At the end of this month, the 3DS will be six years old, but according to Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima, support for the handheld console will continue. In the company’s corporate management policy briefing for the end of Nintendo’s fiscal year, Kimishima revealed that despite lower sales than previous years, the 3DS is still selling strong.
According to Kimishima, thanks to its unique price point and design, the console will continue to sell alongside the Switch. He also detailed the importance of the console in getting kids to play video games. “The affordability of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems places it in a critical position as the first dedicated video game platform for children who have no prior experience with dedicated video game systems,” Kimishima said.
The console is still receiving plenty of first party titles, including Kirby Battle Royale, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon, and a Fire Emblem Warriors Port. However, the game has not received any third party games in the past three months save for Style Savvy: Styling Star.
Since its release in 2011, the handheld console has undergone several iterations, including the 2DS, New 3DS, and the New 2DS. The 2DS was first released in Oct. 2013 as a cheaper version of the console with a flat design, as opposed to the normal flip-up design. In July 2017, Nintendo released the New 2DS, which has an identical design to the 3D version, but is much cheaper.
Kimishima placed an emphasis on the affordability of the 3DS, saying it is a product for “budget-conscious consumers.” At the time of writing, the Nintendo 3DS XL sells for $199.99 USD, and the 2DS XL costs $149.99. Since its release in 2017, the 3DS has sold over 72 million units, nearly five times more than the Switch has sold in the past year. Should the Switch continue to sell as well as it has the past year, however, it will surpass its handheld counterpart’s current sales figures in five years.
This post was originally written by Babak Abrishamchian.
Published: Feb 4, 2018 12:39 am