The 3DS Is Far From Dead, Nintendo Says It's "Continuing With Efforts To Expand Sales"

I just bought Wario ware / MARIO party top 100 games / Luigi mansion ... and need to buy MARIO and Luigi bowser inside story too in the future .. so yes I still use mine

Good to see Nintendo still at least paying lip service to the 3DS. It seems to have better longevity than the GBA did when the DS was launched and Nintendo's now infamous '3 pillar' strategy. I still play my 3DS weekly and with the back catalogue of games I cant see that changing anytime soon.

That's pure bull, why are all their new games (except Luigi's Mansion) in 2D??

But anyways, I still use mine, even sent it off for repair earlier this week as the shoulder buttons don't work anymore

i really like the ds and it's good to see that Nintendo is still supporting it.

I honestly never touch my 3ds, and can't remember the last game I got for it

I for one love the 3DS, but I have to admit that using the Switch as a portable 95% of the time, it has quite lost its appeal. It still has the edge of the stereoscopic 3D, sure. It's a shame that they are abandoning it gradually, except for a few games, because without this feature there is no big reason to still play the 3DS owning a Switch.

Anyway, my main issue is the size of the screen. Whenever I play with it I always think "God, what a small screen". The Switch has spoilt me.

Okay so just keep releasing GameCube and Wii ports for it and I'll keep playing it when I don't have my Switch around. How bout an F-Zero GX port, a Super Mario Sunshine port, a Kirby's Air Ride port, a Wario Land: Shake It! port, a Wario World port, a Last Story port, a Super Mario Galaxy port, a Paper Mario: Thousand-Year Door port, and a Super Paper Mario port please.

It’s a zombie at this point. It’s shambling along with a port here and there, sliding down the sales charts. It’s only a matter of time. Nintendo isn’t going to admit they’re letting it go because it’s still on shelves and being sold, but anyone with any powers of observation can clearly see it circling the drain. And this is coming from someone who still loves and regularly plays his 3DS.

Just beating a dead horse at this point.

Didn't the quarterly report yesterday say that 3DS hardware sales were 1/3 of the Switch?

Given most seem to think the Switch is selling well, I would say 1/3 of that is still pretty good for an 8 year old portable that some people think is dead/zombie etc.

At this point it's just foolish not to put all of their resources into the Switch, particularly at such a crucial point in its lifespan.

It's the entry level, bargain bin system. They can shovel 2/3DS units for dirt cheap at this point. I don't expect any more major releases, but they will probably keep trickling out smaller stuff for a while. I mean the Game Boy lasted on store shelves for around a decade, and I remember seeing GBA's in stores as late as 2010.

Whats left to release that we know of literally just a handful of games due for 2019. I dont think more than 4/5 more will be announced, 2 RPG japanese ports plus 2 more quick ports from Nintendo to continue to trickle the 2019 releases out over the year....

Would help if they added some vc to it. It's been 2 years since the last vc release!

They'll renew sales when they announce the next new model - New 3DS XL Mini - it will be the same size as the regular 3DS. 🤣

I still hope they figure out some sort of 3ds player. 3ds has always been a struggle for me but after switch I really hate playing it.

The 4DS will be compatible with Switch, it can use Switch and 3DS cart. The upper screen will be 720p and in 4D.

@GameOtaku
Actually not even one year yet. Pokémon Crystal was released this late January.

I have plenty of games that I need to play on 3DS and want to buy for the 3DS but the Switch is so much nicer it's been hard to jump over and play it. As far as the 3DS still selling, I think Nintendo still has room to boost sales by doing a further price drop on the New models and dropping the 2DS.

@thesilverbrick Best guess, they keep it going until at least November 2019 when they'll release the licensed Frozen 2: The Game tie-in game alongside the movie which will sell a million copies next Christmas. Probably even have a New 2DS XL bundle.

I'm kidding about the bundle, but not the game.

February 2020 they can announce the Switch Pocket or Switch Portable, whatever it takes to hit $199, and let the 3DS whither away.

@thesilverbrick
it's hardly a "Zombie", perhaps you have given up on it, but far too many have not, the Wii U has been dying a slower death than it should have, it should have commited suicide by now and with Switch, it's functions pretty much make it obsolete, but 3ds is still loved and it does bring something to the table that Switch cannot, the two screen gameplay, I love mine, still play it couple times a week, because of its format, you can't just port games over to the Switch, and it just has such a huge library of such tremendously loved games, not as many people will. ditch it as you hope, so yah, the 3DS will remain both active and VERY relative for years to come

I still play 3DS games until today.
I will get another New 3DS LL for playing Japanese Exclusive 3DS games.
Oh, please Nintendo. Make it Region FREE from the Ultimate Update before 3DS discontinued !

"Continuing With Efforts To Expand Sales" Until they completely run out of phoned-in remakes, compilations and Kirby games to put on there.

@ZeldaToThePast Um, it's obvious that the 3DS is not dead.

@jhewitt3476 Sales figures don’t lie, my friend. Japan is notorious for loving the 3DS more than any other region and the number of units sold every week is paltry now. People like you and me may still be playing 3DS regularly, but we are absolutely in the minority. Nintendo knows this, too, and they’ve reduced their 3DS game output to a single retail port or remake every few months. It’s a cheap development strategy to keep an occasional new SKU on store shelves to justify selling the system a bit longer while coasting on the massive existing library. Consumer interest in the 3DS is drying up. It’s only a matter of time.

Your argument is that the system is still fun to play, and I’m not disputing that. I still play mine nearly every day. I’m simply saying that financially, its profitability is shrinking by the day for Nintendo. They won’t keep selling it forever.

@Retupmocnin
though Nintendo has always done great with backward compatibility with previous portables, I just don't see them adding DS/3DS to the next gen Switch this time (not hardware wise at least), I would love, but i also see why it could not be done

It used to be a home console / handheld split. Now it's a main console / budget option split. So it makes sense for them to keep it selling as long as possible.

@rjejr I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you are probably right. They are buying time until they can release a less expensive Switch. I think it’s funny that people expect Nintendo to announce that they are going to be pulling support for the 3DS. They’ve never done that for any console in the past. They just quietly make less and less software for older machines and they fade away. That’s exactly what has already started with 3DS. In the meantime, admitting that they are doing this would be financially ruinous. Nobody wants to buy a console or handheld when the manufacturer has said they’re just about done with it.

I got rid of my 3DS a couple of months back and now I miss it, so I plan on getting another one in the next month or two I miss the stereoscopic 3D effect and there are a lot of games I didn't get to play that I want . It would be fantastic it Nintendo would release a new upgraded 3D handheld I for one am a huge fan of the stereoscopic 3D effect it is amazing.

It’s alive I tell you. ALIVE.

Long live the 3ds.

I see only one way a DS/3DS could be added, it could also be done on current Switch's.......

the games would have to be adjusted to replace touch screen input with remote Joy-Con input,
the games would be ported onto Switch cartridges but could NOT be played in handheld mode, they would have to be docked to a tv, (larger the better), it would create 2 separate screens like multiplayer on Mario Kart games, the top being main screen, the bottom as touch

it is proven as viable since the recent Mario Party uses screen pointing without IR input, so yes it can be done, just not in handheld

and don't try saying consumers won't buy non-handheld mode games, Mario Party also proves that will work also

take the hint Nintendo (and other game makers) !!!

They said similar things with the Wii U before they killed it off, so I'm not buying this. And a Gamecube port isn't what I would call their "utmost", especially with the holidays on the way.

It's still a great handheld but once I bought a Switch I wasn't going back...

@carlos82

The resources being put into 3DS are trivial and would not do much for Switch. They have a small handful of second party/third party developers making ports pretty much.

3DS lets them tap into a market Switch is hard pressed to hit right now because the far lower price of entry.

Reggie said awhile ago 3DS is a way to get kids into Nintendo so they buy a Switch down the line.

3DS is pretty much a form of marketing for Switch that also makes a bit of easy money as a bonus.

If 3DS were to be completely dropped the increase in software production for Switch would be nearly imperceptible.

@thesilverbrick I'm still waiting for Ntinedo to announce they are pulling Wii U game support. It got Zelda in early 2017 but it's been a little slow since then. Though Just Dance 2019 did just release retail last week, so it's not dead yet.

And consoles can still sell after support drops. Sony announced they were dropping Vita games about 4 years ago but it still sells fairly well every single week in Japan. Admittedly no where else, but they keep buying them up there for some strange reason after the thing was announced dead and buried.

Nintneod probably can't keep selling a New 3DS, New 3DS XL and New 2DS XL, something will have to give, and since almost none of the newer 3DS games have 3D anyway, New 2DS XL could very well be the last system standing, down to $99 from it's current $149. It's just too bad the last system standing couldn't have a nice simple name like "3DS", it has to be "New 2DS XL" instead. Though it's Ntinedo, so I suppose one last hardware revision to rule them all isn't out of the question, something small and cheap, "2DS Micro" maybe. Or a "2DS Advance" w/ 3D, b/c Nintendo Logic.

As soon as i bought a Switch, my 3DS was retired. I still go back to play the odd game on it, but outside of that, i leave it be and focus on the Switch.

However, Nintendo seem to be doing it the right way. The 3DS has one heck of a library of games, perfect for the younger generation to get into the Nintendo family (plus, the 3DS is more durable than the Switch). When they are ready, move them onto the Switch.

@retro_player_22 "How bout an F-Zero GX port, a Super Mario Sunshine port, a Kirby's Air Ride port, a Wario Land: Shake It! port, a Wario World port, a Last Story port, a Super Mario Galaxy port, a Paper Mario: Thousand-Year Door port, and a Super Paper Mario port please."

I'd much rather have all of these on Switch. Especially Galaxy, Sunshine and Paper Mario/Thousand year door.

Now about an Animal Crossing Gamecube remake Nintendo...
if they are gonna start putting gamecube games on 3DS, I Would love to see Animal Crossing and Paper Mario TTYD on 3DS. i wouldn't hate the idea of them being switch versions as well. (although, we are getting a new main Animal Crossing game on the switch. so why brother remaking it for the switch, and just keeping it for 3DS.)

PS Vita: Sony was long done with it but Third Parties still make games on it.

3DS: Third Parties are long done with it but Nintendo still makes games on it.

It has a place, but tactically I think that place should knock the price down considerably so differentiate markets from it and Switch. NEW 3DS is a solid device or the 2D version of it, but with the systems still pushing $150-200, a nice $50 price drop would help. It needs to live on as more of a budget handheld against the $300 Switch.

I would think slashing it further and removing the packed in download (or better yet leaving it) would help push the system to a lot more people. If you could get that 2DS line down to $100 to start from $150 it would have a lot more adults for themselves or kids as a cheap entertainment device the excuse they need.

@rjejr

They already stopped selling the basic N3DS.

Except maybe in japan.

@VmprHntrD

Uh 2DS is already 80$.

New 2DSXL is 149$.

Unless you live in Canada with its inflated gaming prices or something.

2DS dropping to 50-60$ and N2DSXL dropping to 100-129$ would be good though.

@Pikachupwnage Prove it. I just double checked best buy, target, and gamestop, all have the New 2DS XL at $149.99 and the New 3DSXL is $199.99. Not sure where you live you can find them for $50 less than that new at retail.

Releasing a budget version of the Switch (really just price discrimination at this point, since the manufacturing cost would be about the same) wouldn’t deal with the fact that Switch games are $80 a piece, much more than 3DS games are.

@Pikachupwnage Thanks for that, looks like you are right, even Japan seems to have dropped the 3DS, just XL and old and new 2DS. I wonder what they did with all the faceplates? Guess they wont' be doing that again.

I still think at some point they'll consolidate on a single model though. Once the Switch gets a price cut or a base portable model w/o the Dock, Grip and HDMI cable it would be silly to have a $199 Switch next to a $199 New 3DS XL on store shelves. They really need just one type of 2/3DS at $99 for the kids while everyone else moves on to the Switch.

I'm still playing Chinatown Wars on my 3DS.

Metroid: Samus Returns is on deck~

@Anti-Matter I think you can make it region free by hacking it.

I played on my Switch yesterday in handheld mode then switched (no pun intended) to my 3DS to play Pokémon. It is possible to find use in both systems.

@Trajan
No way.
I have pre-ordered New 3DS LL from my local game seller.
When i got my New 3DS LL, i will have THREE 3DS machines (2 USA version, 1 Japanese version)
I have promised to myself to NOT playing pirated games and or hacked / jailbroken machines.
On 2nd November 2018, it will be my 5th Anniversary of my First Original machine i bought with my own money, a Rose Pink x White 3DS XL USA version.
5 years have been playing Original games....
Felt like 5 days ago.

@Aozz101x
Paper Mario The Thousand Years Door on 3DS ?!
Aaaaaaah......
It feels like a Dream Comes True.
Because that game (Gamecube version) was still Very Expensive from Ebay, even the Used games.

@Anti-Matter No, I'm saying if you hack it you can make it region free. Making it region free is not piracy.

I'm glad they're putting a little effort into it. I'd love some more gcn ports and SNES VC, but anything at this point is a bonus. So many special games for the ds/3ds families that will never work as well on any other system.

What titles have passed 1 Million sales since Pokemon?

It's great that Nintendo is still supporting a system that I truly love. However, my oldest son has completely moved onto the Switch. My youngest son only uses his 2DS on rare occasions. Myself, have tried to take my 3DS on a flight only to find out that the battery was "shot". I have purchased a new battery but have not touched it since. This was months ago! Basically, we've moved onto the Switch. At this point, all games should be on the Switch. I can't figure out why games like Luigi's Mansion are on the 3DS instead of on the Switch! With the newest game coming out for the Switch, it would have made better sense IMO to have it on the Switch.

@Trajan
region locking games should have been illegalized from the beginning of the NES & Master System, there has NEVER been any reason for it, people have always asked why and the company's attempts to legitimize were always so full of holes, they just stopped answering, when i heard the Switch would be open and open to Indies, I shouted "Puuuh-RAISE THUH LO-ARD !!!", Hybrid, open region and ANYONE is allowed to make a game and sell.....
Sony who ???
Microsoft what ???

yah, I was sold day one

My 3DS will always have a special place in my heart, but I'm all about that Switch life now and haven't touched it in ages.

If all they plan on adding is a bunch of remakes, I'd love to see F-Zero X 3D or Super Mario 64 3D. I can dream, can't I?

Backlog on my 3DS is still pretty huge, i actually see myself playing it for the next few years considering the exclusive gems i have yet to play.

If more (good) games comes to it, i do see myself buying them.

I'm done with my 3DS, i've found 0 reasons to pick it up since Ultra Sun. Once I finished it haven't touched it since. I play primarily on my switch, and anytime i see a game announced on 3ds I just get disappointed that it's not on switch at least as well.

Long live the 3DS !! lol

I love mine, it's easily one of my fave systems of all time and i'm excited for Luigi's Mansion, Yokai Watch 3 and Kirby's Epic Yarn, i know realistically it has to die sooner or later but i still feel it has a little bit of juice left in the tank, i'd love a few more ports like the N64 Paper Mario and F-Zero X, they'd both look great in 3D.

I really hope a brand new Wario Land is the console's swan song, or, failing that, a remake of the Virtual Boy game, the rumours of a Link's Awakening remake still seem to linger too, if all these games were to come to fruition, i'd be very happy

Best Handheld console ever and probably the first system that Nintendo actually supports and not let it die like others systems before, and while it's obviously on its last legs at least it's getting more great games like Etrian Odyssey X, Yokai Watch 3 and hopefully we get Persona Q2

Can we get a UI update to get rid of the miiverse and possibly get GBA games on E shop? Theres a lot nintendo can do keep the 3DS relevant but all we get is stability updates. Also an update to get rid of region lock would be great.

"3DS" seems like a misnomer at this point. Some of the more recent games for the system don't even support 3D, and Nintendo seems more keen to push the budget 2DS and New 2DS XL systems.

I'll be hunting for a decent N3DS XL over the holidays as I suspect that this will be the last season in which they will easily be found.

It's still one of my favorite consoles. I still play it to work on the backlog of both DS and 3DS. Also I try to play AC:NL semi-regularly. I'm glad to see they are going to keep it going.

Still play mine every day. Wish they would push the New 3DS only stuff, don't think we have had enough excusives / better use of it.

pls give us game and watch gallery 5.

If they announce that the 3ds is coming to an end next year that will halt sales and lower share value.

So what Nintendo have said is meaningless without some sort evidence. More 3ds games announced and expected release dates. Or a new updated 3ds console release.

Otherwise its all smoke and mirrors until the real announcement is announced.

And here comes all the Trolls and fanboys saying 3DS family line was dead. Why should they listen to Trolls telling them what works in their business model. I find this amusing 3DS and Switch are different hardware platform but naysayers keep trying to put them together. Doesn't seem to be working so far. And some games work better with dual screen the Switch doesn't have that. So that is the reason 3DS survives despite all the hatin' on the 3DS.

I love the 3DS, currently I'm 50 hours into Shin Megami Tensei IV

The Gameboy lasted from 1989 - 1999 if you include the backwards compatible GBC games. The 3DS has only been around for 7 years so it has 3 years of life left.

to be far nintendo always has different price point products when it can ... essentially the wii u if it had been portable would have been the switch but better - the switch is a dumbed down version of the wii u --- so why wasn't the wii u portable? because I believe nintendo wanted to protect the DS market and now to be fair it doesn't care about the DS market they are willing to sacrifice it — the DS system is probably the greatest system in history - with the amount of games free online vc etc --- you could also say if you could dock the DS to your tv it would have been the switch lol

Actually looking at the numbers, it appears 3ds is doing about the same for the past 3 years.

To quote Nintendo: "Nintendo 3DS is set apart from Nintendo Switch by its characteristics as a handheld game system that is lightweight, price-friendly, and highly portable. "

Highly portable I think is a huge factor.

@AstralOrange64 They said the Switch was a third pillar? Lmao. So they thought the Wii U would continue?

INB4 all the butthurt comments saying the 3ds should die.

I still regularly play my 3ds so I'm happy to hear that it will continue to be supported

@AstralOrange64 Wow that's nuts.

I think the feeling back then was the DS wasn't going to replace GBA. Idk it just seemed weird.

My Switch does not leave the dock and I play it for hours at a time. My 3DS is for lying on the couch and playing a quick level in a game like Mario 3D Land or I play it in bed before I go to sleep (Harvest Moon games are great bedtime games for relaxing)

"Continuing with efforts to clear our stock"

@Arpie lol gotta lower the standards. Hardly any new stuff. You win the internets. The price drops and affordability of the 3ds help, especially when you help someone who wants to sell theirs with a bundle Nintendo will never do, and I will never understand, just like how excitebike and super Mario maker cannot be uploaded. They also took down the servers for Mario vs donkey Kong tipping stars, the one time I could upload/download levels and tip my stars, a beautiful idea, gone forever now.

@MrVariant Sorry I'm a little confused which standards need to be lowered? I agree there is little new stuff coming but that's much to be expected at this point of the consoles life and personally I 've got such a backlog not something that worries me much.

@Arpie I meant in regards to Nintendo. Given how a lotta things can be run poorly though games can be fantastic

For those who think Nintendo should drop the 3DS because it pulls resources away from Switch development, you need to remember that 3DS is probably dirt cheap to produce now and therefore every system sold is a high profit margin for Nintendo. I would even guess that they make more profit selling a New 3DS XL then they do from selling a Switch.

After that every game sold to a new 3DS owner is gravy, especially if people are still buying older games like Mario Kart 7 in high numbers.

Lastly, every year there is a new crop of kids whose parents feel they are old enough to play video games, but are not yet old enough to be trusted with a $300 piece of fragile electronics like the Switch. To those parents the cheap and sturdy looking 2DS is very attractive.

There will always be a low end of the market and since the Switch is too expensive to occupy that niche Nintendo needs to keep the 3DS around.

People who have owned the 3DS for years, and other Nintendo systems before it, may not be keen on the ports, remakes and localized games that make up the roster of new releases on 3DS these days, but for kids or other people who have never played them those are just new games, not retreads of experiences they have already had. The people on this forum are not the target audience for 3DS any more.

Don't forget that the (2/3)DS is also backwards compatible with the huge DS library. The system is also more portable than the Switch, easily able to fit inside most pockets.

@RatKing64 Exactly.That Nintendo policy, of keeping the 3DS family of systems alive, is indeed clever business logic. The more kids they get hooked on Mario and the like, the better for the company and for the Switch in the long run. Furthermore, the 3DS is the perfect alternative for those who want to play Mario and the like and much much more, without having to spend 300+ bucks for that. There is no other system right now, that could fill this gap, if the 3DS ''retires''. That means more evergreen titles for the system and who knows what else. Keep them coming Nintendo!

Yup - and I'm happy with it. To be honest, games like Metroid: Samus Returns are extremely good looking in 3D like nothing else... And there are a bunch of excellent games on 3DS which are giving a good reason to own one. No 3D on switch, no touch screen - different products, different audience. So I give my vote to support this great platform in the future.

AHAHAHAA!
Nintendo in October: 3DS is far from dead
Nintendo's financial report in January: 3DS is showing signs of being dead

Yeah, 3DS is far from dead alright, that's why Nintendo cut the forecast in half (nearly) for it.

Give it up already, Nintendo! Your own fiscal forecast for 2019 is like 30% of what it was last year, that's NOT growth!