspekt. Yes, it's an awesome handheld and has awesome games, but there is one thing the 3DS dosn't have anymore and that's a future besides the NS (if the NS sells well, if not, they will spin the switch concept and hardware so long until the successor to the 3DS is born).
I think, that this year will be a really good last year for the 3DS. After that there won't be any more games from Nintendo (except for some really small titles perhaps). 3rd Partys will push some switch ports onto the 3DS in 2018, but it will be dead after that.
The 3DS is their parachute in case the Switch underperforms. It inexplicably sells really well even though they keep releasing the same game for it over and over. They could put together a Fire Emblem game in a weekend and it'll sell well, or reskin a JRPG from 1968 and it'll still turn a profit.
So they are going to keep it around for a while until they'll find a way to produce another portable system with cheap technology and then they'll release another handheld to live side-by-side with the Switch.
They can keep the 3ds around as a budget nintendo console and maybe even re-release some older titles like Resident Evil revelations and MGS3D. A lot of 1st party games are 'player choices' now. The 3ds doesnt have to go anywere and can survive atleast 3 years if nintendo keeps the marketing at a certain level.
This means one thing and one thing only.
Droughts for Switch.
Why would the 3rd parties that can do simple games for 60+ million 3DS users go for Switch?
How can Nintendo create more games for the Switch if they still divide their time between 3DS and Switch.
This is the stupidest thing they can do atm.
I do believe that another dedicated handheld may be released in the next year or two, but not one to replace the 3DS. After the success of the mini Nes I wouldn't be surprised if they release an all in one GBC with a number of classic games built in and it probably sell even better than the Mini Nes. But as far as replacing the 3DS, I think they will gradually try and move more people over to the New3DS instead of replacing the system all together and this may give us a couple more years until a true successor comes about.
I reckon Nintendo had a successor to the GBA ready to bring it to the PSP in case the DS never took off. There is a reason the phat DS looked like a prototype. When the low-tech/high margin DS took off the GBA2 got shelved.
It will be the same again: somewhere at Nintendo HQ sits a 4DS prototype to step in should the Switch bomb. This is why the 3DS continues.
As much as I appreciate them keeping my 3DS stocked with new games, I think it would behoove Nintendo to start rapidly winding down on 3DS support, at least from a first/second-party perspective. I know it must freak them out to contemplate a scenario where they don't have a second system to fall back on since they've never been in that situation before, but they need to come to terms with the facts that:
A) Switch is better off being pitched as their new handheld; since this space is where they've achieved their greatest success, marketing Switch as a handheld with console-quality games would give it its greatest chance at succeeding. And if you're pitching it as a handheld, you don't need the 3DS because Switch will fill that role.
B) If they want to avoid Wii U-like software droughts on Switch, the best and easiest way to achieve this would be to allow all of their internal development teams and partner studios to develop exclusively for Switch. This could potentially allow Nintendo to achieve one of the most productive generations they've ever had in terms of software shipped, since they won't have to develop for multiple systems anymore. And...
C) The market simply isn't conducive to platform holders maintaining and managing multiple units of hardware. Moreover, Nintendo's share of the market is gradually shrinking, and for them to offer two systems is beginning to only serve to splinter that share even further and cannibalize their own sales. This will only become more evident if people are forced to choose between two redundant systems.
Get over it people. The Switch is not a handheld, it's a portable home console. Sooner you guys get in your head, the better off you will be. They are two different price points and two different markets. With the New 3DS only being what two or three years old, there is plenty of life left in it. And there's plenty of room for both of them. Plus there is just no way right now that the Switch will sell at the same kind of numbers as the 3DS. It's $451.99 here in Canada alone and that isn't with a game or anything. And I disagree that there isn't room for more than one system. Plenty of people have more than one home console already, myself included (PS4, Wii U and 3DS here). And I manage just fine buying games for all of them.
As I said in another article a few weeks ago, a "mission pack sequel" for Super Mario 3D Land would be the console's last hurrah.
And what a last hurrah it would be.
@Pokefanmum82 Both are portable/handheld systems, no matter how you look at it. The only difference is that the Switch has an HDMI-out so that it can also display the game on a TV.
Man, this list really makes it clear how likely it is that the 3DS will be replaced.
They're qualifying Boxboy as a major first party release. Then there's a port, a Mario Sports game (And those really don't sell in bulk) An RPG with no brandpower, and a game that will also be released on the Switch. Their real games that sell aren't headed to the 3DS anymore. There's only two exclusives from established franchises.
The Fire Emblem remake, which admittedly looks really awesome. But that's coming out in May. Just two months after launch. Of course they'd still be supporting the 3DS at that stage.
Then there's Pikmin- but that's appealing to a niche audience, and at the same time doing what they did with Chibi-Robo, effectively throwing out the gameplay that attracted even that small niche audience.
Unless they show off a 2018 game at E3, I think the 3DS will be done before the Switch is a year old.
Think they should lower the price a bit for 3ds if it's going to continue. Still pricy in uk I think although 2ds is a bargain
@SanderEvers
Hm.. But Unseparated D-pad on the Left Joy Con, you can't use them as ABXY Command button when being played Horizontally. The Unseparated D-pad shape will be so difficult to use to give simple commands like Pressing A or B or X or Y button.
As long as they can keep pumping out a steady stream of titles for the Switch too I am certainly ok with them keeping the trusty 3DS around. That list they showed was quite nice when you consider how long the system has been around and since they stated they have more titles in development that gives me more reasons to be content with my 3DS.
@Donderpants The niche games like Pikmen are the reason I think they will support it for a couple more years yet. Games will be cheaper to make for the 3DS compared to the Switch and they could try to see how big the potential audience could be and give an old niche IP and ew IPs a bit of attention without spending too much before investing in a switch deluxe version / sequel. I can't see many more main series IPs coming to the 3DS but they are already on the 3DS like MK7 etc.
hopefully they may consider a price drop at somepoint this year
I believe the 3DS has some life left in it, despite a general decline trend had good sales through the holidays. Nintendo would be foolhearty to rescind support for it. I imagine it will be like the GBA, lasting a good two years after the DS was introduced.
3DS has 62 million installed base. Switch has to start from 0. Of course they have to support 3DS until Switch reached at least 30 million: that will be a few years from now.
Nintendo needs the 3DS for 3rd party esp. indie dev because of its large installed base.
Question for the group:
I'm thinking of upgrading to a NEW 3DS (I love me that stereoscopic 3D) but my question is... what happens to my digital download games when they do phase out a machine? I guess this applies to my Wii U as well...
3Ds is selling and Nintendo are trying to keep it that way. But as a platform, 3DS is history. I can't see it getting many more big games.
I could be wrong. This is all off the top of my head
@McGruber people said the same about the gba the gamecube the ds the wii the n64 also but it happened.
Just kill it already please.
This is so stupid! 3DS sales will cut into Switch sales, which will cause third-parties to avoid the Switch and sales for the system will again go down.
The 3Ds will still be around well into 2018. The switch has to build up a username for Ninty to even consider dropping 3Ds and who knows how the switch will perform yet. 3Ds still has 1St party games to come plus unannounced games it will also still get 3Rd party and indie games. Like it or not but not everyone who has a 3Ds or wii u is going to jump onto the switch straight away or in the near future. Yes the switch is great but it will still have testing times ahead. Competing against smartphones and tablets on the go the casuals have already flocked to said devices as for home consoles they are flocking to ps4 and MS. Yep it will be tough for switch and I hope it finds its way
Almost forgot it doesn't help the switch when Ninty release games on mobile. Eventualy when they have released loads on mobile it will be less reason to buy there dedicated machines. I predict games like mario kart and the likes will make there way to mobile regardless if Ninty say they won't. The seeds r already planted
Isn't the 3DS getting 6 years old a few days/weeks (depends where you live).
This gen, I only got the 3DS, no Wii U. I never thought the Wii U would flop, I just couldn't afford both (money and time to play).
What else didn't cross my mind is that the 3DS would receive support forever. It's every console story ever.
I see people taking Nintendo's info with a grain of salt, I would as well. This way you could still be pleasantly surprised if it does live up to 2017/18.
I love the little one, but I will try to keep my expectations real.
Oh, don't forget. Wish for Miitopia released on English version before 3DS ended.
Why do people care so much about this? If they stop producing games for the 3DS family, big deal. It happens to every console at some point. You can't expect them to continue with it forever. I personally don't mind either way - I still have mine and plan on keeping it as I still play games on it. Pokémon alone will keep me happy for years to come.
I think that many of you have this situation backward. The future of the 3DS does not depend on how well the Switch sells. It depends entirely on how well the 3DS sells. Nintendo will not drop the 3DS until its sales have dropped to the point where it is no longer profitable to support it.
Every time this subject comes up people trot out the whole DS/GBA situation as proof that Nintendo lies about such things. However, the truth in that situation was that Nintendo (and everyone else) was surprised at how quickly the GBA market disappeared once the DS was out. GBA became unviable almost overnight, so they dropped it. If GBA had continued to sell well alongside the DS then they would have kept it going. No company ever abandons a product that is still making them money.
It's the big 3DS based IPs that we want on the switch! So this would say in not too many words we're not getting them.....monster monster sounds like it wants to stay on the 3DS and I'm sure if given the option many other titles will do the same.
To the people saying the Switch can't be a 3DS replacement because it's too big: detach the joycons and it is literally the size of a 3DSXL and two Game Boy Micros. You can find room for that. And in a year, if there's still a market for pocket-sized dedicated game consoles, they can make a Switch that's the size of a smartphone that only plays in 720p. Their goal for the past five years or so has been a single development platform. They're not going to kill off a successful console right away, or give any signals that they're doing it soon, but they don't actually intend on keeping two consoles with completely different architectures in the long term.
@retro_player_22 agreed.
I've been playing a VB emulator and looking at some handheld game consoles in the market and I'm really hoping the switch succeeds.
there is so much potential to make the switch do everything a tablet does (with some revisions) and opens the door to new game consoles for future play.
love that it's grab and go like my 3ds, but in the end after so many years of 3ds it eill be replaced if not by switch then by the next.
I wish nintendo would use more of their character IPs to immerse into new worlds.
only time will tell how good the switch is..Nintendo just set the bar high imo.
can't wait to see what Sony and MS come up with next ;D
I think this is it's last year and it's slowing coming to an end
Yeah, there are several games there, but it's hard not to read into the fact that one of them is literally called "Sayonara, Box Boy".
If that doesn't have the bittersweet air of a swan song title, I don't know what does.
Clearly they're not outright killing the console ala the Wii U, but things are definitely - quite rightly - winding down. It's had a long and noble life though, and can rest with dignity.
I just hope they'll keep the eShop alive for a while to come. Nintendo are under no obligation to keep making games for it, but as it's doubtful the Switch will be able to play much from it, the eShop remains vital to preserving its legacy.
They will continue to support 3DS until Switch stablished itself. Then is goodbye.
Every single one of those games should also come to the Switch eShop/VC as far as I'm concerned. I don't care what Nintendo says about the 3DS and Switch being separate platforms; the Switch needs to get every single bit of software support Nintendo can humanly manage—particularly seeing as the AAA third party support looks decidedly lacking—and it deserves and needs to be pushed as hard as Nintendo can possibly muster. I dang well want the Switch to be a blinding frikin' success, Nintendo—let's aim to completely wipe away the utter disappointment, frustration and hurt, and abysmal failure that was the Wii U—and you should be doing everything in your power to make that happen!
Over the next two years I think that Switch will be a great success for Nintendo. It will pass the Wii U in installed base by the end of 2018. During that same time sales of the 3DS will gradually wind down. In 2019 Nintendo will release a smaller (and cheaper) variant of the Switch that is intended to be the direct replacement for the 3DS at the lower end of the market. 3DS is not going to go for another 5 years.
I'm going to be an optimist and give 3DS 2, maaaaaybe 3ish, more years. My hubby got me an N3DS XL as an early Valentine's Day gift, so I'd be happy for continued support from Nintendo!
It is fine and legitimate for Nintendo to view the 3DS as another "Third Pillar". But ultimately the market will tell them what they should do with it. If people keep buying them and playing them than Nintendo and third parties will keep making games for it... no matter how ancient the 3DS looks and feels by this point. (No really... that display is so bad... and the XL models only make it more obvious, and yet I love the 3DS games... argh!)
I think it's called "hedging your bets"
The 3DS is proven and successful. The Switch isn't. They don't want to kill their proven product before they know if the new one will be a success, and they can't say the proven product is winding down, if they might need to continue its momentum if the new one doesn't succeed. So all they can do is say they're going to continue supporting it.
And they will continue supporting it, just in case. But for how long? It's a 6 year old console that overlaps functionality with the new console. Sure they have games for 2017. Maybe first half of 2018. Can you really imagine a 3DS E3 segment at E3 2018? As 3rd parties move the bigger games to Switch, I imagine 3DS will fall more to "different play experience" games, a.k.a. budget titles, spinoffs, and "see it mostly works here too" ports. It will still be support, and people who only wish to buy a 3DS will be kept relatively happy with "in between phone games and real games" games, but the bigger games that we've all come to love on 3DS like Bravely Default, SMT, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, Metroid Prime: Federation Force (I kid, I kid....), will probably all move to Switch, while things like Cooking Mama, Pushmo, etc might remain on the 3DS maybe for more years.
I really can't imagine them holding the 3DS out for the next 4-6 years of Switch, and I can't see them rolling out a 4DS that's not based on Switch hardware/cartridges after Switch gets going. The whole point is NOT having to develop separate software for different platforms.
Though the 3DS lover in me is giddy over hearing it. I'll probably want to play with Switch most of the time once I get it, but the 3D screen on 3DS is still so unique and makes games feel so different.
Yup. Almost exactly what I said from the start, before Nintendo Life's last talking point even: 3DS is their cash cow, different pricepoints and different play experiences. They can co-exist.
That translates to: "We'll keep the 3DS on life support until we know if the Switch can take off by itself. If it can, it will be deader than dead".
We still remember the GBA, the Micro was barely announced before it was dead due to the 3DS.
Lol: Hopefully they port every Switch first-party title to the 3DS, so I don't have to buy a Switch!
But seriously: Wouldn't surprise me at all if next E3 (or the E3 after) they announce a 3DS succesor. Are you guys really thinking Nintendo ends the 2 systems dynamic? That just won't happen!
@marko i doubt 3DS owners will switch over to the Nintendo Switch. one of those reasons is the game play experiences. and i have a feeling that Nintendo will phase out the New Nintendo 3DS and the old Nintendo 3DS. hopefully it will be replaced by a smart phone version of the Nintendo 3DS or as Nintendo may call it "the Nintendo 3DS phone"....
This is pretty much what I assumed would happen. Nintendo would be crazy to abandon the 3DS this soon, particularly with so many late adopters picking up the 3DS thanks to Sun/Moon's popularity.
@Henmii
I would say exactly the opposite. Continuing to support two separate platforms would be crazy. In the HD era they simply cannot afford to have two completely different platforms that they need to supply software for. Besides, they did not merge all of their development operations and spend so much time talking about how hard it is to have multiple platforms just so that they could continue doing things the same old way. By 2019 the 3DS will be replaced, but it will be a variant of the Switch that replaces it, but a new dual screen system.
"Continuing to support two separate platforms would be crazy"
Eh, Nintendo IS crazy!
@Timppis
This so much this. I don't want to take anything away from 3ds owners. I have one myself it's the only ninty product I have ever bought before the Switch. But developers are going to make cheaper games for the 3ds and not put the backing behind the switch.
No one is saying to kill the 3ds off now. But splitting the development and is going to handicap the switch. There has to be some major work for the Switch this year to release games in 2018, if those games go to the 3ds instead, it will cripple The switch.
I think it'll all depend on the market. If people continue to buy 3DS games and consoles, they'll support it, just like they would be supporting the Wii U right now if it was doing better.
The 3DS has a stronger line-up in that one image than the Wii U did for 2016. It's still got a lot to give
There's still some key differences between these devices that gives the 3DS plenty of reason to keep going alongside Switch. Portable or not, does everyone getting the Switch plan to bring it and use it everywhere they'd bring a 3DS? You've got a $100 "pocket" system, and a $300 home console that just happens to be able to tote along like a tablet. I know I won't want to attempt taking it everywhere I might take the 3DS. If a PS4 pro was "portable", would you take it to play at the beach?
Let a number of people drop, scuff, and bang up their
Switches out in the wild and we'll see just how portable many players will see the system as.
Plus the 3DS still gives them a 2 screen system to develop for, not every title should be fully able to port between systems if they utilize the unique features of each unit.
@MitchVogel yes they are being conservative which is good but lets be honest if Switch sells it will replace everything. After all Iwata before leaving us said that they want it and need it to create an easy development ecosystem for their in house developers so the transition between handheld and console were smoother and maximize software production.
Surprising.
I am going to call it now. Later this year Nintendo will announce Pokémon Stars for release holiday 2017 ... on 3DS. It will cause a complete meltdown of rage on this site from people who were expecting it to be on Switch even though it makes much more sense for it to be on the same platform as the other two versions in this gen.
However, that will be the last big (AAA) 3DS release from Nintendo. The next Pokémon gen will be on Switch (probably in 2019) and Nintendo will release a smaller and cheaper (kid friendly) version of the Switch to coincide with the release of that Pokemon game.
For once I would wish that Kimishima just says it like it is (like: 'we will continue to support 3DS until the year 20xx').
For quite a while now, Nintendo refuses to make clear public statements, they only make very vage statements so that later on they can change their mind and do something entirely different.
Instead of a clear message, we get a few sentences that basically say nothing or at best, are expressed very diplomatically.
It just doesn't look good when the leader of a big company is always too afraid to make a clear statement. In the past - at least when they were in a situation where they could reveal their plans - you could count on Reggie and Mr. Iwata making clear statements. As I mentioned, of course not always - like when they're developing a new console and can't talk publicly about the details - but at least sometimes we got some information out of them.
Now it seems that they've gotten even more secretive.
I'm mixed on this. I really like the New 3DS ... kind of. Still too small and cramped for me and I don't have near the investment in it many others do. I can get use out of it for years on older games alone, too. So, I really want Nintendo to accelerate to the point at which ALL games are developed internally for a very successful Nintendo Switch.
That said, support needs to exist for 2017 at least. The recent resurgence of sales shouldn't be ignored and it is a decent fallback while Switch ramps up or even if it fails to make projections.
Good news is that I think the 3DS replacement is actually going to be a more portable Switch. Which is awesome for everyone. End of 2018 or early 2019 I think feels right at this point but everything could change after launch and especially after Holiday 2017. One problem with these distinctive hardware offerings that Nintendo comes up with is that consumers don't know what to make of them or how to value them so it's very hard to predict how they are going to sell.
More unannounced titles in development at Nintendo means this is serious support for 3DS owners for awhile.
I'm wondering if there is any concurrent development for titles that will release on 3DS and Switch. They are just as different as Wii U was from 3DS so it's not impossible and it might be worth a couple releases (Pokémon Stars anyone?) to help 3DS owners start to see the advantages of the Switch. Then, spring the super-portable version of the Switch on 3DS fans: no detachable JoyCons, a smaller screen, and longer-lasting batteries — oh, and at $199-ish.
@shani What makes you think he knows when they will stop supporting 3DS? He's going to sell it until it stops selling and he doesn't know when that will be. Later people will call him a liar even as it is. Step in the executive's shoes for a minute, they are just regular people in an industry full of fickle consumers with tons of entertainment choices, they are not clairvoyants.
I know the 3DS is the 'old man' of the console world right now, but the style of play you get from it is still very much unique to the system. I love the StreetPass and SpotPass features. Also it's dual screen set up and resistive touch screen which allows for more exact responses. (Perfect for drawing!) I'm happy to hear the 3DS is having a comfortable place in 2017, I know the Switch seems like a replacement but as dedicated portable systems go, the 3DS is the one for me. ^_^
@aaronsullivan I'm aware of that, it was just meant as an example, like if he knew when 3DS production is gonna stop.
Btw it would've also been okay if he said something like in 'the next 1-3 years' or 'when the number of sold units per year decreases to less than x'. That still would've been a more clear statement than what is cited in this article.
It was more of a general observation regarding Nintendo's official statements. And if Kimishima really doesn't know for sure in every one of those instances, he (and the board) must be either indecisive or clueless. Although I don't really wanna judge that, because I'm also aware that there might be information and internal processes that we don't know of or other things that I might have missed.
And to go back to the 3DS example: but you agree that it's Nintendo's choice when to stop supporting the 3DS, right?
It's not someone else making the decision, it's Nintendo making it.
So if they wanted, Kimishima and his board could make that decision right now.
I'm not saying they should, but I don't see any harm in, for example, publicly stating that 3DS production will end on December 31th 2017 and then to extend it for another year if it keeps on selling. And they could do that year in and year out.
That's not lying - if anything, I find it more honest - it's just making a probable statement/estimate and then adapting to reality afterwards.
What Kimishima's leadership lacks immensely in my opinion is courage or... if you want to put it differently, for me, the biggest trait of his leadership so far is cowardice (but I like the first wording better ^^).
Nintendo are not taking any chances recently and this was something that - at the very least, partly - defined them for the last 15 years.
I'd entitle their new strategy "The safe route".
@Mario_Fart As long as you have the games already downloaded you should be able to play them forever. I can still play my downloaded games on my Wii, for example.
So, my next post should be more interesting I think.
@shani "I'm not saying they should, but I don't see any harm in, for example, publicly stating that 3DS production will end on December 31th 2017 and then to extend it for another year if it keeps on selling."
You don't think that might cause sales to go way down immediately? A quickly spreading word of mouth that would dampen interest? I do.
"That's not lying - if anything, I find it more honest - it's just making a probable statement/estimate and then adapting to reality afterwards."
Promising you will end production and then not doing it is at least lying about your intent unless there was some qualifying statement. I really don't see the advantage compared to what he is actually saying now which is that it is getting continued support.
I guess he could lay out his whole plan for everyone. If it makes x sales and software makes this much improvement we'll maybe keep it going an extra 6 months, but if this particular game fails to make a profit we will use that as an indicator that the market is moving on and we will stop advertising and see if it declines. If it does we will introduce our smaller Switch 2 months earlier, but if not, we'll...
It's just not useful to consumers to know this stuff and makes any change of heart look like a lie or at least draw criticism. Then, you get extra pressures from people that don't have the best interest of the company or consumers at heart.
I do miss Iwata's vision statements which I haven't heard from Kimishima for a long time. I liked what he had to say early on, so I hope once the launch happens we'll hear more about what his thoughts are for trajectory of the company. That helps those following the company.
I don't know if I agree with Kimishima's choices lacking courage. $10 upfront mobile app, motion controls on a portable game console, Super Bowl ad, waiting so close to launch to share details, launching in March. Relying on 3DS for Holiday sales. Burying a current console (the Wii U) so absolutely and intentionally before launching (or announcing details of) its replacement. Many courageous moves in my estimation. He may be a bit safe with managing profits and someone is estimating demand wrong when it comes to NES mini, but what a ride we've been on with Nintendo and what a bold, controversial standout of a hardware launch we have coming up.
Sense the Switch is a single-screen, less portable, no 3D system I never really saw it as a replacement for the 3DS. It's bad enough it's replacing the WiiU, so I see no reason to get rid of the 3DS yet.
And for those saying it's "crazy to support 2 systems," Nintendo's been doing that for decades. Sometimes they even did 3.
YES YES YE!!! I knew it, the Switch is NOT a relacement for 3DS, this confirms it now <3 so I don't actually have to go for Switch, I just can wait for the next 3DS system :3 SCREW YOU 3DS haters
@aaronsullivan Maybe the new Inazuma (a big name in Japan, right?) is being made for both consoles, it would be great if this is the case. (but based on the rythm of the infos revelations, the hope is thin)
@RadioHedgeFund You're lucky. Last time I mentionned a "GBA2", someone made me shut up.
(nice picture by the way, awakening my nostalgia)
@retro_player_22 Yes I know, thats was kind of my point. I still think they would have debated porting echoes across but then decided, heh lets release echoes on 3ds and do another game on switch and make even more profit!!! Im not complaining, i love theese games so much!
FF Tactics 2 please!!!!
Tactics Ogre 2 please!!!!!!!!
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