DS: ~66% of market. Massive hardware sales, Massive software sales, Competitor has a chance of taking sales and mindshare. Performance is par to sub par.

3DS ~85% of market. Good hardware sales, good software sales, competitor has no chance of taking sales or mindshare. Decently strong performance.

In the 3DS case sales are safe and and still get good profitability. In the DS situation you get massive profits, but has a chance of volatility.

Nintendos next handheld should be? Cheap lovv performance and profitable out of the gate? Moderately cheap, good performance, and profitable after 3.0 attach rate?

what are your thoughts? I think it is risk vs reward here. DS situation is better imo.

The DS was a huge gamble... and by huge, I mean HUGE. At the time, no one thought it was going to work. Everyone had the PSP kicking Nintendo's ass right out of the handheld market like the PS1 did to the N64 years prior. But, it paid off. So, in hindsight? You'd have to say the DS situation was better. But I don't think you try to caught lightening in a bottle twice. With new management, I doubt they will want to try something risky right now anyway.

Anyone thinking that the case for the 3DS fares better than the DS are out of reason ...

The 3DS presents a very clear decline when it comes to Nintendo handhelds and it's even more disappointing when it comes to the performance on the software front ...

DS obviously. People bought that shit like food.

The DS since it made them more money but this is a very good question, honestly.

DS was, like another user said, a gamble and paid off. The 3DS milked off that gamble and worked out well but obviously the "WOW!" factor of the OG DS had long worn off by then. The DS was the better of the 2. Not to downplay the 3DS's success, but it's success was nothing compared to what came before it.

Personally, I think the next Nintendo handheld could reach numbers closer to the DS than 3DS if they are able to create another risky, innovative, and moderately priced handheld -also kill the DS family. That'll be the only way to truly make another huge success... but Nintendo probably won't take that risk, and I totally get why, but still

StarOcean said: DS was, like another user said, a gamble and paid off. The 3DS milked off that gamble and worked out well but obviously the "WOW!" factor of the OG DS had long worn off by then. The DS was the better of the 2. Not to downplay the 3DS's success, but it's success was nothing compared to what came before it. Personally, I think the next Nintendo handheld could reach numbers closer to the DS than 3DS if they are able to create another risky, innovative, and moderately priced handheld -also kill the DS family. That'll be the only way to truly make another huge success... but Nintendo probably won't take that risk, and I totally get why, but still

not necassarly, innovative doesn't have to be left field. changing the form factor to tablet or handheld console, adding a feature thats interesting but not to out of the box thinking. there are ways to be innovative without "oh my good god youve changed everything two screens, touch screen, what!!"

I think DS, not even GTA could bring PSP up to DS levels

~85% of the dedicated handheld market by ignoring the rest of the mobile gaming market. Forget that arbitrary line and look at the whole mobile gaming market (handhelds + smartphones) and you have your answer, if 3DS is in a better or worse position than the DS.

Or look at the yearly revenues and profits of the handhelds and appstores, not at percentages.

Nintendo made billions upon billions of dollars with the DS, I don't think they cared their marketshare was under 80% for that generation.