The success of the 3DS has vindicated Gunpei Yokoi and the Virtual Boy

[VideoGameAccountant]

Mandalore76 said:

killeryoshis said:
Who wrote this? AThe 3DS did so badly Nintendo had to take losses so it wouldn't fail. The 3DS is a disappointment sales wise. It should be at 100+ million. Nintendo focusing so hard on 3D is what caused such a big drop. If anything it shows that 3D will never be a big seller. It shows that even the mighty DS could not make it successful. Hopefully the idea stays in a radioactive dump where it belongs.

A. I wrote this.

B.  Yes, Nintendo took a loss on hardware after launch, but returned to profitability with software and declining costs of the hardware down the road.  Addressed in OP.

C.  It would be difficult for any dedicated handheld only device to reach 100+ million in a market/climate that is already shrinking.  To claim that the "3D" is what shrunk the market is ignorant of the impact that mobile phones have had on it.  Addressed in OP.

Nintendo didn't return to profitability until the Nintendo Switch. With the exception of FY 2014, Nintendo lost money from 2011 to 2016. This is probabloy the longest the company had gone with consecutive net losses. The 3DS was an adjunct failure and was the cause of Nintendo's financial difficulty. It's also Nintendo's worst selling handheld. So Nintendo focusing on 3D lead to Nintendo becoming unprofitable and trashing the company's handheld line.