Nintendo HDS 2016 or 2017?

[zorg1000]

the_dengle said:

zorg1000 said:

I dont think New 3DS is gonna be a huge seller, ya it will have a strong launch but its primary purpose in my opinion is to slow down the decline rather than cause a significant boost. 3DS is on track to sell like 10 million this year, next year will probably around 8 million and 2016 would be like 5-6 million, 2017 would be like 3 million.

Rather than wait for 3DS to completely die, they need to release it while the system still is selling at least decently. They don't have to announce it so far in advance like Nintendo usually does for new hardware. They could give New 3DS the spotlight for all of 2015 then announce the next-gen hardware in Jan/Feb of 2016 then release it in late Spring/early Summer giving them about 5-6 months between reveal and launch.

It has already completely supplanted the regular 3DS in Japan. It will do the same in the West, because that is what Nintendo wants. They aren't giving the old 3DS models price drops, they're discontinuing them.

Almost all 3DS hardware sales for the next year will be of the New models. Many of these buyers will be on their second or third 3DS. And Nintendo is supposed to sell these same gamers yet another new handheld the next year? That's a terrible strategy. The DSi took the wind out of the 3DS's sails and the New 3DS will do the same for the 3DS successor if Nintendo approaches it the same way.

Yes I know New 3DS is going to replace the original but that doesn't change the fact that sales will likely continue to go down year after year. Nintendo can't just let their platform die before releasing a successor, by 2017 3DS will be selling horrible. Nintendo has thrown all of their big releases at it and done multiple hardware revisions, there isn't much to prevent to decline from continuing.

Also it's not like New 3DS will instantly become useless the second the next handheld releases. They can still give it some minor releases and 3rd parties will still pump out games for it along with a probable price cut.

2DS-$79.99

New 3DS-$129.99

New 3DS XL-$149.99

Next handheld-$199.99

Ur also forgetting that DS released only 20 months after GBA SP and that worked out fine for them.