Dead systems don't sell systems nor games. The 3DS isn't dead because still sells well enough both hardware and software. What you're trying to create is a situation that does not exist yet. You even mentioned E3 is right around the corner and you don't know what's going to happen. If you don't know what's going to happen your post is kinda invalid because you don't take into account concrete information that exists now that prove the system is still selling both hardware and software. Your thesis (that works only for gamers) may go down the drain in a few days. I believe in what we have now and the future based in that information and information about past products. You believe in a situation that still  doesn't exist. If you said "the 3DS might be on its way out" would be different but proclame the system dead showing the numbers it is showing... its naive. Besides I said "some people buy systems for the catalog it already has". Why do you think the PS1 and PS2, the original DS, Gameboy continued to sell well after their successors were launched? You should try to understand the industry from the point of view of the market and how it works and not from the point of view of a gamer. There are a lot of potential buyers ready to buy a cheaper, full of games system but for a hardcore gamer its all about the next hardware and the hardcore gamer tend to believe the market is a reflection of their opinions on how the market works. The system might be dead for a hardcore gamer but not for the general public (potential buyers) and defenetely not for Nintendo.

Obviously not entirely straightforward to define, as any definition is going to be inherently subjective. Here's my best attempt at defining a "major release"

1) A likely million seller

2) With a good amount (around 500k at least perhaps?) of sales coming from the West

The reason for the Western requirement is simply because I'm looking for global hits, not just Japanese ones. My definition is more than generous I think and is currently met by 32 3DS games (according to VGChartz).

bravely second will be in the west this year?

Puzzle and Dragons: SMBros. Edition is about come out in the west, I believe. Etrian Odyssey 2 will come to the west in August or something too. You can add to the mix some third party games like Skylanders and Legos, plus 2 or 3 games that Nintendo announce for it at E3 that will release this year. That's it, they don't need a lot to make an okay line up this year (especially since the support until now has been good as the list in the quoted post shows).

In resume, we're looking at a 2015 like this:

-Majora's Mask 3D

-Codename STEAM

-Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

-Fossil Fighters 3D

-Xenoblade Chronicles 3D

-Puzzle & Dragons: SMB Edition

-Etrian Odyssey 2

-The Same Third Party Games As Usual

-Lots of indies and F2P games

-Whatever Nintendo announces at E3. >> Guaranteed that they'll have at the very least 1 big game for November, as well as some other minor games.

Yes, not the best line up the little thing has seen yet, but far from dead. If anything, things are pretty niche this year. I see next year being a bit better (with Fire Emblem IF, probably Pokémon, Yokai Watch and Bravely Default), but I'm not expecting much better than this, as they're clearly working on the NX that'll probably release in 2017.

But more games are coming this year...

I'd say that's a workable definition, albeit a bit too restrictive for my tastes. With those criteria in mind, you're right that we only know of a small number of upcoming major releases, and I suspect E3 won't increase it by more than two or three, but I think that will be enough major releases, coupled with enough mid-tier games, to keep the system afloat at a respectable level. It's definitely on a decline though.

I wouldn't say dead, but it's clear that a sucessor might me coming in 2016 or 2017 at most.

This is a shit thread that isn't really based on any hard evidence. It's obviously not dead for all the reasons that everyone else has already offered. I feel like you made this thread just looking for reactions...

~ Mod Edit ~

This user was warned by TruckOSaurus.

But that's the point of all threads really.

Agree largely with this. There are 4 big games in this list for the first half of the year. I'll reserve my judgment for the second half of the year until after E3 news, but for now, we've gotten some amazing titles for 2015 and I'm pretty happy with that. Maybe a few more games and I'll be happy with the year's lineup. 

I think we 3ds gamers got spoiled with 2013 and 2014 (especially 2013) lineup where there were so many games to play, we couldn't even keep up with them. I wouldn't expect that to be the normal output. At least, in my mind it's amazing to get that many exclusives in a year's time. 

So yeah, long story short, I think we haven't seen the last of 3ds just yet.