New Nintendo president Furukawa: “considering various possibilities” for 3DS successor
- Thread starter Phil32
- Start date
For some of us, the size of the current Switch isn't conducive tomost portable systems we've played and continue to play.
Nah, I don't mean the 2DS runs any differently than the 3DS. I've never owned either. But the performance difference between handheld and docked mode of the Switch probably wouldn't be missed by kids if its something that had to be sacrificed to create a cheaper "Switch Lite"
I don't understand what are you referring to? consoles or mobile?
Console the thing is 3DS will leave a void that Switch cannot fill entirely at the moment: given its form factor 3DS is still a better choice for kids or people who just wants to spend less, but also we have to consider that Nintendo used to attack both handheld and home console with 2 separate devices, now Switch needs to cover both markets with one device.
Users here keep talking about a smaller Switch but in my opinion it needs to do better even as an home console cause it currently lacks some of these services like Netflix or Youtube that consumers want on their big TVs.
Nintendo has been clear on this for a while: they want to replace 3DS with mobile as a secondary platform but in order to do it, their presence on mobile needs to grow significantly: Fire Emblem Heroes is doing really well, while Super Mario Run, Miitomo and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp were below their expectations.
If Nintendo doesn't have a solution to cover all segments with Switch, and they won't find a way to make a big impact on mobile, they might even consider the idea of making a second console.
Fair enough, I don't have a problem with the size personally.
About the only "3DS successor" that I see as possible, is a cross-sidegrade between 3DS and Switch. Keep the 3DS form-factor, possibly lose the 3D (I'm sure there would be variants), add buttons until input parity with Switch is reached, increase resolution of the screens (to maybe 480p? I'm not sure what the current is), and stuff the guts of a Shield Portable in. A Tegra 4, perhaps updated for security and even limited by not having active cooling, is a massive upgrade over the original 3DS, and is actually sufficient for a number of indie games currently available for Switch. With a derivative of the Switch OS, same/similar Nvidia graphics APIs, and input parity, there could be a significant cross-over of smaller titles that release on the Switch and this... whatever it would be named. Any games that release for this smaller, cheaper system, could theoretically be cross-ported to the X1-based Switch. The only, but massive, downside, would be a possible lack of backwards compatibility. Including original hardware for original 3DS games is out of the question if cost is to be kept low, and even with the power disparity I rather doubt the possibility of emulation. However, if back-compat was out of the question, the system could be designed similar to a GPD XD, with a single bigger screen in the top and a more comfortable control layout on the bottom.
Hey, even the president knows that asking everyone 300 bucks to play Nintendo games is unreasonable. But I'm not so thrilled that he prefers to make a new handheld instead of cutting switch price.
That's very shallow and dismissive. Nintendo properly studied the market, found a hole that they can fill, and created a reaserch backed and well desinged product to fill that market. Why is this a hard concept to understand?
Have we yet considered that Nintendo "Switch" can be a broad name that makes sense even with a potential lack of docking ability for other models? Imagine a clamshell device like this, with rails on all four sides. That way, you could attach existing Joy-Con in the traditional way as with the current NSW, or similarly to the Flip Grip accessory. This device would not only have cross-compatibility with the entire NDS/3DS library, but also allow dual screen experiences to live on. And the Switching would be between vertical and horizontal styles of play. The NSW family logo only includes the name and the Joy-Con -- nothing about a dock.
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Nintendo has always seen themselves as a toy company which is why one of their most important target audiences are children. Expecting a parent to buy their child a 300 USD device just to play the newest Pokemon with their friends at school isn't feasible and Nintendo knows it.
I have never seen Nintendo explicitly state mobile will take over the role of their traditional handhelds. Not disputing your claim, I've just never seen that expressed.
Even so: Why would Nintendo replace the entirety of their handheld business with mobile when that's not the part of the company consistently underperforming?
Yeah, you can point to their handhelds losing popularity in the face of mobile with the 3DS, but then....if a 70+ million device which pushed a relatively high number of software is seen as something with no financial future.....then what the hell do you call something that sells 1/5th of that number in a significantly more niche segment and lacked support for much of its life span?
Thats not actually an answer and his statement doesn't mean much of anything. Also developers aren't going to develop for 2 radically different handhelds after the 3DS kicks the bucket.
Only problem with that is they want the Switch to last 10 years. We won't get a 3DS successor, not while the Switch is a success. A price drop will happen eventually. Parents have no problem paying a high price for a console.
A pocket sized Switch is probably never going to happen for a number of reasons. A slightly smaller Switch with integrated Joycons is more likely. The Switch is pretty thin already and with the thermal concerns I don't think they would push it much further. Even so, it would be trivial to release a redesigned dock that would accomodate the new forma factor as well as the original.
I agree. I was responding to the calls for a redesign with my thoughts on what I would do if I was tasked with doing so.
Hypothetically, would it be possible to up the resolution on ds/3ds on a new device if it were backward compatible..?
Thats really the only reason I would ask for a new continuation.
Thats really the only reason I would ask for a new continuation.
You mean, up the resolution on actual DS/3DS games? It might be technically possible, at least for 3D games, but the processing power and battery costs might be too high. A simple upscale would be more likely.
A 3DS like product in today's Smartphone age would be incredibly redundant. The reason the Switch is successful is because it's able to distinguish itself from phones in a unique way. Even today, 3DS sales have declined everywhere except US, and sales for its more recent games have been terrible. Everyone's moving onto Switch now, 3DS is only staying around because out of short-term obligation due to its dirt cheap price point.
Mobile needs to be Nintendo's second pillar, and so far it's not quite there yet. Furukawa said they'll need a Pokemon Go-like hit with their next batch of games, and it's an aspect he's more serious about than some hypothetical 3DS successor.
The new bundles that Nintendo is pushing are around $150. That's great value, but it's not dirt cheap.
3DS is staying around because both consumers and Nintendo are committed to the platform. It's the best choice for a handheld right now and that's not going to change soon.
A 2DS is $80 with a free games, and the best games retailing for $20. That's about as impulse buy friendly as you can get. Which proves my point that the 3DS as a platform only exists at the moment as a budget alternative.
"Committed" is a pretty big stretch. Nintendo's output for the 3DS has significantly decreased compared to last year, it's software and hardware sales are terrible these days (except for US), and Nintendo has more or less stopped advertising it. The 3DS just kind of exists at the moment, serving as an impulse buy for really young kids. Everyone else has moved over to Switch, and for good reason.
You got no argument from me bud.
I don't need convincing that a dualscreen, clamshell design with underpowered specs and poor components just won't fly in this day and age. That's outdated thinking from the early 2000s, none of it reflecting current market trends, and hasn't since about the time the 3DS dropped.
So, it's no surprise to me Nintendo's latest portable is a large single-screen, moderately powered device while not being so cheaply built, because it is exactly in line with what I thought the next Nintendo handheld would look like anyway. The only thing I couldn't foresee was Nintendo's home console business absolutely cratering with the Wii U, and thus, leading them to shuffle away from traditional home console hardware altogether (which, in turn, explains the hybridized functionality of the Switch).
I know. I'm just making the point that having more than two mobile platforms from Nintendo on the market at the same time is commercial suicide, as sooner or later something is going to have to give. Besides, what would Nintendo expect people to do? Carry around their phone, a Switch, and a dedicated 3DS successor all at once? No, even they should know that would be stupid, and not something anybody will do.
The 3DS is on its way out whether its fans or Nintendo want to admit it or not. It's sales are terrible, and most of its important series are moving to Switch, and with Mobile getting an increased focus within Nintendo's bottom line, there's really no room for the 3DS or a successor in the long-term. It should be evident come this holiday. With no Pokemon or major hardware revision in sight, 3DS is going to have a tough time in a post-Switch world.
As it should. Nintendo is treating the transition from 3DS to Switch no differently than they did the DS to the 3DS, GBA to DS, and GB to GBA.
One gets slowly faded out, while the other has its foundation built to succeed.
Selling it with a dock probably pushes you over the mystical 200 buck price point. I don't think it's feasible.
Exactly. People are over-reacting to this PR ridden non-answer Furukawa gave. "Considering Various Possibilities" is Corporate translation for "Let's see how this Switch and Mobile thing goes first".
You really have to ask yourself logically, what could a 3DS successor bring to the world that a Switch revision couldnt?
If it's weaker than the Switch, then why am I buying it when these games could be on the eshop instead?
If it's stronger than the Switch, then why is my new portable stronger than my hybrid home console?
If it's cheaper than the Switch, then why didn't they just make a smaller/cheaper Switch?
Why is Nintendo making games for two seperate consoles when these '3DS 2' games could just be on Switch?
Why does Nintendo have two portable systems?
It's just nonsense to even conceptualise something like that into existence after a hybrid is already doing what the 3DS did better.
If it's weaker than the Switch, then why am I buying it when these games could be on the eshop instead?
If it's stronger than the Switch, then why is my new portable stronger than my hybrid home console?
If it's cheaper than the Switch, then why didn't they just make a smaller/cheaper Switch?
Why is Nintendo making games for two seperate consoles when these '3DS 2' games could just be on Switch?
Why does Nintendo have two portable systems?
It's just nonsense to even conceptualise something like that into existence after a hybrid is already doing what the 3DS did better.
It could bring dual screen gaming, something the Switch is sorely lacking for a portable.
This is why a 3DS successor is nonsense to begin with. Anything a theoretical successor could do, the Switch could do just as well if not better.
Touchscreen? Check
Portability? Check
Lower budget handheld style games? Check
Dual Screens? If Super Mario Party is anything to go by, Check
Low price? Price cuts and different bundles will take care of that
One per-person? See above
There's little point in making some dedicated 3DS successor because the Switch already ticks all the boxes of one, and the vast majority of Switch owners are using it exactly how Nintendo intended people to use it. So why undermine that with a separate product?
Lets be honest dual screen gaming has been dead as a concept since the DS. I cant think of any games on the 3DS that utilised it well or even really needed it. Most games used it for UI clutter.
hmm corporate roadmaps and such...
seems to me they consider Nintendo Switch the only home console for the forseeable future.
Nintendo always has a third pillar ready to go. It seems strange to me that the term "3DS" successor was used, instead of saying something more vague like a followup to the DS family of products.
Either way, it looks like a new all portable is coming down the pike.
seems to me they consider Nintendo Switch the only home console for the forseeable future.
Nintendo always has a third pillar ready to go. It seems strange to me that the term "3DS" successor was used, instead of saying something more vague like a followup to the DS family of products.
Either way, it looks like a new all portable is coming down the pike.
If that was really the case, we would've heard something about it by now. But we didn't. There is no dedicated 3DS successor, Switch and Mobile are most likely Nintendo's future.
The only thing I can think of as a 3DS successor, is if it's more of a toy you can use alongside something like Labo.
sure dude, you really think they won't release another dedicated portable gaming device?
Yes. "Considering Various Possibilities" isn't a confirmation of anything. It's the same non-answer Nintendo gave back in February when asked about a possible successor. If there was a successor actually in development, then developers who've seen it would've leaked info about it, just like they did with other past Nintendo platforms.
Besides, a separate 3DS successor would make absolutely no sense. Nobody is going to carry their phone, their Switch, and their 3DS 2 at the same time. Having 3 mobile platforms at once would cannibalize each-other for no reason. Besides, Furukawa is more interested in trying to strengthen Nintendo's mobile profits than worry about some hypothetical successor.
Wait i don't think Nintendo will ever leave their handhelds: it's a market they created and it has always been their forte. Nintendo Switch can be totally seen as an handheld and i think they will surely expand on that in the future: in Japan they are already selling Switches without the dock, but i'm pretty sure they will release a smaller version with slimmer bezels or a smaller screen.
On that post I was specifically talking about the 3DS because while it has been a big success, it is now at the end of its life cycle and we don't know if Switch is capable of being Nintendo's only console, they might still consider the idea of a "4DS" (with a different name obviously, and maybe 2 years from now).
They've never said that mobile is the successor to the 3DS directly but they often talk about both things in the same conversation (like here): anyway they keep saying that mobile business is not meeting their expectations yet.
Pokemon and Yokai Watch both used it well. And honestly, I prefer the second screen. I'm not looking forward to playing the new Pokemon games without it, to be honest. It really seems like a lot of Switch owners are worried that their beloved hybrid isn't the be-all, end-all system they thought it would be. They get so defensive whenever there is talk of the 3DS or a successor to it. And for the record, I don't think the Switch is a successor to the 3DS at all.
Pokemon just uses it for UI though, it's not necessary.
I have no idea how Yokai uses it.
And it's not being defensive, it would just make no sense for Nintendo to resplit their teams, especially now that we have handheld series like Pokemon coming to Switch. The idea of a 3DS successor that isn't just another Switch model doesn't make any sense for how Nintendo has positioned the Switch.
Yokai uses it for the battle system. And Pokemon did a lot of things with the touchscreen like where you interact with your Pokemon. I really don't know why Nintendo bother with a touchscreen on the Switch. It's been pretty useless so far and completely unusable in docked mode. The should just have used a regular screen and sold the Switch at a cheaper price.
To give the Switch more versatility. Many games support the touchscreen, and Nintendo allows developers to make un-docked only games if they want to. It's an extra layer that adds utility to the system.
Yeah it's not like it's one of the fastest selling platforms of all time
/s
I really want this. A smaller Switch that is handheld-only that is lighter and more convenient to carry around.
But I still want to keep my normal Switch which means I need Nintendo to allow me to play my account and games on multiple systems like Sony does and use the cloud saves between consoles.
WTF are you talking about
Everything Pokemon did with the touch screen could be done on the Switch if Game Freak wanted it to happen. If you believe a 3DS successor is coming, then answer my previous post and conceptualise a machine that does something a Switch revision couldnt do. Then try and convince me it wouldn't cannibalise itself with the Switch.
I think it's more about 3DS users being in denial, when all the franchises associated with the portable line are coming over to Switch. Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing etc.
Really Nntendo has not been able to support two platforms at once. The gameboy/color had nothing on the SNES or the N64. The Port Boy Advance had nothing on the Gamecube and the Wii and Wii U had nothing on the 3/DS lines. They already put all their first party and mainline titles in to this basket along with all of their third partyand 3/DS third party devs into this basket dont split it up and make a new system to go along with this. Switch is fantastic don't give us half your franchise support with half baked titles and shovelware on a new system please it just isn't a great idea.
You don't need a second screen for those, touch screen controls can be used in handheld and then most of that functionality can be mapped to motion controls in docked just fine.
Any games that truly need a touch screen can be locked to handheld mode only.