The 3DS is over six years old at this point, and with the Switch, Nintendo have fully integrated their handheld and home console pipelines. One would think that with the Switch’s strong and steady sales – and especially with the release of the handheld-only Switch Lite – Nintendo would be ready to out the 3DS to bed, but they’ve insisted on supporting the handheld device up until now.
In spite of recent reports that Nintendo might be looking to shift their internal focus by bringing cancelled 3DS titles to the Switch, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser says that the 3DS will be supported for some time to come – at least until 2020 – what with the fact that it still serves as a great entry level Nintendo product with its cheap price and extensive catalog of games.
“We continue to look at the 3DS family, both hardware and games, as a strong entry point for some consumers,” Bowser told The Verge. “And we’re seeing that. As long as consumer demand is there, we’ll continue to provide both hardware and software on the front.”
When asked when Nintendo will be ready to officially stop supporting the 3DS, he said, “We’re certainly not going to say it today. I think time will tell. We will continue to support 3DS this holiday and into 2020.”
Sales for the 3DS have definitely slowed down – which is no surprise – but Nintendo’s support for the system is not hard to understand. Its library and pricing do make the system an attractive option, especially for younger audiences. There’s also the fact that said support hasn’t hindered the Switch in any way, so it’s not like the 3DS is impacting current-gen output.