Topic: Future of the DS family?

I've been wondering, do you guys think the 3DS is the last of the DS family? Or will a new system (not redesign) will be made next to the Switch or even after the Switch?

I would love Nintendo to continue the DS suite, keeping backwards compatibility with at least the previous generation, as they have tended to do with the handhelds. It would be a crying shame if all those dual-screen jewels were simply abandoned to posterity. This is probably the best back catalogue in video games, especially once you throw in all the virtual console stuff.

However, my head tells me that this is likely the end of the road. The Switch has already cannibalised Nintendo’s own handheld market, and I actually fear it would now be a mistake to try to sidle back in with a bespoke portable device - it would do neither machine any favours. The Switch was basically Nintendo saying it can’t afford to support two lines any longer. It’s hard to see Kyoto looking past iterations on the Switch for the foreseeable future. They may not all be compatible with each other, but I think the concept of a single hybrid console is here to stay.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Getting 100% of Nintendo’s resources and imagination devoted to one line is great for gamers. But it is also sad. I only just got a 3DS!

@Krull I feel you on just getting the 3DS. I got a newer version a year ago because my old one stopped working (it just started working on its own today) and now I'm sad.

I wouldn't be surprised to see it revived at some point.

What with the folding phones entering the market (bumpily in Samsung's case), it suggests there's still interest in the clamshell design (which is reassuring cos a lot of DS owners cherish the clamshell).

And touchscreen is clearly going to continue.

So where you've got folding display tech and touchscreen capability, the door is wide open for a modern handheld that has BC with 3/DS.