Until More People Have the Switch, the 3DS Isn’t Going Anywhere

Ever since the launch of the Nintendo Switch, some pundits have predicted the 3DS’s death would follow while others guessed that it still had quite a bit of life left in it. According to Nintendo, though, the system is here to say–at least for the foreseeable future.

Two days ago, the English translation of Nintendo’s Investor Q&A with their current President, Tatsumi Kimishima, who is soon to be replaced by Shuntaro Furukawa, was released and in it, Kimishima explained why Nintendo hasn’t said goodbye to the 3DS yet. According to Kimishima, there are a number of reasons Nintendo is still supporting the now-7-years-old system including continued profit.

“Consumers purchased Nintendo 3DS systems in numbers we expected last fiscal year,” Kimishima said. “Moving forward, we will work to ascertain what kinds of play people want at which price points, and as long as there is such demand, we will continue to sell the Nintendo 3DS system.”

Considering the 3DS is still seeing a somewhat steady stream of new releases, such as Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker coming later this year, it makes sense that the system is still selling. Why release new games for the system if it isn’t making Nintendo money?

Furthermore, Kimishima explains that kids play a large role in the continued success of the system.

“It has ample software lineup at a price point that makes the system affordable especially for parents looking to buy for their kids,” Kimishima said. “We expect that demand to continue during this fiscal year as well, so we will continue to sell the product.”

Kimishima elaborated on this explaining that at the 3DS’s price point and with it’s portability, the system is great for kids and something parents can afford to gift each of their children with. The Switch isn’t necessarily something parents are willing to buy each of their kids as the system is considerably more expensive and serves as a home console as well.

“But the price of Nintendo Switch is not something with which most parents would buy a system for every one one of their children in a short period of time,” Kimishima elaborated during the Q&A.

Most surprisingly, Kimishima said the 3DS will likely be supported until the Switch changes to a one-per-person system, which at its current price point seems years away for a household with multiple kids and parents who all wish to own a Switch.

“Given that Nintendo Switch is a home gaming system that can be taken on the go, this situation may change if it grows from being a one-per-household system to a one-per-person system,” Kimishima said.

And with that, it seems the Nintendo 3DS is here to stay.