Nintendo killing off the 3DS - Surprisingly not a corona victim this time

  • Want to keep track of this thread?
    Accounts can bookmark posts, watch threads for updates, and jump back to where you stopped reading.
    Create account

Thoughts?

  • Hate to see it go!

    Votes: 108 58.4%

  • Good riddance.

    Votes: 8 4.3%

  • Meh.

    Votes: 29 15.7%

  • When is [insert game here] coming to the Switch, Nintendo?

    Votes: 40 21.6%
  • Total voters
    185
ComeoutandJULAY

ComeoutandJULAY

BURN BURN BURN TO THE GROUND BU-BURN TO THE GROUND
kiwifarms.net
Joined
Aug 31, 2016

The end of the 3DS marks an inflection point for portable gaming
What does the future hold for dedicated portable gaming hardware?
Kyle Orland - Yesterday at undefined
Nintendo seems to have halted production on all variations of the Nintendo 3DS, marking the first time since 2004 that Nintendo is not producing any dual-screen portable systems.

Nintendo's Japanese website now lists all the recent hardware variations in the Nintendo 3DS line (the Nintendo 2DS, New Nintendo 2DS LL, and New Nintendo 3DS LL) as "Out of Production." Nintendo's US site, meanwhile, seems to have been scrubbed of all mentions of the 3DS: the system's official landing page now just redirects to Nintendo's general home page, while Google's cacheand The Internet Archive showed an active promotional page just days ago.

Back in 2017, Nintendo said explicitly that the newly launched Nintendo Switch wouldn't replace the 3DS. Since then, the company has repeatedly reaffirmedthat continued support, saying as recently as last November that the 3DS would be supported into 2020.

But despite a brief sales spike in 2018, by early 2019 Nintendo was acknowledging that 3DS sales were falling "faster than anticipated." With new 3DS software slowing to a trickle as developers moved to the Switch, last year's launch of the $200 Switch Lite probably put the final nail in the 3DS coffin (and helped make the earlier portable's 800x240 resolution look downright antiquated).

A modest success
The 3DS launched in early 2011 counting on a novel (and somewhat gimmicky) glasses-free stereoscopic 3D display to attract new customers. But the system ran into lower-than-expected sales almost immediately, thanks in large part to its $250 price ($290 in 2020 dollars). The original Nintendo DS, by contrast, launched at $150 in 2004 ($208 in 2020 dollars).

Nintendo responded to the lackluster launch with a significant price drop to $170 and a selection of 20 free downloadable classics for early adopters. That quick move helped the 3DS survive as a modest market success, thanks in part to even cheaper hardware options that ditched the stereoscopic 3D screens.

The 3DS line went on to ship over 75 million units in a span of nearly 10 years. The original DS, by contrast, shipped over 154 million units between 2004 and 2013, while the Switch has already achieved 61 million shipments in just 3.5 years.

An uncertain portable gaming future
For now, the Switch Lite keeps Nintendo involved in the production of dedicated portable gaming hardware, a space it has dominated in an unbroken line since the 1989 launch of the original Game Boy. Outside of Nintendo, though, portable gaming continues to be dominated by the tiny computers practically everyone carries around in their pockets.
Sony officially gave up on the PlayStation Vita in 2019 and seems focused on smartphone-based cloud streaming for its portable play options going forward. Microsoft is similarly focused on xCloud streaming on smartphones rather than any sort of dedicated portable version of the Xbox (despite many years of rumors to the contrary).

Major console makers aside, dedicated portable gaming is now mostly focused on nostalgia: handheld devices like the Evercade and upcoming Analogue Pocket representing the low and high ends of cartridge-based retro players, respectively. Then there are devices , which add physical buttons and tiny analog sticks to an Android tablet that you can load up with emulators and (legally acquired) ROMs to your heart's content.

Aside from that, quirky efforts like the monochrome, crank-controlled Playdate somewhat capture the spirit of portable gaming experimentation that led to systems like the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS in the first place. As Nintendo marks the end of the dual-screen gaming era, we hope more experimental hardware-makers will take up that mantle and play around with unique portable form factors that expand handheld gaming beyond the touchscreen on your smartphone.

----------------------------------------------------------------

rip3ds.png


Take a look at that. No more 3DS section on Nintendo's site.

Definitely sad to see it go, but it was really only a matter of time. It's essentially been dead since the Switch exploded in sales and popularity, and now Nintendo has finally ripped off the bandaid.

Wonder where portable gaming goes from here, though. Shit like Super Mario 3D Land and Kid Icarus: Uprising was my jam back when those games were big.
 
I'm surprised the 3DS was going at all considering the Switch was basically its replacement.

I do hope they keep the eShop going for a while longer. There are some Game Boy games I still want to get from its VC, like Wario Land and Link's Awakening. Though if the Wii's any indication, it's probably going to be around for a long time.
 
Well, the Nintendo DS family had a good run. Considering the original DS came out in 2004, then had hardware revisions with the DS Lite (2006) and the DSi models (2009-2011), that's about 7~8 years of DS shelve life.

The 3DS lasted from 2011 to 2020; that's 9 years. Not to mention the expansive lineup of DS/3DS games over the years.

I thought the 3DS "died" when the Switch came out; I'm amazed how long it lasted.

:semperfidelis:
 
Duncan Hills Coffee said:
I'm surprised the 3DS was going at all considering the Switch was basically its replacement.
Click to expand...

It was more or less a failsafe just in case the Switch didn't catch on.

Nintendo does this pretty much all the time (remember when they said the DS wouldn't replace the GBA?) since outright saying you're going to kill a console off and replace it with another, even if it's true, isn't exactly good business optics even if people are on board with what's replacing it. But I think they were extra careful about phasing out the 3DS since the Wii U bombed (and actually was discontinued in favor of the Switch) and they didn't want to lose out on 3DS sales while it was still profitable for them. Now that support for it is practically nonexistent at this point, they picked a good time to kill it.
 
Archiving the digital-only games is going to be a pain in the ass. From my understanding, emulators have issues playing the DSi digital-only shit because the files themselves don't work properly, but Homebrewed 3DS' can just install .CIA files with no issues. I've never used Citra so idk if that works the same way, but there's a few gems that are "digital only" that I'd hate to see disappear.
 
It ran its course.
A glorious course, but it couldn't go on forever. I'll always be grateful for the hours of entertainment my old aqua DS brought me and my sisters.
 
ComeoutandJULAY said:
Nintendo does this pretty much all the time (remember when they said the DS wouldn't replace the GBA?) since outright saying you're going to kill a console off and replace it with another, even if it's true, isn't exactly good business optics even if people are on board with what's replacing it
Click to expand...
They also did that with the original Game Boy and the Game Boy Color. If I recall correctly, the Color was just an upgraded Game Boy. They were still "supporting" the original Game Boy up until 2000.

Fun fact: GBA was meant to be the successor to the original Game Boy, but they needed more time.
 
Still lucky to have my 3DS and PS Vita in my house.
However it just goes to show that handheld systems in the new age (with the exception of the Nintendo Switch) will never last long, as long as there is full fan support.

Now to go on eBay and other online shopping sites to see how much scalpers are going to trick you raise the price to the most ridiculous amount possible.

DanteAlighieri said:
Huh, my homebrew capable one might be worth something soon.
Click to expand...
It’s the same thing with my Wii U. I saw some home brew channels on YT, but they really make it seem like it’s a lot of work to do for a console made almost a decade ago. I guess I just have to learn some patience with things like this.

This one is pretty informative:

 
Last edited:
I have one, as well as a 2ds one and I absolutely love them both. They got me through some hard times, and I enjoyed the multiplayer aspect that a lot of the games tended to offer. I have enough 3ds games to play for months on end.

Its sad to hear that there would no longer be any more games for it, but the system did last for a good while with hundreds of fun games under its belt. Guess that means I gotta invest in a Switch now.
 
NerdShamer said:
This is why people have several of them. But it's still better than constantly buying new batteries for the Game Boy Advance.
Click to expand...
lol get on my level. I grew up with the Game Gear and that fucker drained all 6 AA's fast. I only knew a few people that actually had the battery pack
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom