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[jroc74]

Which plays 3DS games.

You said they still need a handheld in the sub $200 range

Thats why I mentioned the 2DS.

Whats the difference between them defaulting to the 2DS for that and going all in on the Switch?

Both cant do 3D.

 

[AndrewDean84xX]

All of the Nintendo teams making games for one platform is going to be fucking nuts.

 

[AuthenticM]

IIRC they said the exact same thing about the DS when the 3DS came out. Same for the GBA when the DS came out. They're always "still supporting the healthy future of the console" or whatever, but they drop first party support after ~1 year.

yup

The 3DS is done. All Hail the Switch.

 

[Muchi Muchi Pink]

IIRC they said the exact same thing about the DS when the 3DS came out. Same for the GBA when the DS came out. They're always "still supporting the healthy future of the console" or whatever, but they drop first party support after ~1 year.

I agree. Imo they do titles for the 3ds, but mostly through 3rd party and their smaller teams. All the bigger ones are working on Switch.

 

[ForkNetwork]

We'll get some games this year and maybe one or two in 2018. DS got a few first party games in 2011 and 2012 was its last hurrah

 

[Falchion]

If there's no big 3DS announcements at E3 then I'll be onboard with this sentiment.

 

[Prophane33]

While not as much as there has been, with Fire Emblem Echoes now out, there is still a bit left in the pipeline for Japan. Though, what I have here is pretty much everything announced at this point.

Dragon Ball Heroes Ultimate Mission X (April)
Attack on Titan: Escape From the Brink of Death (May)
The Alliance Alive (June)
Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology (June)
Layton Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire's Conspiracy (July)
Hey! Pikmin (July)
Dragon Quest XI (July)
The Snack World Trejarers (July)
Ever Oasis (July) (I can't help but feel this was sent out to die)
Etrian Mystery Dungeon 2 (August)
Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2 (August)
SMT: Deep Strange Journey (Q4)

I expect a handful of announcement at E3 but I doubt we'll see any first-party, and possibly only the smallest handful of 3rd party 3DS games coming out in Japan in 2018.

 

[Modest Mauser]

If they released a new portable though I would be interested. A true dedicated handheld. Not a hybrid console. Until then Nintendo.

What makes the difference, exactly? You can use the Switch as a dedicated handheld.

 

[baxter2231]

I hope they did ditch the 3ds, never going back to that thing. Go all in on switch Nintendo.

 

[kunonabi]

What makes the difference, exactly? You can use the Switch as a dedicated handheld.

It's not well-designed for use as a portable as a result of doing the whole hybrid thing. A revision will hopefully fix those issues so I don't think a dedicated handheld model is really needed though.

 

[James Scott]

Dragon Quest XI, Alliance Alive, FE Echoes, Ever Oasis, Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2, Snack World, Layton's Mystery Journey, Famista Climax, Hey! Pikmin, Sekaiju to Fushigi no Dungeon 2, Radiant Historia PC, SMT Deep Strange Journey, new Kirby game... to name a few.

Also, Miitopia is a pretty sweet game. I hope you guys will give it a chance.

Were not getting most of those over here. I'll probably get Professor Layton and Ever Oasis if it's really good.

 

[James Scott]

It's not well-designed for use as a portable as a result of doing the whole hybrid thing. A revision will hopefully fix those issues so I don't think a dedicated handheld model is really needed though.

Aside from being a bit large, it's very much a portable. The battery isn't compromised as it's just as good as the 3DSs

Sorry for double post.

 

[Lord of Ostia]

Were not getting most of those over here. I'll probably get Professor Layton and Ever Oasis if it's really good.

Um, we probably will get most of those over here, and a good portion of them are already announced for the west. You can definitely expect the Atlus stuff to come over, unless Atlus USA just doesn't want to localize games for the fall/next year.

 

[Hcoregamer00]

I think it is obvious that Nintendo themselves has stopped being on the 3DS a long time ago. They farmed out most of the "Nintendo" 3DS releases to 3rd party companies and close associations.

Nintendo EAD is all in on the Switch, maybe they put a small team on two on 3DS work, but a gigantic chunk of development time and effort is going on the Switch.

 

[b3b0p]

What makes the difference, exactly? You can use the Switch as a dedicated handheld.

It's $300 for one thing and that's just the console alone. It's much more fragile than my 3DS or any portable they have ever released. The games are more expensive. I don't have a TV, don't want one, so it feels wasteful to buy a console/hybrid, at $300, for only part of it's functionality and expected usage scenario.

It can be used as a portable, yes. It was not designed to be a portable. Thus it does many things, but none of them truly great. The 3DS, Game Boy, DS, Vita, ... all do dedicated portable gaming great.

Argue it all you want. Multiple people have given me their Switch to try and while I agree it's a nice size I don't see it as a true dedicated portable like the 3DS. In that sense it's a step back.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

With that logic they should still be announcing new games for the DS.

When the 3DS still had a middling userbase they did.

 

[jstripes]

You said they still need a handheld in the sub $200 range

Thats why I mentioned the 2DS.

Whats the difference between them defaulting to the 2DS for that and going all in on the Switch?

Both cant do 3D.

Yes, but the 2DS needs games, which are 3DS games.

 

[Yoda]

Given that games development has a long pipeline, and given the production levels of the Switch, they weren't confident it'd be a success. I suspect we'll see a decent amount of announcements for a strong showing into 2018 AT LEAST.

 

[Tavernacle12]

I would imagine that Nintendo is still eyeing the sales and demographics for the Switch and 3DS before outright pulling the plug. If the Switch sells well, but doesn't get the penetration the 3DS has demographic wise, they may continue to greenlight a few easier to make games to extend the 3DS' life as they continue to boost the Switch (not that I think there'd be anything huge coming in 2018, but I wouldn't be surprised at, say, Smash Bros. Deluxe, Kirby Super Star 2, etc. Things that can be 90% reused assets). If the Switch absorbs the 3DS userbase they have no reason to keep supporting it.

I do hope they have a more handheld solution to the Switch at some point. Compared to the 3DS the Switch is barely portable for actual travel (it doesn't exactly fit into a pocket). I would, for example, be fine taking the Switch to a friend's house or a grandparent's house, but I wouldn't want to bring it along with me to Disney World or a day in NYC. The lack of a clamshell means you can't just throw it in a pocket with your keys and expect it to be fine. I'd love a clamshell 'Switch mini' with cloud support for your Switch Classic saves and whatnot, but with no dock, no joy-cons, and a smaller screen.

 

[Jakoo]

It seems like the teams left on the 3DS are the utility teams that try to create new games out of existing assets.

Once there are more games that were created specifically for the Switch, I am sure these teams will come into backfill the catalog with AA games on the back of the work that's already been done. I think OP's assessment is mostly correct.

 

[ChrisD]

3DS isn't allowed to be totally phased out until I get my Etrian Odyssey V localization, dang it.

 

[Zalman]

I doubt Nintendo is still green-lighting 3DS games. There will still be more announcements of games that have been in development for some time, but what we're seeing now is essentially the last wave of first-party.

 

[CronoShot]

I mean, the 3DS is still pretty healthy, unlike the Wii U. It makes sense to throw some smaller titles on there. They do still like money.

However, if they're still putting major titles on the system a year from now, that's a problem.

 

[Onaco]

OP has a good point. I would say that titles like the Kirby games is coming from a new team that will be using this experience to develop new titles. Without looking at the credits of the recent one, I would imagine the game was made by a staff of less than a dozen as a low-risk, experimental reward to try to test the new team with existing assets so they can eventually become their own branch to take on a future big installment into a major franchise.

3DS development for them is like their game jam for the new members.

 

[CamHostage]

To be fair to Nintendo, the portable platforms never get their line-up announced years ahead and multiple times in a row like consoles do.

Every year, we have one of these threads where we look at the games on the release list at Gamestop or wherever and go, "Well, pretty much nothing on 3DS, this is the year that it's over." We did the same for DS, for PSP, etc (Vita, we didn't need to, but you get the gist.) And then at the end of the year we look back and say, "Wow, that was a hell of a year for 3DS, look at all the great titles it got!!" Like this thread, for instance.

(Also, I personally disagree that partner-studio development is not "support". Nintendo has always used partners to make key titles, and while it'd be bad if Nintendo internally never coded another 3DS game, Nintendo producers are still using Nintendo money to make Nintendo titles.)

...To be unfair to Nintendo, announcing three Kirby's in a row is like your grandpa sitting you down to tell you, "Yes, it's cancer, but we're gonna fight it, sonny!"

 

[Mega]

I'm okay with this and hope it's true.

 

[James Scott]

Given that games development has a long pipeline, and given the production levels of the Switch, they weren't confident it'd be a success. I suspect we'll see a decent amount of announcements for a strong showing into 2018 AT LEAST.

No way theres still big games for 2018 let alone 2019

 

[AColdDay]

All of the Nintendo teams making games for one platform is going to be fucking nuts.

It's going to be glorious! I can't even fathom what it is going to be like to have all of those handheld franchises and those console franchises together. In the coming years, Nintendo is going to have the calendar clogged with their own releases and it is going to be amazing.

On top of that, the Switch looks like it is going to be a legitimate hit so they might actually get SOMETHING from the third party front. It ain't going to be like the NES, but it ain't going to be the Wii U either. It's an exciting time!

 

[Wowfunhappy]

IIRC they said the exact same thing about the DS when the 3DS came out. Same for the GBA when the DS came out. They're always "still supporting the healthy future of the console" or whatever, but they drop first party support after ~1 year.

Could be wrong but with the GBA I think they were actually serious, hence the creation/existence of the Gameboy Micro.

 

[maxcriden]

I presumed the OP was correct, essentially, but now I am questioning this further in light of Pokémon Ultra Sun/Moon. Perhaps we will still see a couple more mainline Nintendo games. It's unclear for example if the 3DS MP-focused Kirby will be a mainline game. I wonder if any other surprises are in store.

 

[Mr Swine]

I think Gamefreak will release one more mainline Pokémon game for the 3DS after USUM while Switch gets a 20+ million user base in 2 years?

 

[jroc74]

Yes, but the 2DS needs games, which are 3DS games.

Forgot about this thread, lol.

I mentioned they had a sub $200 system if they wanted to phase out the 3DS.

Anyone see this thread?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1365259

This was my point about them using the 2DS as their sub $200 3DS.