When the Switch was announced many of us had a dream of a united Nintendo platform where we could play every game the company put out on a single device, rather than having to have a handheld and a console if you want the full experience.

In addition, those of us who are not much for portable gaming wouldn't have to deal with the cramped controls and ugly screens of the 3DS, instead being able to play everything on our TV (or at least the nicer, larger Switch screen) and use a pro-controller rather than a control "disc" and a nub.

Nintendo's announcement of 3DS support beyond 2018 effectively kills that.

The new 2D Metroid is coming out on 3DS as are many RPGs and other games. The new Pikmin Platformer. That new game YOU really want to play. Yes YOU. The one from your favorite franchise. That's going to be 3DS only. Mark it down.

Why is Nintendo doing this? Why make a hybrid console/portable and then also support a separate portable, confusing the market, splitting your base, and condemning old men like me to hours squinting at an ugly low-res screen while their beautiful new Switch sits quietly in a dock a few feet away?

Because Nintendo.

More specifically, because Nintendo is conservative and not very technically proficient (outside of hardware design, where they usually make decent stuff.)

There are reasons to keep supporting the 3DS. It has a massive userbase. More importantly, it has a young userbase, and while 3DSes are pretty cheap and durable, the Switch is expensive and comparatively fragile. You can give little Billy an $80 2DS to take to school and if he breaks or loses it it's not such a big deal. If he shatters the screen on the $300 switch that's a different story. In addition, the 3DS is small and slides into pockets or little backpacks. The Switch is much larger and inconvenient for a kid. There are reasons.

But there are also potential solutions. Nintendo could have made a smaller, more durable Switch with a less expensive screen and sold it for cheaper. They probably eventually will do this, but not for a few years. That leaves a gap in the market for a small, durable, device you can give to kids.

Nintendo could also have made the Switch compatible with 3DS games. The one Switch screen is large enough to put both 3DS screens on it on the same time and the Switch is much more powerful than the 3DS and should be able to emulate it just as well as the Xbox One can emulate the 360. This would have the added benefit of making 3DS games playable on a TV, which would be cool for those of us who don't like the 3DS but do like much of its software. Nintendo has done this before, with the Super Gameboy and the Gameboy player for Gamecube, and there's no reason they couldn't do it again.

But nope. Not going to happen. Nintendo don't play that.

Nintendo doesn't want to abandon its 3DS userbase and I get that. It also doesn't want to stop making durable devices for kids, and I get that too. A more creative, less conservative company could have found a solution. One that would have made more people happy and possibly sold more games to a broader audience. That's not Nintendo's style though.

From the time Nintendo announced a hybrid console it was almost inevitable that consolidation of their software, if it ever happens, would take many many years. That obvious inevitability has come to pass.

The Nintendo 3DS is a very old piece of hardware at this point. It was underpowered when it launched. The thing has 128 megabytes of RAM in its basic configuration (though the New 3DS has more.) Yet we'll be stuck using it with its awkward analog nub (or no second analog stick at all) and low-res ugly screens of inconsistent quality for years. Beyond 2018 even.

Why?

Because Nintendo.

Good points, but you missed the one where some of those companies and franchises won't ever go to Switch because it will cost them more money to generate assets, and they either can't relegate the cash for it or don't want to. It's not simply a factor of throwing money at them either-- making higher fidelity assets will probably require hiring more people, if not to keep the production flow going smoothly, then to replace their current teams that are proficient at generating assets for a 240p handheld system.

A franchise like Pokemon doesn't have any issue because they'll sell systems no problem with their mainline game, and they rake in more cash than any other franchise on the 3DS (I'm guessing) so they can handle the production cost bump. There's obviously more to it than I'm considering here, but I feel like Capcom would need a money injection to get a Phoenix Wright game made with the Switch in mind, for example.

Also, in regards to putting 3DS games on the Switch, I'm sure it'd work but then you'd also have graphics designed with the 3DS's tiny screen and limited power running on a 1080p+ TV, and all the aliasing in the world isn't going to make those textures look pretty. They'd have to redo the UI for every game too-- and you can forget about any game that uses the touch/second screen in any significant way.

Anyway, I still have a bunch of good 3DS games I still need to play, and there being more on the horizon doesn't really bother me since there isn't another (worthwhile) handheld on the market. That said, all my favourite Nintendo exclusive franchises are on their handhelds, and that's the reason I continue to have no interest in a Switch (that, and I'd like a hardware revision since it sounds like a prototype system). I'm not opposed to seeing that stuff on the Switch by any means, but if it means I can keep playing all the Nintendo exclusives I want to without buying a new console, then long live the king.

As someone who is looking to purchase a Switch when he actually can find one, the "Because Nintendo" factor makes me feel a little uneasy about it. Don't get me wrong, I grew up with Nintendo and have owned all of their consoles up to the Wii, but the last gen I completely skipped out on. "Because Nintendo", their ecosystem comes loaded with stupidity like an overpriced virtual console, digital purchases being tied to your console, and game prices that never drop. Contrast that with the PS4 and X1 where I am constantly getting free stuff and convenient access to my games library, and I just feel constantly ripped off as a Nintendo customer. Switch seems to have righted a lot of Nintendo's previous wrongs, but that "Because Nintendo" factor still lingers, as illustrated by their dumb decision not to port 3DS and Wii U games to the software starved Switch. Oh well, Mario + Rabbids looks cool.

I think we saw a different E3 Pikmin has been in development awhile and remaking a 2D Metriod doesn't sound like great support. Mainline Fire Emblem, Pokemon and Metroid Prime 4 are releasing on Switch and Level 5 exploring getting Professor Layton on Switch sounds like development is taking over, with the 3DS getting the usual quick cash end of life support, the 3DS wasn't even in Nintendo's E3 direct surely that tell you where their future lies.

@teddie: I don't find the "small teams can't make games for Switch" argument compelling in an age where Shovel Knight is on PS4. 2D games scale up easily and there are plenty of 3D games with simple geometry on much more powerful consoles. I hear Minecraft sold a few copies...

As for 3DS games not looking great on Switch if they made cross compatibility...that is true but who cares? They would look better than on 3DS. The Switch also has a touch screen so the 4 3DS games that actually use touch screen could at least be played in handheld mode. DS family touch screens have always been underutilized though, part of the reason I never liked that family of devices.

I pretty much agree with the good points you've made but

I'm not entirely sure this is something that can be asserted. If we're just talking about console manufacturers then we have no evidence of MS or Sony ever facing a similar problem and coming up with a solution. The closest thing that would come to it would be the PS TV I guess but that kind of strikes me as a different sort of situation. If we're just looking at history, then arguably Nintendo has been the most creative at coming up with solutions for weird problems like these, as you rightly pointed out with the Gameboy player and other things. I'm not gonna stand here and say Nintendo doesn't make weird business decisions but laying it all at the feet of them being not creative enough and too conservative seems a bit skewed.

I see the frustration but also we're probably one or two Nintendo Directs away from getting software integration. I think Nintendo will treat 3DS as a little sibling to Switch and will support it to an end until they iterate on a new design. I'm pretty confident that there will be a great deal of crossover with games coming to both Switch and 3DS. That Pokemon game for Switch will no doubt be the test case that is built off of when they decide to build this in the future.

The My Nintendo stuff is coming around the corner and I will be the solution to get older games on the Switch that everyone wants. But if it's not ready and there isn't a place to talk about it, then there's no point in bringing it up when Nintendo has a lot of other stuff to get through at E3. Besides, integration on such a scale would need time to breath. Reggie said in an interview at E3 that when they think about doing rereleases of games on Switch and 3DS, Nintendo only does so when they can add new features and content. You saw that with the Pokemon rereleases last year that had online play and with the Switch version of Mario Kart 8 that had all the DLC and online play.

We need to wait until Nintendo has their actual online offering together in 2018 before we decide to get angry and sad about 3DS support.

A Nintendo like solution generally consists of longest distance between two points.

I think it's a good thing. The Switch is too big and fragile to be portable. There are only a handful of 3DS games that I ever wanted to play on a TV and we'll get those. Some things are just better on a portable system.

@bigsocrates: Shovel Knight is an indie game sold at an indie price by a small indie developer. However, a lot of mid-tier developers that shine on the 3DS are able to release full price games at a much lower investment than they could on the Switch. It's kind of lose/lose for them. Either they scale back all their operations just to release low budget indie games, or they make the huge investment to make a proper full priced console game, but not necessarily see enough returns because their games may not be huge sellers.

Even a slightly bigger developer like Atlus would likely get screwed by that transition. Games like P5 prove they can make good console games that sell well, but Persona is in the minority in their library of games, most of their output is on the 3DS. They couldn't afford to simply transition their 3DS output to Switch, nor are they types of games that would scale back to indie tier very well. Of their 4 upcoming 3DS games, at best they likely could release one on Switch, but more than likely they'd scrap all of them in favor of a safer investment.

Sounds like marketing bollocks. The next Pokemon is on the Switch; that thing is their main portable now.

To be fair, I got what I wanted. Pokemon and fire emblem will be on switch. They're bringing major 3ds franchises to the switch. They can keep releasing new 3ds models and trickling out games on it until the end of time for all I care. The major franchises that have been held back by the old hardware are what matters.

That's what you think for now, until we get another brilliant game like a Link Between Worlds on old hardware with bad graphics and a tiny screen, or our new 2D Metroid is held back and trapped on an inferior platform.

I also don't understand the people who KEEP saying that it's somehow better for developers to develop for the 3DS. I get that it's cheaper to make a 3DS game than a full HD Switch game that looks like Breath of the Wild, but nothing is stopping developers from making simpler looking games on the Switch. Also, even if Nintendo (which doesn't have the budget constraints of small developers) put everything on Switch it doesn't mean that smaller developers couldn't keep making things for the 3DS. Or for both.

I just really hate the 3DS. It has good games on it, but as a piece of hardware it's the pits. Even the battery life isn't great if you leave Streetpass on. The circle pad is crap, the screen resolution is terrible, and it can't even run SNES games on its basic configuration. It's also extremely wasteful. Few people I know use the 3D (especially with the old one without eye tracking) and very few games do anything of value with the touch screen, which was true of the original DS and the Wii U. Nintendo has been making dual screen devices for 13 years and has never quite known why.

I don't think it's black and white like you are saying. Personally I am a bit dissapointed they aren't more all in on Switch, but at the same time the 3DS market is there. I think yes they will still make games for it but it will not be the main focus and more effort will go into Switch. The amount of effort going in has been pretty clear and I think the 3DS will keep being less of a focus, especially because they have gone into phone games.

It's funny because for me one of my takeaways from E3 was that them making a proper Pokemon RPG for Switch was a great sign there were focusing on Switch like that. A console Pokemon is a game that I have wanted to see for a long time.

I'd say the reason they did that is because there's a lot of 3DS units out there. Why not continue to support it whilst the Switch is building its own catalog. There's also no reason why they might not port it to Switch in the future either. But it is Nintendo we're talking about here lol.

Not on WiiU it ain't. Its $50 retail where I live. On the 3DS the digital copy at full price was about $30. Which for a digital game was also pricey compared to other 3DS indies and the Vita.

I think because unifying the ecosystem is such a big move it'll just take a bit longer than early Switch adopters (myself included) would like. These new 3DS games that have come out or will come out after the Switch released really amount to a Fire Emblem remake, a rehash of last year's Pokemon games, and a 2D Metroid remake by the guys who did that bad 3DS Castlevania game. This is very typical end of console type releases, as we were seeing new Pokemon games on the DS like a year plus into the 3DS being out.

I think when they say they plan to support it beyond 2018 it kinda just means they plan to keep it updated and stocked in stores for that long. One could argue the Wii is still being supported, as it is seeing the release of Just Dance 2018.

I do still think Nintendo is unifying their ecosystems and releases, it just isn't the instantaneous thing some (again, myself included) would hope for.

The Switch has been out for 3 months or so? Seems like making this type of declaration now is a bit silly. I have zero problem with them making a few more games for a system that has sold millions of units.

Just came hear to say: when the Switch was announced and everyone was talking about a great unified platform I said I would put money on it not happening because of.....Nintendo.

Now I can see them focusing on the mobile aspects of the Switch in a couple years when they do finally phase out the 3ds. But I can also see (as I said way back when too) them not going full bore on a unified platform until their next console.

As someone who has never owned a 3ds I'm more tempted to get a New 2ds than a Switch. I want a portable system for when I get busy with school this fall, and the lower price point and much bigger library is really attractive to me.

If I knew going forward that the Switch would be the main handheld platform I would go with the higher price of entry. Now I feel fine just dropping half the price and getting one of those sleek looking New 2ds; waiting a few years for the revised version of the Switch with a bigger library.

I linked to an interview with the head of their American operations who said "Their preferred gaming device that they can play fantastic Zelda, Mario, third-party content, all of their favorite franchises brought to life on the platform. That’s what we want. And we’re greedy and we want Nintendo 3DS right alongside it."

He also said that they plan to support 3DS for at least two more years. I'm not just making assumptions a few months in. I'm literally just believing one of their executives' public statements.

People who expect Nintendo has some master plan for platform integration don't seem to understand how slowly Nintendo does things or how weird their decisions are. Your Nintendo Switch saves are STILL locked to your system! In 2017! That's insane! They JUST got a universal account system. They have no trophies and didn't port the Miiverse over to the Switch. There's not even a whisper about virtual console!

Nintendo is what it is.

I really like the Switch. I have played a ton of it since it came out. I just wish that games I wanted to play weren't ALSO coming to only the 3DS (I'd be fine with them on both platforms) because the Switch is just a far superior device. But no. 2D Metroid is 3DS only, and all the cool virtual console stuff is coming to Wii U (?!?!) only.

Because Nintendo.

"Supporting" the 3DS, and a significant amount of resources going to the 3DS are two different things. This will almost definitely be the last E3 where several games that aren't obscure will be announced for the 3DS. Previous-gen home consoles are always "supported" for years after release almost invisibly with FIFA's and Madden's.

I think you forgot that POKEMON is coming to the switch. You know the series that has always been on a handheld.

Its unclear what Nintendo plans to do going forward. I suspect that if pokemon is successful and the number of switches sold starts reaching critical mass, we'll see 3ds quietly put out to pasture. But, until then they're gonna hedge their bets and keep supporting it.