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Kimishima considering 3DS successor
- Thread starter Skeletos311
- Start date
Starfish Hero
Member
They've had major software droughts because there have been few 3rd party developers giving their consoles meaningful support. Consolidating software development never meant developing for just one device, and even if it did, there will still be droughts if they are once again the only developer making games for it.
As for the theme parks, I don't see it becoming a major revenue stream that could buoy Nintendo whenever the Switch slows down. Like toys and TV shows, licensing their property can only do so much. Nintendo can't afford to go with one device because their other ventures aren't large enough to get them through a slow year. Nintendo's worst years in recent memory have been when both their console and handheld devices had slow years. If Switch is their only platform, they would essentially have to rely on it being a juggernaut until its successor releases in order to avoid another bad year. That's unnecessarily risky.
I would buy this.
RareFantasy64
Member
I love Nintendo
That's precisely what it has always meant, according to quotes from various leaders within the company. And I wonder exactly what else you think the purpose of doing that could have been.
3DS really didn't have any first party droughts to speak of even with just portable teams working on it, thanks to the nature of those games. So even if they fail to round up third party support again, Switch shouldn't have nearly the problems Wii U did. But it also looks like they will have at least more third party support than Wii U did.
Maintenance
Member
A Switch with no dock, no detachable joycons, no confort grip, no straps. Just the screen and permanent joycons.
Would buy it.
The name would make no sense though, since it wouldn't Switch anything.
Would buy it.
The name would make no sense though, since it wouldn't Switch anything.
MegaManTrigger
Banned
I mean I use a N3DS and I wouldn't call the thing (or the O3DS) pocketable, as it gets uncomfortable quickly. I usually store it cased in a messenger bag which is fine. The Switch is almost the size of an ipad or a closed laptop which people store in bags as well, so I don't think size is a big deal.
Lord_Byron28
Member
I think it depends on what Nintendo wants to do. They should share the same library and support the same cartridges. I'm thinking Holiday 2018 they release Switch Minis alongside releasing their new Animal Crossing which release either with just the handheld device for $175 or both the handheld device as well as the console components and joycons first $250. Switch Mini is a much smaller touch screen and lower resolution it also comes with a standard control scheme built in since joycons won't work with its dimensions. It may come with attachments of its own though. I could see them coming up with two controller shells that the screen could slide into, if it doesn't come with built in buttons/sticks. One that enables DS play, the other one resembles a Vita like layout.
b00_thegh0st
Member
Talk about mixed messages. 
Come on Ninty, focus on your new hybrid hardware! I don't want to regret being there day one.
Come on Ninty, focus on your new hybrid hardware! I don't want to regret being there day one.
Xaero Gravity
NEXT LEVEL lame™
Uh oh, this doesn't fit the narrative
Serenitynow
Member
Talk about mixed messages.
Come on Ninty, focus on your new hybrid hardware! I don't want to regret being there day one.
I mean Kimishima was directly asked about a 3DS successor.
Can't say: "Yes, there is a new handheld in development right now!"
Can't say: "No, we are going all in with Switch and have nothing in R&D should it fail!"
Best he can say is, "We're considering it."
b00_thegh0st
Member
I get it but I really want them to focus. Switch is their best idea since the original DS came out.
If it picks up I'll only need one Nintendo console going on, there won't be droughts like we've known on home hardware since a couple of generations, and the system seems to be ready for hardware updates later on (tablet upgrade or dock scd).
This is a dream came true for Nintendo gamers, I don't want them to miss the point. And I've never been really fond of the 3ds despite the incredible library.
calc84maniac
Member
Is this post a mistranslation?
Glass Shark
Banned
Nintendo is more afraid of commitment than a twenty-something single guy.
SporeCrawler
Member
This
-Mutsukki-
Member
They are focusing but they were asked a specific question, they have to say something even if it's a non-response
NeoGaf*
*and a Japanese native speaker that just RT'd your tweet saying that he didn't really agree
Nothing points towards us ever getting a fully portable-switch. It's a fanboy dream.
Wandering Robot
Member
What with the Switch being the 3DS successor, I certainly wouldn't say anything concrete, either. So long as they don't bother cannibalizing their own sales, though, I guess he had to say something.
Isn't GAF great
Isn't GAF great
Iwata called NX their new "platform" for all their future hardware. He said NX itself is not specifically one hardware configuration. I'd say that's fairly clear in terms of what their plans are (or at least were), and it's in no way unreasonable to interpret that as saying there will be future Switch hardware revisions.
And even without those quotes, hardware revisions have been Nintendo's thing since the NES days.
Otakumegane
Member
Yeah I can see a smaller Switch running an even cheaper chip than TX1-variant selling for 99$ a huge hit.
As long as they share software libraies by no means is this a bad idea.
As long as they share software libraies by no means is this a bad idea.
Yes there will be a "New-Switch" down the road, but it will be a hybrid, not a "handheld-only".
calc84maniac
Member
They will also definitely never release a 3DS without stereoscopic 3D or clamshell form. No siree.
EatinOlives
Member
They could make every effort to maintain parity between the two consoles, but I think it'd be too much of an effort for them to do that. Even on a hardware level the 3DS does a lot that the Switch won't, with stylus-based touch on one of two screens. Unless the 3DS successor is so different that it wouldn't' make sense to call it a 3DS successor, in which case they'd go for an ultra-portable, less powerful version of the Switch. But at that point it's just saturating the market with weird variations.
I dunno, another 3DS would muddy the waters for Nintendo. They really do need to consolidate everything into one platform.
coughlanio
Member
This is just Nintendo being Nintendo like how the DS wasn't going to replace the GBA. Saying that, if Switch does bad out the gate, who knows what'll happen.
This is kind of a trying time for Nintendo, because they've always had a well-performing handheld, to prop up their console business unit when that hasn't done too well in the past.
This is kind of a trying time for Nintendo, because they've always had a well-performing handheld, to prop up their console business unit when that hasn't done too well in the past.
Why?
Nintendo's hardware form factor revisions, especially for handhelds, always tend to be size revisions that try to fill holes in their market. They will also do revisions to the hybrid formula, but if they see a market demand for a smaller handheld Switch, they will create one.
Fredrik
Member
Precisely. This is only going to be better for everyone, one huge userbase for two platforms.
coughlanio
Member
The issue with a smaller Switch, is smaller controllers. Which sounds horrible.
Is there any transcript of the original Japanese? Should be something we can figure out.
If he really did say that a successor is being worked on that feels like a misstep that will leave consumers confused. Heck, I'm confused.
Right now it's one respected man who can speak Japanese vs. another respected man who is Japanese. Both, do this for a living, so I doubt anyone is trying to mislead. I think we need more information before we all panic.
If he really did say that a successor is being worked on that feels like a misstep that will leave consumers confused. Heck, I'm confused.
Right now it's one respected man who can speak Japanese vs. another respected man who is Japanese. Both, do this for a living, so I doubt anyone is trying to mislead. I think we need more information before we all panic.
MegaManTrigger
Banned
How? iPhones and iPads, despite being very similar in design, have different purposes. One is a smartphone, and the other is a tablet. Both fulfill different needs.
What similarity are you going to see with the Switch and the 3DS Successor? Both are built to play games. They have the exact same functions. That comparison falls flat.
What would be the point of releasing a handheld-only Switch? The entire concept of the console is defeated if you create a console exclusive or handheld exclusive form factor.
eyeball_kid
Member
What the hell was the point of the Switch then? Limited-performance hardware for...what? If there's a new true-portable in the lineup, it will continue to get the lion's share of third-party games. There's no point creating a portable home system if there's still a portable system. Their strategy makes no sense.
3D never took off and clamshell isn't an integral part of the 3DS experience. Sure if nobody plays Switch on their TV they might reconsider, but that just sounds insane. Switch is their only home console and people will play it like a home console a lot.
The dock is such a simple device that removing the hybrid functionality from Switch would be dumb. Also the joycons have insane margins so Nintendo wants to sell them throughout the Switch lifetime.
calc84maniac
Member
If it's a handheld SKU, theoretically it won't have removable controllers or have to fit in a dock. Though perhaps separately purchased Joy-Cons and Pro Controllers could still be paired with it because the OS support would be there?
Nobody said it would have a different software library, and in fact that would go against all of Nintendo's statements for the past few years.
-Mutsukki-
Member
dreamcastmaster
Banned
Switch mini, based on the restructuring at Nintendo that's all it's going to be.
Shareholders want a contingency plan. He's placating them. This means very little. A good shareholder should ask what they're doing with their one profitable product line in light of a new strategy that seems to ditch it and a good company board should be actively working on alternative backup plans to their new strategy. People who are losing faith in Kimishima seem to know little about governance. This should instill faith if anything.
AppleBlade
Member
Nintendo has a bad habit of doing this imo. It's like they kill hype for their machines. If this was Sony they'd be like "one machine to do it all, portable and home console, 10 year life, only gaming machine you will ever need, etc." Instead of showing that type of confidence Nintendo will frequently downplay the importance of the system. They did it with the DS saying it was just a 3rd pillar and not the real gameboy replacement and they're doing it now with the Switch. If the Switch bombs big time you can always release something else, every other company in the world operates that way. I wonder if they're always pandering to nervous investors.
Just based on the article, Serkan Toto's translation is accurate. Kimishima was asked whether the Switch wouldn't render a successor to the 3DS meaningless, and he responded saying that the Switch would be bigger, heavier, and pricier than a theoretical 3DS successor, and they will keep considering it since there is a market base for it.
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