I’m fine with them not actively making another 3DS model but I do not want them to kill the 3DS. I have no money and can not afford to buy a new console in any way so I would like to keep getting games I can afford on the system I actually have thanks.
Yes, I think that Nintendo should effectively “kill” the 3DS. Which is to say, no new development for any new 1st party games past December 2017 (so games can complete during 2018, but no new games under dev for 2018).
I have owned a 3DS, and I now own a Switch. The Switch is an incredible machine that has vastly outstripped my expectations within the first year. FWIW, I didn’t own a Wii-U, never had a Wii, am not a massive Nintendo fanboy (save for my obsession with Zelda series)- my last Nintendo hardware was the gamecube. Before the switch, my gaming experience is usually Gaming PC + whatever consoles my buddies play online for.
ANNNNNNNYWAY, I think the idea of all Nintendo development going toward Switch would work out for the best in terms of consumer support. That would only grow the number of devices in consumer hands, grow their marketshare, and eventually culminate in more than zero third party support. TBH even without much 3rd party support, the focused development by all Nintendo teams would result in one hell of a console offering.
It’ll probably just happen naturally as the Switch sells more units and the 3DS sells less software. People are still buying 3DS games so why cut off all support to the system? The Switch is selling well enough that it also seems like the 3DS still being alive and kicking isn’t having a negative impact on the new hardware.
We’re also already seeing some of the big 3DS franchises moving to the Switch. The next FE, SMT, and Pokemon are all moving to the Switch. The cycle is progressing and I’d bet by sometime next year the 3DS will effectively be “dead.”
Money!
The 3DS is not just more portable than the switch due to physical design. My switch is the most expensive single item I’ve bought in a long time. If I lose it or it breaks I can’t replace it.
I think there is absolutely room for a cheaper less advanced handheld, thought the games on it should probably be playable on the switch as well? And I guess that might be a problem.
far as i’m concerned, the 3DS is already confirmed for dead because of the subtle announcement of the next main-line pokemon game being released on switch. i’m extremely upset about it and i don’t think the switch is a suitable replacement for the things my 3DS does (way bigger, awkward in a transit seat, kinda huge screen for public use) but i guess i’ll get over it eventually
Even if Nintendo decides to slow down development for the system sooner rather than later (which itself I think is a mistake for all the reasons already offered), I’ve always felt the 3DS is hugely underrated as a console because of how extensive its games library is. At this point, it’s easily the largest library of any current-gen console; it has 6 years worth of its own titles, built-in backwards compatibility with the every old DS game (which includes a ton of classic ports/remasters/remakes like Chrono Trigger and Mario 64), and a Virtual Console that spans the NES, GB/GBC, and the SNES for the New line. (To better illustrate how extensive that is, out of the 18 main series Zelda games, there are only 5 that I can’t play on my 3DS.)
Developing another handheld console is a different thing entirely—I’d be perfectly happy if the 3DS is the last dedicated handheld Nintendo makes—but since backwards compatibility seems to be consistently overlooked and the Switch’s VC seems to still be a ways out, there really is no better way to access a huge swathe of gaming history than with the 3DS. Because of that, I hope Nintendo continues to support the console it for as long as they possibly can.
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It’s not an easy answer, but I would go with a yes.
The 3DS is an awesome little machine, it has a place in my heart and I’m incredibly grateful for all it brought (and will still bring) to the table, however there are two reasons for me to say I think it should rest in peace.
First, uniting all development and all Its under the Switch roof is too good a proposition to pass. The Switch is the first time Nintendo got themselves a console that can do both, and it would be a mistake to let this potential go unfulfilled. A Pokémon mainline RPG in the same machine as the biggest Zelda ever? Quirky and fun gameplay such as Professor Layton in the same machine as a 3D Mario platform in the 64/Sunshine legacy? It makes too much sense, both for the fans and for Nintendo. The Switch is Nintendo’s first console that can handle it all, so it should have it all to handle.
Second, frankly, the 3DS is old enough to die now. It’s 6 years old. Can it be dragged along for two or three more years? Sure. But should it? Would it be good? It’s very very outdated technology. Super small screen, atrocious pixel density, etc. Of course you can make good games under these conditions, but it’s so visibly far behind even the cheapest phones… definitely a sore sight. The Switch can run the same kinds of games under the mostly the same conditions, so why not?
It’s not without a huge downside, though.
Nintendo has always had two hardware lines because one of these lines has always been a killer for their business. Nintendo is and always have been the undisputed king of portable gaming; to kill this division would be to murder a golden egg goose to some degree. It’s a tough call.
Nintendo’s mobile/smartphone gaming push could eventually become their “new second line of business” to the Switch, much like the GB/DS/3DS line has been to their consoles up until now. But that’s not proven yet, it’s possible that Nintendo won’t be able to yield great results from this initiative.
We shall see.
But I repeat: to kill the 3DS is a bet I would definitely consider making if I were Nintendo. It makes too much sense.
PS.: This is my first post in this community, and it’s been years since I’ve joined a forum other than Reddit. It’s exciting to be a part of this!
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And the price of games looks like it’s going up to $100 by the time Super Mario Odyssey comes out. At least that’s what EB Games and Amazon have listed for all Switch games after, like, Splatoon 2.
Quite happy with my $50 3DS games for the time being. Especially since Nintendo games take so much longer to get a price cut than anything on Xbox or Playstation.
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