Don't Assume Nintendo Will Drop its 3DS/Handheld Line: Here's Why

[zorg1000]

RolStoppable said:

Johnw1104 said:

Feel free to do so, talk is cheap after all :D

As for your first criticism, the Nx being described as a third pillar in all but name was something I only discovered while researching this thread. When first announced, Iwata told people the launch of the Nx would not spell the end of support for the 3DS and Wii U, and that they were talking with developers to make sure the Wii U and 3DS continued to receive releases and software once the Nx launched. This obviously proved to be largely untrue as far as the Wii U is concerned, but it was a claim that Nintendo felt it had to make to keep people buying Wii U's in the meantime. The rest of your paragraph is essentially exactly what I stated, so we don't seem to be disagreeing there.

Otherwise, I've never bought the "Third Pillar" claims and certainly don't believe Nintendo could maintain three hardware platforms simultaneously. I'm not sure where you got that impression, but I was merely mentioning how they've marketed things in the past to hedge their bets. Regardless, you seem to be ignoring the crucial backwards compatibility of the DS with GBA games, rendering the GBA virtually pointless. That's a key difference that guaranteed the GBA would be phased out unless the DS was absolutely rejected by consumers.

That Nintendo never used the term "third pillar" to describe NX/Switch is all anyone needs to know. This term carries weight and therefore it's avoided intentionally when it doesn't get mentioned. I'd actually like to ignore this third pillar thing altogether because it works neither as a pro or a con for your greater claim.

Point 2: Indeed, Nintendo won't leave the handheld market. But since Switch is a hybrid and therefore incorporates handheld needs, Nintendo doesn't need to create a separate 3DS successor to remain in the handheld market. For further evidence, look at the country where handhelds reign supreme; Switch is already being accepted as the 3DS successor.

Point 3: Nintendo had two platforms in the past not because of safety reasons, but because technology required it. Having two separate platforms is the reason why one wouldn't do so well at times, because the split development resources didn't allow for the necessary support. So now that technology doesn't constitute an obstacle anymore, Nintendo moves to a single platform because that's much safer for business. Additionally, it's better to have one successful platform than having one success and one failure on your hands.

Point 4: This is already addressed in the final sentence of my rebuttal to point 3.

Point 5: Switch revisions can solve all of that. The hardware can be shrunk, the price can get lower, the form factor can be changed, all depending on what is deemed necessary. Remember that the 3DS launched with a single model at $250 and didn't serve the prices and form factors of the DS family. Revisions take care of such stuff.

Point 6: There are no laws that forbid games with lower development budgets.

Point 7: You really are an idiot. There's no need for a separate handheld line to sell Switch as a hybrid. The market accepts Switch as a hybrid because it offers all the functionality that is expected from a Nintendo home console. This is your worst point by far and you must have tripped and hit your head on the edge of a table or something. Or maybe you assumed nobody will be reading until that point while at the same time a huge list increases credibility for your argument.

Point 8: Kimishima has commented on this and told investors that Nintendo is always working on new hardware, but there is no separate 3DS successor planned to release anytime soon. This points towards Switch truly being the successor to both the Wii U and 3DS. Also, mainline Pokémon was announced.

Point 9: This goes back to point 3. There's no benefit in splitting development resources.

Point 10: A Nintendo handheld receiving first party support after its successor has already launched is normal. The DS received the exclusive Pokémon Black/White 2 about 15 months after the 3DS had launched (Japanese dates). Also, once again, Switch serves the handheld market, so your entire premise of an exit is wrong.

im so glad you posted this because you just saved me from basically writing the same thing.