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Topic: Should Nintendo stop making 3DS exclusives?

Posts 21 to 27 of 27

skywake

PlusUltra wrote:

My point is I believe the switch will do its thing regardless of the 3ds. So would it really hurt for 3ds to have a few more exlusive moments in the spotlight?

Development time and money put into the 3DS is time not put on the 3DS. When Switch revenue easily 4x the revenue they were generating from Switch in its first year? That's not a decision they're going to make. Especially when year on year 3DS sales, and in particular software sales, are on the decline.

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Dpullam

I honestly don't think so. There are plenty of 3DS owners who still really look forward to new releases by Nintendo. And as dated as the system may be, it still is one heck of a handheld. I kinda miss playing mine.

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kkslider5552000

I mean, they committed to several Wii U to 3DS ports (despite all of them needing more work to...work) and have proudly pointed out Wii U game after Wii U game ported to Switch. And after Sushi Striker was announced as a simultaneous release on Switch, I think they've done everything to make it seem like a reasonable assumption that 3DS games should have simultaneous releases for Switch as well.

To most people, it just looks like Nintendo is just avoiding putting these games on Switch for no reason. That's not true, but that's probably what it looks like to people.

Edited on by kkslider5552000

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Electric-Gecko

After looking at a list of 3DS games published by Nintendo in 2017 and 2018 (including upcoming), there actually aren't as many games as I thought, and some of them look pretty unworthy. Some are just shovelware.

Maybe not all of these games should have gotten a Switch port, but some of them should. I think it's a matter of cost/benefit. That is, weighing technical challenge against the appeal of being on Switch.

Metroid: Samus Returns is one that definately should have a Switch version. The technical challenge shouldn't be too big with this one, and it's a game that Switch owners would like to have. Critical reception has been very good.

Hey! Pikmin would be similarly easy to port, but the reception was mediocre. In fact, it was probably clear since the beginning that it would be semi-shovelware. So I don't mind that this was 3DS exclusive.

Luigi's Mansion would be slightly but significantly more of a technical challenge than the above. But it would benefit to have a Switch version.

Kirby Battle Royale is just plain shovelware, so not worth it.

For WarioWare Gold and Mario Party: The Top 100, there would likely be more technical challenge than all the above due to having so many minigames. However, they did manage to port many minigames that from other consoles, so porting them to Switch might not be too hard. However, these games are not as appealing as Metroid: Samus Returns or Luigi's Mansion, so I say probably don't port.

I don't know much about Mario & Luigi: Bowsers Inside Story. It probably is well optimised to dual-screen given it's a DS game (with a remaster/remake coming to 3DS). However, given that it's expected release in 2018, Nintendo might decide on their own by then to rework it for Switch.

Electric-Gecko

Seacliff

FX102A wrote:

Despite the Switch's success its total sales remain less than 1/3 of the 3DS at this point and development costs are lower.

Install Base != Active Users.

Nintendo's financial reports state that the software sales for the 3DS were about ~30 Million last year and have been decreasing 33% each year.

Source: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2018/180131e.pdf (Near the top of Page 3.)

Obviously, 30 Million is not the same as the 70 Million hardware sales the 3DS currently has. The install base.

And I think it's safe to assume 3DS owners buy more than 1 game a year. Even if the average was 2 games a year, that instantly puts it lower than the Switch's current hardware sales.

Seacliff

skywake

@Seacliff
I already made this point on the previous page but I think you're looking at the wrong data. From your link look at pages 7 & 8. On page 7 you can see that sales revenue for the Switch in 2017 was almost double Nintendo's total sales revenue in 2016. Also that 3DS revenue dropped by 20% during this period.

Is some of that hardware sales and the fact that the Switch is a more expensive product? Sure, 100%. But on page 8 they have software unit sales. And on that page 3DS software sales are down about 35%. And probably more damning for the 3DS is the fact that Switch software sales for 2017 were higher than 3DS software sales were in 2016. And, as you said, 3DS owners are increasingly less active consumers and the Switch install base is increasingly rapidly. So this trend is only going to accelerate.

BTW based on that same document there was 1 3DS game sold for every 2 3DS consoles. To make that clearer if you have a 3DS, statistically, you didn't buy a game for it last year. For the Switch it was the other way around. If you are a Switch owner, statistically, you brought 3 Switch games last year.

Edited on by skywake

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"Don't stir the pot" is a nice way of saying "they're too dumb to reason with"

Heavyarms55

I don't think it is really a matter of should or should not. Nintendo will support the 3DS as their entry level product so long as it keeps selling. Games like Samus returns or Luigi's Mansion were likely begun largely before the Switch proved itself. Major 3DS releases are already trickling off and it is unlikely there will be many more exclusive titles. In my personal opinion, I'd prefer Nintendo to really shift focus to Switch, but I understand why they want to keep the 3DS alive for a the time being.

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