What do you want from Nintendo's next handheld?

[famousringo]

zorg1000 said:

Im not sure that mobile devices are killing handheld consoles, I think its more like they are causing sales to revert back to pre-DS/PSP levels.

Gameboy+Gameboy Color sold just under 120 million from 1989-2003, which accounts for 2 generations worth of sales.

Gameboy Advance did a little over 80 million from 2001-2008

Basically before DS, Nintendo handhelds sold on average about 65 million each generation which 3DS is on track to do.

You need to look at it as a trend, rather than hoping handhelds will hit a floor and stop falling. The average isn't what's important, what's important is that handheld sales grew steadily until 2008, and then declined ever since.

If the 3DS has a successor, expect its market to also decline, perhaps even by 50%. If handled properly, Nintendo could probably still make money off a 30-40 million lifetime handheld, but the generation after that could be very problematic. And if you look at Nintendo software's ability to push hardware, you've gotta wonder if they aren't better off consolidating that system-selling into just one platform instead of two.

Then again, perhaps the way forward is Smash Bros. Nintendo simply develops one game with both a handheld and home console skin. Customers can buy the game and console twice if they want to, or choose the one they like best.