Actually I was thinking about buying a New 3DS fairly soon, now I'm not sure anymore. I already have a 3DS XL, so purchasing a new one only for the better screen and button layout would really only make sense (if any) if the thing would be supported for more than six months from now on... And with Nintendos plan to release (more) games for smartphones, the future of the 3DS seems even more dubious to me.

What do you guys think?

To me the 3DS felt like it was on life support for the last year or two, definitely would not buy one now.

I expect Japan will get 3DS support for quite some time to come but it'll taper off quickly in the west. Say what you will about the state of the Japanese market but they sure as hell support their consoles longer than they bother doing here.

two pillars!

I think the 3DS will continue to get support for a little while but everything will eventually move to the Switch

I think the Switch is a replacement for the 3DS and the Wii U. The 3DS might get some games on it after the Switch is released, stuff that's already being worked on but it'll eventually stop seeing titles come out on it.

Switch will replace it. It may see some games trickle out for another year or two like most old systems do, but there's no way the 3ds sees support in the same way it has before while this new handheld console lives.

If you didn't already have a 3ds I would still recommend the purchase for the library, but you already have one. Don't bother. Save that money.

Apparently Nintendo have said that the switch is the replacement for the Wii U and a successor to the 3ds is still planned

@daveydave: They would say that. They also said the DS wouldn't replace the GBA.

I want the Switch to be the one thing that replaces both Nintendo's handheld and their consoles. I want to buy one thing and be able to play all the Nintendo games. I am worried that Nintendo will chicken out and keep the DS line going because of how historically popular it's been and there recent comments others have mentioned.

I'd be amazed if there are any significant game releases for the 3DS in 2018.

I think they're to go together the same way iPhone and iPad go together.

Depends on touch screen or not, i think it will complement since it is still a console.

Isn't the whole point of the Nintendo Switch to completely replace all their handhelds with a much higher priced alternative? Since the entire marketing pitch seems to center around "hey take it everywhere!" it seems weird if they continued any sort of work on other handhelds. I wouldn't be surprised if they completely abandoned the handheld division and concentrated solely on the "Switch" going forward.

This will be their one platform. Confused why anyone is saying otherwise.

well then I dont think I want the switch at this point. the whole point was one console that could do both.

they are gonna put themselves in last again. and its their own fault

@humanity: That would definitely make sense, the portability of that thing, however, seems limited to me. Sure it's not the same as the Wii U, because it doesn't need the base to work. It's still not the stuff-it-in-your-back-pocket thing the 3DS has going. I can see myself taking it to the bedroom if the wife or kids need the big TV, but taking it everywhere like the DS? I don't know...

I hope they just unify their products with the Switch so I don't need to buy 2 separate platforms to play their games, but this is Nintendo we're talking about so who knows! I personally want them to drop the Wii U and 3DS like a rock at this point so they can focus 100% of their efforts on the Switch.

This is what I'm expecting

@guthwulf: I completely agree with you in that the portability of that system is questionable at best. That said, from a business perspective the only way this will continue to sell for them past the honeymoon period of "exciting new console on the market" is if they give people a good reason to get it. So far: play the next wave of Nintendo exclusives and then... maybe some third party stuff but on the go?.. doesn't seem like that strong of a pitch. 3DS games are made specifically to be played on the go because thats what that system is for. They're mostly quick, fun experiences that lend themselves to pick-up-and-play sessions. Skyrim can be played on the go sure but that gameplay isn't really meant to be a fast 5-10 minute at a time experience. So in my opinion the only way to get the most mileage out of this new system is to turn it into a dedicated mobile platform that will house all their Picross-like titles alongside big name releases in the likes of Zelda or Mario - this way you neatly funnel all your existing customers into one steady revenue stream as they'll all be effectively forced to buy this one specific system.

This is Nintendos new platform, to consolidate home consoles and handhelds into one unit. It's is the next gen replacement for the Wii U and 3DS, just like they replaced the DS and Wii.

I don't know why people are confused about this.

There will still be a market for a portable handheld that fits in your pocket. There will be a 3DS successor.

if I cant play almost all of the 3ds successor games on my switch then they have failed imo

@sysyphus: Well, like I said, it's hard for me to imagine that the switch can adequately replace the 3DS. It just looks a little too unwieldy for me to be truly portable. From what I saw in the video the screen has got to be around 10", don't you think? Plus controller thingies at the side and it is pretty massive, n'est-ce-pas?

Also if you still have a dedicated handheld, then whats the point of getting the Switch apart from the handful of Nintendo exclusives? Neither the Wii nor the WiiU set the world on fire with it's selection of games outside of Zelda/Mario. A few standout titles like Bayonetta 2 and such but for all intents and purposes, they were dedicated Zelda/Mario machines with all your other gaming taking place on Playstation or Xbox. Unless you are a complete diehard fan of Nintendo that doesn't care about 90% of big name games that don't make their way to Nintendo platforms, then the Switch is already a complimentary console before it even launches.

To put it this way; the 3DS is dated, and I can't imagine they'll put out a new handheld system. Although, it's Nintendo, so you can never put it past them to ruin a business opportunity.

It will be the fourth pillar added to the Console, Game Boy, & DS lineup as in it will replace it no matter what silliness Nintendo says.

Shout out to anybody who remembers that infamous rhetoric in 2004.

Yeah, but people who play handheld, dedicated gaming devices won't mind. It's not like you put your 3DS in the pocket. As long as it's around the size of an iPad, it's gonna be fine.

Yep.

There really won't be and Nintendo getting into making proper mobile games is the proof.

This so much.

They will both continue. It's like the iPad and the iPhone of Nintendo, they could, and should, both exist at the same time.

Screens are still fairly expensive relatively speaking, so the size of this thing tells me the technology isn't there yet at the price Nintendo is willing to pay to make it more compact and whatever the cost of the screen is is still less than what it would have cost to make it smaller. That thing looks unwieldy and I already don't like playing games on the Wii U pad. I can't imagine they willingly, especially a Japanese company, said "Yes, let's make this thing huge!"

Replacement. They will release games on it, maybe, for another fiscal year, but they look to be dead set on bring all in-house development onto one traditional platform while continuing to dip their feet into the mobile waters.

My guess if there is going to be a dedicated handheld at all. It will be a smaller Switch in a couple of years when the battery technology and screen technology get to a point where it makes sense. It probably won't come with a dock, nor have detachable controllers, and will probably be marketed for young audiences in a 2DS fashion. It may or may not have a touch screen and if it does you can bet the nintendo mobile games will be on it.

So many people are excited for the Switch for what appears to be a unification of their console and portable game markets.

I just don't understand it though. The Switch looks a bit unwieldy, can't fit in a pocket, there are concerns over battery life, and most of all, it lacks dual screens and there's no indication of a touch interface. That's not unification to me; that's leaving behind all the things the 3DS could do and I see that has a big loss for Nintendo's portable games.

That is a pretty good indicator for sure. However, if they release all the games that used to sell DS systems on smartphones now, then I wonder what the portability aspect of the Switch is good for. Because I really can't see myself playing Skyrim on the bus.

I have the opposite question, will the Nintendo Switch support 3DS games in some capacity? If so then I would hold out for NS than buy a 3DS. Otherwise, buying a 3DS now might be a valid purchase since the library is almost complete which would keep me busy for quite some time.

I don't think it's that kind of one to one. The mobile games market has grown and changed to be dialed back and touch based and Nintendo will adapt to it. Their traditional game experiences, even DS like ones, will go to the Switch.

@artisanbreads: I really hope that is true. Although Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem, which will purportedly both see smartphone releases, are in my eyes pretty much typical core DS games. So the question remains (for me at least) what will really be left for the Switch.

I already have a device which fits in my pocket and I use for games, it's my smartphone. That's the number one reason why I think the DS is going to go away, the market of people who want to carry around both a DS and a smartphone is pretty damn small. The Switch is a compelling device which can games on the go, but does not overlap too much with that segment which is already dominated by smartphones...I think it's a smart move.

@guthwulf: I am not expecting authentic version of AC or FE on smartphones, more pared down things, but maybe I'm wrong. I don't see how they put in the work to make full AC or FE games for mobile and charge for the labor that goes into that and fit it around that kind of traditional gameplay experience.

I feel like both those games would actually probably be ruined by that with tons of micotransactions if they were actually faithful since they sure as hell aren't costing more than like $5 on mobile.

I think long term most people who buy a Switch will DESPERATELY want all development to 'switch' to the new system. The one bright point in the concept, as even Jeff sees it, would be a single system upon which all Nintendo's development is focused. A year after Switch if any major titles appears on 3DS that will just weakling the concept of Switch in my mind.

Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,
Ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.

I really think there will be no reason for the 3DS or any form of it to keep existing after the Switch is out and about, Nintendo may keep supporting it somewhat for like an year, just so it doesn't look like they killed it outright, but yeah, it's done for; It had a pretty good run anyway.

@fenster: Different markets... can't compare them; People "game" on phones because they already have the thing anyway so why not? no one buys phones exclusively to play games; People that do care enough about real games will buy a 3ds or whatever, if only because of the games that can only be played on them, and people that don't just wouldn't, even if smartphones weren't a thing.

Shitty phone games will never be able to supply the same experience whatsoever.

But yeah I agree, it's a smart move for sure.

@bradbrains: The 3DS is is still the one that fits in the pocket. The Switch doesn't fit in the pocket. Even if the 3DS successor games are on switch, the Japan market will want pocket portables the most. Handheld gaming is huge over there and kids here like portability when their parents are dragging them along places. The portability of the Switch seems to be very niche.

I don't think there's any chance in the world that the Switch will successfully replace the 3DS or any follow up handheld. One of the major major reasons Nintendo handhelds have been a success in recent years is because it's so much cheaper and more profitable than console development for a lot of developers and games. There are too many games that have found success on the 3DS that I don't think have any chance of making the transition over to the Switch that they'd be shooting themselves in foot if they tried to make the Switch their only platform.

If we do lose both a proper Nintendo handheld and Sony handheld (because there's no way they're releasing a successor at this point) this next gen is going to prove to be a massive disappointment, unless developers find a way to drastically cut average development costs without sacrificing quality.

Yeah I agree they are different markets, but I think in the general case, people who care about "real games" probably won't see the size of the Switch to be a dealbreaker. As in, the overlap between people who really want to play more serious games and refuse to play anything they can't carry in a pocket seems relatively small.

Like for me, the benefit of my phone is it's always on me and when I'm in a pinch, it has some really fun games I can play (like you mentioned). I'd never carry around my DS "just in case" I happen to have some downtime to play it, and I think that's true of most people. Instead, I pack it whenever I'm going somewhere that I'll know I'll want to play it, whether it be PAX, an airport, or whatever. I think the Switch does a good job of appealing to people like me, but time will tell if it bears out.

Considering that Nintendo merged their internal Portable and Console teams a couple years ago, I'd say it's a replacement

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-16-nintendo-plans-to-merge-handheld-and-console-teams-in-historic-shake-up

The portable business is fading badly in Japan, even the 3DS. Phones are just too stronk and many people don't want to carry two devices.

I am one of those people who love the second screen functionality. I'll be sad to see that go with the Switch. But considering the position Nintendo is in and the extremely fickle and unreliable nature of third party support I am 100% prepared to let the 3DS die off. I'd be completely OK with that. Because I would love to see the next Monster Hunter on the Switch. And the next Pokemon, etc. etc. instead of having some half serious support for the 3DS with games that would have been cooler on the Switch. I also think that if this is the next handheld and console, it will make a much stronger case.

They should've named it the Nintendo Stronk. :P

I assume there will still be a dedicated Nintendo handheld but this time it will play more nicely w/ the home console.