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Miyamotoo on 23 June 2017
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Johnw1104 said:
torok said:
Well, 3DS is on its 6th year. It won't stay around for long. They will either launch a successor (unlikely) or wait until Switch becomes cheap enough to make 3DS obsolete, probably with a dockless SKU and a revision to make it more portable (smaller bezels).

The reasoning to say that a successor is unlikely is that, when the Switch reaches less than 200 bucks, it makes a portable completely useless. The home console gets the best titles, handhelds get cheap spin-offs. The few franchises that were handheld-only are going to the Switch.

A mini Switch as you said, is a likely scenario. We just don't know if they will want to release a SKU incompatible with the dock, so it can have the size of a 3DS.

Yeah, in that situation though Nintendo really hasn't abandoned their two platform approach. That's really the key observation here: Nintendo has always provided two different platforms at different price points via the handheld and console markets, and while the 3DS will inevitably be retired there's definitely a chance that some variation of the Switch takes its place.

 

Johnw1104 said:
radishhead said:
Nintendo are definitely not currently designing the successor to the 3DS - it already exists, and it's called the Switch. Nintendo may release a smaller Switch further down the line to help with portability, but it will still contain the ability to dock into the TV, and will share the same library as the current Switch.

Nintendo have already combined their handheld and home console development teams together, there's no way they're releasing another non-Switch handheld before the end of this generation.

To an extent I agree, which is why I suggested the likely future involves a mini Switch filling that handheld void. The key point is that there's a very good chance Nintendo will continue to support multiple platforms as opposed to only supporting one. That could certainly be two variations of the same overall design, with one featuring stronger hardware and a higher price point than the other, perhaps mimicking to a degree the current mid-gen refresh trend but with the superior hardware being the focus of AAA games.

 

It sounds like you don't know what platform exactly means. If Nintendo release (almost certain scenario) Switch Mini/Pocket, or Switch Pro/XL, it will be still part of same Switch platform not seperate platform, it will have same OS, same tech/architecture and most important it will play same games. Similar like 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, New 3DS, new 3DS XL and 2DS XL are all part of same platform, while 3DS and Wii U are different platforms. So it's obvious that would be same platform, not seperate.