With the launch of the New Nintendo 2DS XL coming up, it seems to be akin to the Game Boy Micro’s send off that the Game Boy line received. Milking the last hardware and software sales from the market already well into its matured phase.
The Game Boy launched in 1989 and the Micro launched in 2005, that family of systems lasted 16 years. While the DS launched in 2004 and the New Nintendo 2DS XL is launching in 2017.
13 years is not as long, however, there are other factors at play as to why another DS member is unlikely.
The first, and most obvious, is that the Nintendo Switch is already on the market competing with the New Nintendo 2DS XL for portable gamers’ dollars.
The switch is in high demand, has lots of room to grow, and has even raised the price ceiling (as well as average price) of portable games (lower budget games like Bomber Man R, 1-2 Switch, etc. would have been priced much lower on the 3DS for sure). So, it is in handheld game developers’ financial interests that people move on from the 3DS to the Nintendo Switch, where even smaller budget games can sell at higher prices.
The 3DS’s is also reaching a saturation point in the market, where each new hardware interation sells less because most potential 3DS buyers already own one or even multiple 3DS models.
Also, Nintendo has been gradually shifting resources away from 3DS game development. Yes, 3DS games will still be released in the next couple of years, but future development is more and more shifting to the Nintendo Switch (and to a much lesser extent iOS and Android).
Then, there is the current hardware production issues Nintendo is facing, which this issue by itself, makes any new model of any hardware less likely. Nintendo is trying its hardest to keep up with Nintendo Switch demand as it is, and introducing any more hardware would only make things more difficult for them.
Getting Switches to market ASAP is a big focus for Nintendo. They want the largest install base they can get, in the shortest time, in order to sell even more games, but MORE importantly, to get even more third party developers inspired to bring even more games to the Nintendo Switch.
And, once the technology is small enough and cheap enough (probably in the next few years), Nintendo will release a Nintendo Switch Mini at a lower price point to start moving into the 3DS’s current market price points, finally phasing out the DS line.
