Tatsumi Kimishima Talks About a Potential 3DS Successor

Mochizuki is saying that it's just him leaving options open:

https://twitter.com/mochi_wsj/status/826995141843914753

My take: a 3DS successor is in the works, but will only see the light of day if the Switch fails. When Switch takes off, then it will be the successor to both of Nintendo's hardware lines.

I'm all for having a successor to the 3DS, but they should use the Switch to fill that. It doesn't make sense to release a new console alongside the Switch when they can just sell Switch handhelds without the dock.

Nintendo would be foolish to leave the handheld market. A pocket-sized Switch would be interesting, but console games have a very different flavor from handheld games.

Of course it could be a pocket-sized Switch that could use the same cartridges, but it means that it would need even smaller joy-cons to be fully compatible, for instance... :
But at the end of the day I just want a handheld with a 3D screen. Maybe I'll just stick to my (New) 3DS...

I can see people taking this out of context and using it to say the Switch is a failure before its even launched.

If they ever create a 3DS successor, then I'd probably much prefer to get that instead the Switch, and it could actually stop me from getting a Switch. The 3DS has a lot more games that I want to play than the Wii U, so I'd imagine it would be the same with the 3DS successor and the Switch.

Despite what Nintendo says, the Switch is a handheld with a fancy HDMI out. They probably know this too, but marketing it as such would've probably pissed off holiday 3DS buyers and baffled investors calling for a new console.

If I had to guess Nintendo's next piece of hardware for games, I'd put money on it being a set top box that compliments the Switch in 2018. Possibly one of those Supplemental Computing Devices patented by Nintendo a while back, in the form of a beefed up dock. A "3rd Party Box", that allowed play of more complex games when docked or connected to Wi-Fi. Because let's face it, the Switch, no matter what the architecture, is woefully underpowered. A booster has to be in the cards for Nintendo

I wonder how much you could make a 75% sized Switch without TV connectivity for? That would make the most sense.

Nintendo HDS ? (HD Dual Screen)

Nintendo need to concentrate on one device or one family of devices, they can't do both as they proved with the Wii U & 3DS. As already mentioned when the time is right sell the Switch without the dock or smaller Switch with HDMI already built in.

Having two different handheld lines will obviously kill sales completely (as Switch is clearly a handheld as well), but if it's essentially a second model of the upcoming platform, like a smaller, cheaper and less powerful version of it, I can see it being a thing. Maybe without the Joy- Cons and just a standard control setup, and / or without the ability to hook up to a TV. No ...I strongly believe the 3DS will be the last of its kind ...If Nintendo wants to continue making consoles at all for the foreseeable future, that is. One platform, no problems.

Switch Mini? Backwards compatible with 3DS through a clip-on lower screen (sold separately) and runs Switch games but sells without a dock (but one will be made) and cannot separate joycons (but can use external ones).

Justifying and designing such a device is not difficult, really.

@electrolite77 a small switch would have pretty poor battery life

Hmm.. I might postpone my Switch purchase if this is the case.

I was hoping they would put both their handheld and console series on the Switch. If that's not the case I can see the WiiU droughts returning in about a year.

I'll wait and see I guess.

I think that the comments from the late and great Iwata need to be remembered here; he explicitly stated that all devices would become 'like brothers', and that translates (to me at least) as a shared architecture. It's therefore very likely that dual screen gaming may have had its day once this is - if at all - unveiled in the future.

Then again, perhaps they will make a device that's compatible in power to Wii U, but retains its functions as a 3DS. Either way, I don't see backwards compatibility being a priority at that point, and it will likely share a few titles with Switch (but not all).

I'm siding on the thought that this will be an entirely new entity, and it will be interesting to see if any of the patents - some of which were heavily rumored to be for Switch - make it into its final form.

As much as I want Nintendo to keep supporting my New 3DS forever, I understand that's not happening and would be bad for business. So yes, the idea of Switch and it's successors being an all in one home console/handheld hybrid appears the next evolutionary step. The technology available now makes this a possibility, make it so.

If the Switch is a success, this won't happen as there'd be no point in owning two portable consoles that will likely offer very similar games. Also, Nintendo have already acknowledged the self-inflicted wound of dividing their resources in terms of game development. This is likely hedging their bets in case the Switch is a flop, in which case they'll probably go fully portable and leave home consoles behind.

As usual with this company, they announce one thing and then do an entirely different thing altogether. The Switch was announced as a new system which wouldn't have replaced neither the WiiU nor the 3DS. The truth is that the Switch is just another home console that has replaced the WiiU, and the replacement for the 3DS will come shortly afterwards when interest in the 3DS begins to lower. It's as easy as that.

Logically, it SHOULD be just a smaller Switch, that runs the same OS and plays the same game cartridges. No dual screens and perhaps no Joy-Cons. It should be a clamshell design and basically look like this:

http://www.funstockretro.co.uk/image/cache/data/multi-images/blue-gpd-screenshot0161-625x440.jpg

Keep it 3D, bump up the resolution and processing power, and make it backwards compatible. That's all I want.

I think if anything it will likely be something to upgrade to from the 2DS - i.e. targeting the 4-11 year old market. Switch pricing doesn't really cater for that market.

Just hope for 3D screens to never die!
Maybe it will released after the Switch firmly paved its ground, I think. So it may take a couple of years.
If it is retro compatible, I'm totally for it!!

Man what a PR nightmare. The point of the Switch was merging your console and handheld buainesses and you are already talking about a possible replacement?

they can jsut make a 3ds module for the switch. a lower half clamshell that holds the joycons, square touchscreen, stylus, cartridge slot, etc.

The 3DS is completely different than Switch I dont understand the confusion from people , Switch is a home console that is portable the 3DS is a handheld Nintendo has no problem supporting two platforms the Wii U didn't get games cause the sustem didn't sell not cause Nintendo had a problem supporting two platforms . Handhelds are aimed at younger gamers and there is still a huge market there as well Nintendo can offer two different ways to play . I love my 3DS and I dont see Switch changing that in any way an updated handheld with 3D would be awesome .

That £80-£150 price range is very important to Nintendo, because for many people (especially children), it's their first entry into the portable gaming world. And there is no-one else in a better position to design those products than Nintendo; the 3DS's back catalogue alone is an absolute gold mine.

I've pre-ordered a Switch and look forward to playing it on the go, but if Nintendo did release a new handheld with a similar design and build quality to the 2DS, then I would have no hesitation buying it. In fact, the only reason I haven't bought one to date is because it's not clear what the future is for this platform.

I do not see Switch as a handheld. Its not for me, not my format. I like to take my 3ds or dsl to play on go, and Im ready for an update. Just need to update screens and hardware, and leave dual screen form factor, its just awesome.

Smaller Switch without the dock or detachable cons - there ya have it. I'll gladly take it

We must surely be close to a point where we don't distinguish between home and portable consoles.

I just hope it doesn't come to that, but we'll see later this year.

@Anti-Matter or just High Definition Screen

Separating markets again, after all the efforts to unify them, would kill the entire point of the Switch. Just saying.
Unless they want to keep dual screen gameplay, 3D and all that alive, there's no point behind this.

No Nintendo, no. When 3DS is done, concentrate on Switch.

as long as switch gets a steady stream of games i'm fine with this.

I want to see more nes mini first so they should concentrate on that.

Whether they decide to make a successor is entirely dependent on the success of the Switch, if it doesn't perform well they will most likely make another dedicated handheld since that is where they have been most successful in the past. If the Switch sells like gangbusters then they probably won't see a need to create another one.

I have always said I won't invest in the switch until late 2018 when I can see a bigger picture of all things Ninty. I jumped head first with the wii u and smashed my skull in. I learned a lesson. I don't have total faith with Ninty at moment and this news gets alarm bells ringing.
I wouldn't mind a new dedicated handheld. I wouldn't get chance to play switch on TV cause the wife is always watching it so yeah a new handheld would be great for me. It worked fantastic for original WII and DS

I wish they would just focus all resources on one platform.

Rubbish! The Switch is the 3DS successor.

@MrGawain Yep, that has to be it. The fact that the Switch uses small cartridges should be a dead ringer for that possibility, and concentrating resources in a single unified library would make a lot of sense.

I wouldn't like to drop a Switch. I know it's a funny thing to say but I've had the misfortune of dropping my 3DS and it's survived, but it's built to be rugged - I'm hoping that Ninty will develop something in the same line that will also be backwardly compatible with the huge catelogue of 3DS/DS titles. Sorry but the Switch is just too costly, too fragile, and frankly not as portable as the 3DS (or my phone).

Well, the Switch doesn't look like it will fill the very young gamer demographic very well. Perhaps Nintendo will make a system that uses the same architecture as the Switch, but maybe uses a Tegra K1 chip, and the system would have maybe a capacitive 540p screen. No, I'm not describing a Vita. This system would be rugged, have no 3D, but keep a camera at least on the back to open up AR opportunities. Make it small enough to fit in smaller hands.
Then, Nintendo could make sure the games on there would appeal to the young crowd, kind of like what 95% of Nintendo's marketing has been aimed at since 2006 up until the Switch. Dual-release Pokemon games on it alongside a higher-res Switch version, maybe make easier, smaller versions of big titles that come to the Switch, and put games like Nintendogs-style games on it. Basically, turn it into what the DS was.
That way, the Switch would be for the 12+, more gamer side (basically us), and this hypothetical 3DS successor would be more for 5-12 year olds, along with the types of players that were unique to the DS (Brain Age players, Animal Crossing fans that don't really play other Nintendo titles, Nintendogs players, basically the "very casuals".)
Call it the Nintendo GameTab, sell it for $100. Games would cost $30, $40 if they're a big game that's also on the Switch, like Pokemon or Animal Crossing.

The 3DS is a great system as it is, the only things it really needs are higher-res displays that drop the 3D gimmick.
I could mention the specs but that's already a given.
A DS with a top 1280x720 display and a bottom 640x480 display would be an instant buy for me.

just shut up and take my money later

and by the way, why do I have to scroll down just to leave a comment? O_O

So I shouldn't bother with the Switch and instead just wait for a more powerful handheld that won't bother with all the gimmicks? Gotcha.

SwitchBoy

@FatAlbert1 Despite what some people might want to think, the Switch is not simply a handheld with an HDMI out. Those that think that are just fooling themselves.

Super 3DS! Better graphics and capacitive touch screen!

Like many have said, the Switch doesn't really cater for the younger market with it's pricing. Nintendo have the monopoly on the handheld market too, so it'd be foolish if them to not at least consider a successor to the Switch.

Chances are it'd have the same architecture as the Switch so it can at least play the same eShop games and development time would be lower than the 3DS/Wii U era.

TBH, I'm starting to see the only potential 3DS "successor" would be either an extremely portable handheld that can also be used as a good media player (ala Gameboy Micro / iPod hybrid) or a full on phone. Of course this could result in a costly product; then again who here wouldn't jump for a decent phone by Nintendo with traditional buttons and touch screen?

A "Switch Mini" would have to sacrifice technical capabilities to the point you could no longer call it a "Switch".

What?!

I though they unified the stationary and portable development to focus everything on one device?
If there is already a handheld with the Switch, and then a second handheld with the 3DS successor, will there be a real stationary console (Wii U successor) as well?

Whatever the next Nintendo device is, it needs to be in the same family as switch. Same eshop and games, just an updrgaded,smaller version with more portablity. I'd love to have a console the size of my iPhone but with buttons. Maybe no motion controls with detachable joycons. I don't see them going back to ds brand unless switch is an epic fail in 2+ years like Wii U.

@IceClimbers completely agree with you. Nintendo are attempting to market Switch as a home console first because if it fails and they have to release another handheld to compensate they don't want to be seen doing the same thing they did with wii u. Ie. Abandoning a console 3 years into its life cycle.

I realise it's been out more the 3 years but I assume with development time they gave up on wii u at least 1 year ago and moved all games in development over to switch.

I doubt there'll be a 3DS successor (in terms of form/branding, etc.) I think there'll be a portable-only Switch Mini of some sort. I remember shortly before he passed away, Iwata hinting that there would be a more iPhone/iPad-type relationship between consoles going forward. In that they play all the same games, but they're just in slightly different forms.

@19Robb92
Regardless of what they do, they've made it clear there will be no droughts.

Hence the 1st year lineup... compare that to Wii U

They don't have the resources to support 2 machines. Heck, seems like they can barely sustain one, looking at the Switch's absolutely barren lineup. :/

They obviously need to have a back-up plan in case the Switch fails to take off. If Switch bombs then they will salvage what they can from it into a dedicated handheld that they will call the true successor to the 3DS. If Switch takes off then we will eventually see a smaller variant of it that is aimed at kids but it will still run Switch games.

A successor to 3DS will be redundant. What's the point of unifying your development team and platform if you're going to make another different machine?

On the other hand, a portable-only Switch would be a good idea with a smaller screen and lower price.

I will just copy&paste my comment on previous article on this matter:

YES YES YE!!! I knew it, the Switch is NOT a relacement for 3DS, this confirms it now <3 so I don't actually have to go for Switch, I just can wait for the next 3DS system :3 SCREW YOU 3DS haters

@JaxonH
Well, they have certainly not convinced me of that. If they split development between two systems, it's bound to happen sooner or later (assuming a continued lack of 3rd party support).

I was hoping we'd get mainline Pokemon games etc. on the Switch. That seems less probable if they plan on making another dedicated handheld.

3Ds replacement and Ninty games on mobile like mario run fire emblem and animal crossing around the corner plus a few more this year and many more big titles to come. Yep Ninty certainly making the switch a hard sell. Well for me anyway

I'm hoping this is true in the end. I liked the dual-screen concept and I would not want it to die. The Switch is portable, yes, but at its core is a console system.

I have very little interest in home consoles these days and the Switch is too big for me to consider it a truly portable game system so it is unlikely that I would get one in its current form. However, I am very much hoping that there will eventually be a smaller version of the Switch, ideally with a clam shell design, so that I can have Switch games on it. If they decide to create something else to replace the 3DS that will be a bummer because it will mean (once again) that Nintendo fans need to own two different machines to get access to all of the best first party games.

@19Robb92
It does make it seem less probably, but I suspect it's going to happen nonetheless. Alot of those leaks turned out true, and the leak for Pokémon also stated Pikmin and Smash Bros, both of which have been sighted on retailer listings. So we have no way of knowing for sure (yet) but I'm feeling pretty good about it.

I think they're just covering their bases here. They may very well make a new handheld (some day) but that day won't be soon, and the way it's looking 3DS is just getting 1 or 2 new games a year from Nintendo at this point, and a handful of ports. So for all intents and purposes it shouldn't really be a major factor draining resources.

I was reading an article today that said PC based games can be ported in a year, and devs were shown the Switch in summer time, so big 3rd party games should start showing up around fall and onwards (bout the time we see Skyrim). Seems now is just an awkward time to reveal everything with e3 right around the corner.

But in any case, I just judge based on what I see. And so far, I see releases spread throughout the year without any big gaps like we saw on Wii U (especially in its first year). So far, I see no reason to doubt this will hold true throughout the generation, especially now that Wii U is officially off the books

This would honestly be the dumbest thing for them to do. Stick to the Switch please. Merging home and handheld divisions would've been pointless in the end if they made a 3DS successor. Just make an improved version of the Switch later on with better undocked battery life!

Okay, now I'm really concerned about this. Specially because so many of you guys are happy about this 3DS successor.
Pokémon and Monster Hunter are the most important games for the Switch, so if they decided to move those games to this new handheld instead of Switch, it's gonna kill the hybrid console.
The only reason for me to be optimistic about this is the fact that Nintendo can always make the systems communicate themselves, but this new handheld would probably be weaker than the Switch, which is also a bad thing (sorry, bad english comment passing through)

Mostly a handheld gamer here so a cheaper and smaller handheld only Switch would be great.

I wouldn't mind a new 3DS successor, (even something like a "New New 3DS" though, with more exclusive games & features, and backwards compatibility, and better Virtual Console support) as long as it's not just a Mini Switch.

Agreeed with many others. A 3DS successor doesn't absolutely mean a dual screen 3D clamshell. It could easily be Switch hardware in a 4" clamshell. Although that does present the problem that UI's designed for a larger screen tend to be very hard to see on a 4" screen as evidenced by Vita Remote Play.

But Nintendo physically merged the handheld and home console divisions, announcing it virtually on the day of the WiiU launch. They did so to streamline development of hardware and unify the OS. The software support for two systems has been a drain and created the endless droughts. Everything inside Nintendo has realigned for a single unified platform, which was speculation until October when the Switch was revealed as a hybrid.

No way they're going to return to also making another separate handheld and segment their player base once again. And surely not if they plan on Wii-like numbers for Switch. If they release a 3DS successor, Japan will go all in for it and abandon Switch.

So a 3DS successor, much as I'd LOVE another 3D screen console, that's so perfect for a portable, I imagine will be a pocket size Switch, which, sadly, rules out continuation of 3D. I love 3DS. I love 3D on a small screen (makes it seem so much bigger!) but, it just wouldn't make sense to continue splitting their user base.

I absolutely love 3DS, but it's just silly at this point pretending they're going to support 2 platforms forever and then showing handheld-like games for the Switch.

I'm all in on a clamshell successor to 3ds. I really like the idea of the Switch being portable but to be honest it is not portable in a true sense. I mean will it fit my pocket? will the screen be safe from scratching when I toss it into a bag? I love taking out my 3ds for a couple minutes session while waiting in a queue and just closing it and throwing into my bag when the wait is over. It's just so much more convenient than a tablet like device where the screen is prone to scratches and the analog sticks are prone to breaking while not in some kind of protective pouch.

Granted it would really have to be a budget option to even make sense bussiness wise. I think 150$ would be fine. Just leave the format of a 3DS make the screens a bit bigger and higher res, bump up the specs and there you go. Release the same games as on the Switch to minimise development cost, just with lower quality graphics etc. Hell those games could even be the same cartridge (Switch and the portable system game combined on one cartridge fully interchengable between the two consoles).

I mean not everyone want's to pony up 300$ for a gaming system. A poor man's Switch is fine with me.

I hope the portable line dies with 3DS. And I'm a person that's had every single iteration of Nintendo handhelds ever. I just think technology has advanced enough for the Switch to handle both markets and I feel pooling all thier resources into one unified system is both smarter and more efficient.

@Varnen
Don't be. "This new handheld" doesn't exist yet, and isn't even in development as far as we know. He's just saying "it's possible, in the future, we may make another"

Not the same thing as saying "yes we are making a new handheld, it's in development, and we'll be announcing more info soon. By the time this ever did happen (if it happens at all) Switch will be halfway through its life cycle.

as much as I've enjoyed my 3DS, I'm ready for the Switch to be the one Nintendo console to rule them all, and I hope they stick with that, since it's portable AND a home console

@JaxonH I hope you're right. But if it's not even in development yet, I wonder when will this come out?

@Varnen
It's too soon to even ask that question. It's not even for sure going to happen.

Kimishima is just saying he thinks there's a separate market for small handhelds and sees potential in a successor. That's... not really saying anything. Aside from "yup, it's quite possible we could, one day"

Which really isn't saying anything new

I want something new entirely. Move away from dual screens for a breath of freash air.

Told ya, told ya!!
There WILL be a a 3DS succesor!

@electrolite77 Agreed.

I think some people are confused about timeline here. In two years a transition to a more portable console is going to work one of two ways: a new device using the Switch architecture but highly customized hardware for the handheld market, or a smaller handheld with exact internal hardware parity with Switch though new process for energy draw and heat.

One way you get the ability to more easily make versions of the same game for both but they are somewhat customized. The other you put in some limitations on games for handheld but it is literally the same game cartridge that can be played on the Switch and the new handheld.

Both ways take advantage of the combined hardware group and have the ability to more efficiently develop games for different form factors.

3DS is getting a full year of new games from Nintendo in 2017 either way, and judging from recent performance it 2018 is the earliest a transition may happen, but I'm guessing a new portable wouldn't appear until Holiday 2018 at best.

It was worrisome to me at first but after reading and thinking, I guess it's a concept rather than a "we are working on the successor". They need to consolidate the devs on the switch, and if it fails then I guess work on a successor. But the quickest way to ensure it to fail is not to pool resources on it.

Logically, I understand diversification. But...I'm a big fan of kitchen nightmares, and Gordon Ramsey once said" the business owner who has several interests is a business owner doomed to fail. I want an owner who is focused and hungry, who runs his business as it must succeed or I've lost everything."

Nintendo would do well to treat the Switch as if it's all they have and put their all into it, rather than looking for an "out" before they are even in.

For those saying the Switch, as is, can be the 3DS successor: my son puts a 3DS in his coat pocket all the time. Carries it with him like a phone almost. The Switch is awesome but it's not that.

@aaronsullivan Just use a backpack. Be innovative. You don't have to carry it in your coat pocket.

No more small screens. That age has passed.

@Tarvaax yeah, I hate convenience. I'm also going to buy him adult-sized clothes and shoes. Yes I'm rolling my eyes. It's not just the size. It is simply undesirable to kids at a certain point, they'll just go for the hand-me-down smartphone or small tablet first every time.

Release the Switch with just the Joycons for £180. I paid this much for my PSP.

Gap filled.

remember this same guy and others at Nintendo said the NX wasn't a "hybrid" pfffffft come on people.. we know EXACTLY where this is going!!! In a few years possibly less the switch will get micro sized and it will be the new portable.. imagine ALL the games you can get for it.. remember the "family of devices" that Iawatta mentioned..

I'm completely on board with Nintendo making a 3ds successor. I LOVE Nintendo's handhelds and I'm much more of a fan of them than their home consoles. It probably is a contingency plan in case the Switch sales stalls but it's a win for me since it would mean that I wouldn't have to buy a Switch right away.

I don't mind this stance since the "DS" dynasty and the Switch are delivering separate experiences (for now).

I think a Switch Mini for those that want a full on portable experience with the Switch at a cheaper price point would be something to consider. But I think all of that depends on how the Switch does. If it succeeds in its goal, it'll be Nintendo's one and only, but if not, then the successor to the 3DS will come. It's all on the Switch that determines where the big N goes from here.

I thought the point of Switch was to not divide the first party teams?

@aaronsullivan They wouldn't really even need a new form factor to scale down the existing Switch. The existing form factor is compact enough for a dedicated handheld. Remove the fan and heat ducts that are only needed for dock/console mode, shrink the screen to 4", maybe even 5", and remember, no Joycons so the buttons would be inbuilt to the body where the excess screen used to be (and if going clamshell you'd have almost the full width of the CONSOLE Switch for a base plate + controls going into where the screen used to be. Two Circle Pads, and a thinner lid for holding a screen. No reason the existing Switch hardware without the cooling and the Joycon can't fit in a slightly retooled N3DSXL case.

Honestly having a smaller version always seemed inevitable with the unified hardware group. I mean we have had 5 different shapes and sizes of 3DS if we include the JP small N3DS and the 2DS. Who thought Switch would come in one for 6+ years?

I still think we'll see the 3DS phased out in 2017/18 (I'm saying this as a huge fan of the 3DS), with Nintendo focusing on the Switch and premium games for smart devices.

Maybe, just maybe, they will launch a smaller cheaper version of the Switch with non-detachable joycons or a clamshell design... but possibly we'll just end up with a cheaper Switch package that doesn't include the dock.

In the age of the hybrid it doesn't make sense to split resources and have more than one console? The only thing I can think of is the need for a smaller pocket-friendly sized, cheaper, Switch for those that only want to play on the go... and even then you have the same games playing on both devices.

As someone who has been a handheld only gamer since 2002, there was nothing about the Switch that excited me into buying one.
Granted the games line up looks nice but... I don't know how to finish that thought.

Switch is Semi-Portable and not really a personal device in some respects like a handheld system. I suspect we will see a 3DS successor at a lower price point then Switch. I don't think we see it as a Mini Switch either.

I have just read a article on Nintendo Everything site and its a interview with Aonuma and he is saying that the switch doesn't mean the end of a dedicated handheld. He is saying in the interview that switch is a home console and there is room for a dedicated handheld. Well I think 2018 we will see this handheld maybe late 2018. Go check it out see what u think
I know I probably spell his name wrong

You could still have detachable joycons on a Switch Mini — scale the tablet down to the size of a smartphone / non-XL 3DS and other than Home and Capture, which could be moved onto the tablet, the buttons and sticks (which should probably be circle pads here) could be the same sizes and positions. And HDMI out shouldn't be a problem; just keep it at 720p. A Switch Mini should still keep the features that give it the name Switch; otherwise we've either got a Switch SKU that doesn't have the one very well-known and easily-understood feature it's supposed to have, or we've got two consoles with completely different names that are actually mostly the same thing (and then what name do you put on the cartridges?).

It's entirely possible Switch's form factor, is responsible for its hardware potential, & limitations. Based on what I've seen now, I feel the NS looks as portable as a Virtualboy is/was.

Nintendo needs a fail-safe, in case Switch doesn't go well. Plus, they know how financially successful they've been in the handheld markets, on top of the fact their homeland loves portables.

........I'd buy it........! Seriously though, let the Switch do its thing first. If sales start to fall off, THEN, release a new portable😌 Until then, let the Switch... switch things up😈

I'm not surprised at all and this is totally make sense. Unless Nintendo want to totally give up their large market in Japan, of which many of them are children who can't afford a lot and also would like to take the gaming system anywhere, including school, NS just doesn't fit. NS targets for adult and western market, but Nintendo can't forget their homeland and the future. I know many here don't agree with me, but that's only because you are adult or western, and don't know much about the other part of the world.

I'd rather they'd focus on the Switch being a Home and Handheld console. Do we really need them putting time and staff into making 2 Mario Karts, Smash Bros etc., one for each system? There's so much more we could get like new or revived IPs on the Switch if they're not focusing on 2 consoles at the same time.

Yeah the battery is not great on the Switch but there are ways around it (Charging Bank, Charging Cable on planes, trains, etc.).

I'm not going to lie about how I feel here. I feel that since the Switch is suppose to be our 2-in-1 Nintendo platform that a 3DS successor would be a tad redundant now that we can take our games on the go and play them at home. I would rather see them advance development on the Switch with handheld developers and console developers on that one platform, and then worry about succeeding the Switch after a few years.

I really hope that if the switch sells well that the 3ds line will be sunset and they focus on making the Switch platform and sucessors the go to all around machine.

@Danpal65
As somebody who has no time for a home console, and has been dedicated handheld since the DS era, the Switch has nothing to offer me. It's not convenient in design or function, it's 100usd more than Im comfortable paying for a handheld, and the accessories you could lose on the road are very expensive.

I wan't an actual handheld I can take with me on long trips, and a successor unit would fill their lack of a real handheld.

@ecco6t9
Don't worry, I'm in the same boat. It's not cheap/convenient, which are roles a good handheld should fill.

@renaryuugufan92
I disagree. As a handheld gamer for about a decade now, I just don't have time for home consoles anymore. They all collect dust these days.
I want gaming on the go thats cheap(er), and convenient. The Switch doesn't look to be any of these, let alone the controllers and joysticks you could potentially lose being very expensive.

The Switch isn't checking any of the boxes a good Nintendo handheld should, and for that reason I'm probably going to pass on it. A 3ds successor would give people like me something to support the company with rather than outright losing sales.

@cripesdude
The problem is that this isn't the age of hybrids, not yet anyway.
The Switch is clunky, expensive, and even more expensive if you happen to lose those controllers. It's more suited for local play, rather than cross country/on the road.

The Switch, as it is, does not play the handheld game well at all. As a console this is revolutionary, but killing handhelds over what amounts to a prototype is a horrible idea. I love handhelds and I love NIntendo, don't get me wrong, but if the Switch is all they have to offer me on the go then I'm afraid this is where we part ways(and I doubt I'm alone in this sentiment).

@MetaRyan
Theres a niche outside a children's machine as well, and it would be that if the dedicated handheld gamers. I'm 29 and what you suggested for kids already sounds much better than anything the Switch offers me.

He needs to be quite on the 3ds successor there is no room for one in the next two years if the switch fails then you can start talking about it. He needs to make sure all studios are working to make the switch is a success

@Anti-Matter Nintendo 3DHDS

@MitchVogel, we might get a successor, remember the secretly leaked console the mh?

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/05/rumour_nintendos_next_generation_handheld_is_codenamed_mh

I would see it more of being a 2DS successor, more for those with budget concerns. It would also have a much longer lasting battery than the Switch.

If there was ever a successor to the 3ds, it would be a cheap console, like a 2ds.

That's what the Switch is Kimishima.
Now that you're doing the whole home and portable divisions fused thing, don't start fragmenting things again.
The Switch is already a portable. No matter what you say and no matter what your fans say, it's a portable that just so happens to have TV out. Some people might fall for your home console branding, but many others will see it as a portable. So then, releasing another portable that "succeeds" the 3DS (which again, is one of the things the Switch is already doing) could confuse people and nowadays you could also have people wondering why they should buy two NEW GEN portables from the same company to play all the new games.
Instead, do a handheld-only Switch Mini or Switch Lite. Give it a smaller screen (4-5 inches) at 960x540 or 1280x720 (960x540 will look fine and should help the performance of games; maybe even get it closer to how performance would be on the normal Switch's console mode; would also be cheaper), get rid of the Joycon gimmick (this is for saving costs and to make the device more compact), make it a clamshell, and use ALL the same specs as the normal Switch so people can play the same games (well maybe not all of them like ARMs and 1-2-Switch, but this "Lite" model will just be a full on portable anyway). And price it at $200.
Don't refragment the market after spending so much time and money combining your businesses together.
If you're concerned about keeping the Switch name for it, give it a swivel-hinge. Boom, Switches between handheld and tablet. There >.>

@emperorbob The build quality of the Switch is superior to the 3DS so to me it checks out as a excellent handheld.

Nintendo merges their handheld and home console markets to evade game drougts and then dump it with a 3ds sucessor. Great Nintendo. I don't want another Wii U. Support the damn Switch this time.

@emperorbob
In which case a "Switch Go" could make sense - a smaller, more compact model, that's cheaper. It plays the same games, but without connecting to a TV, with no detachable joy-cons, and no other bells or whistles seen in the normal version.

Someone has to be first to bring in "the age of the hybrids" and the Switch is hardly a prototype!

I think consolidating their home and portable console business for NS is a wise move forward, but I still don't understand the common explanation behind it being that Nintendo "proved" they couldn't handle two sets of teams and architectures. They were able to do it for 22 years (1989 - 2011), so what changed so drastically over the course of 5 years that is critically preventing Nintendo from upholding that traditional infrastructure?

@NEStalgia On the lack of need for a different form factor in a mini-Switch (3DS replacement). I've been imagining like you described, but I'm seeing the wisdom in a more clamshell design. You can get more compact pocket size that way and there won't be a second screen. Besides the compact nature it self-protects the screen which is a solid reason to do it, in my opinion.

That said, it could go either way and feels feasible, especially in a 2-year timeframe.

@aaronsullivan Yeah...the device is inevitable, but the form factor will, of course be driven by whatever the trends are in Japan, and probably by how fast they are to abandon the 3DS family after the next MH mania passes.

Of course, this is Nintendo. It'll be a 6" brick with no screen that streams the video to your smart device.

@renaryuugufan92
I dunno, just not seeing it.
It's overly expensive, has varying battery life, and it's design isn't very friendly to long trips.
Its neither cheap nor convenient, and those things that make or break a good handheld.