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What a shame that we'll likely never get a proper successor to the 3DS

teezzy

Banned
IDK about you guys but I was a big fan of the innovative dual screen play-style birthed and maintained by both the DS and 3DS

Having different information on both screens really led a lot of developers to think outside of the box in how their games were presented

When DS first launched it felt like such an alien device. Not even the iPhone had popularized touch screens yet. Developers were like mad scientists tryna fully take advantage of this dual screened, touch screened beast with a microphone

new-3ds-header-gif.0.0.gif



On top of that, certain genres benefited on the go from the stylus-prone nature of the bottom screen like turn based strategy and RTS

I was just thinking about like RTS, turn based strategy, and city builder genres which I enjoy on my PC, and how the only other platform which really feels appropriate for those was the DS/3DS line of hardware

day07_08.gif



Now they're gone

RIP DS/3DS... hope you Switch lovers are happy, because I'm not :messenger_confounded:

Just grateful I have my NEW 3DS XL for safekeeping. Would love a similar device with more horsepower in the future
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
Best thing about it is the form factor for sure. Being able to fold it like a book and stick it in your pocket with no worries. My N3DS has all my retro library on it.

I actually switched it on today but it just made me consider buying a Swith Lite for the portability that my OG Switch doesn’t have.
 
The good thing about portables was that low budget games could thrive, and a lot of experimental games are low budget ones.

Since Nintendo decided to blend home consoles and portable consoles into a single one with the Switch, I don't think they're going back to making two separate consoles again.

Lol nintendo is still making low budget ass games
 

kunonabi

Member
I find it extremely hard to go back single screens in general. Hell, I just bought a surface duo to replace my old phone.

Of course I miss competent handheld hardware in general now that Nintendo has gotten so cheap and lazy with the switch.
 
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Drew1440

Member
They could release some sort of addon that lets the Switch dock with some sort of touchscreen controller that lets it resemble the DS/3DS, like the Asus Transformer tablets from a few years back. Instead of Joy Con's you could play with the traditional 3DS like controls, which some games could include optional support for.
 

onQ123

Member
I'm pretty sure Nintendo will release a HMC ( Head Mounted Console ) one day that will give you the 3D effect again.
 

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
You did, it was the Wii U. One screen was your TV and the other was the Fisher Price tablet.
 

amigastar

Member
I completely agree with you OP. The DS and then the 3DS were my favourite handhelds of all time. I'm not interested in the Switch at all. The games of course are another topic.
Just imagine if the 3DS had a GTA: Chinatown Successor on it, that would have catapulted the 3DS into legendary heights.
 
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teezzy

Banned
You did, it was the Wii U. One screen was your TV and the other was the Fisher Price tablet.

Fair enough, and I loved Wii U nearly as much as the DS/3DS. Was an early adopter. Not exactly the same as the GamePad was often such a distance from the television as opposed to the clamshell of its handheld brethren, but still. Wish others had given the Wii U a fair shake.

Remember how fun Miiverse and the Wii U UI was? Remember Deus Ex Human Revolution, Tekken Tag 2, and Monster Hunter Tri all having their best versions on that console? I sure as heck do.

For better or worse, Switch broke my adoration of Nintendo. So many love it though, to each their own. I'm weird, I guess.
 

Nezzeroth

Member
I miss the touch screen, but I don’t miss the dual screen. For me it was always a gimmick and didn’t really add anything you couldn’t already do with a bigger screen.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Eh, DS was better with the same size/aspect ratio screens allowing things like book mode apps and games, 3DS nerfed the concept so much it really doesn't matter if you just have single screen touchscreen and whatever picture in picture view a dev desires to do (or not do) like Switch instead.
 
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NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
I miss the touch screen, but I don’t miss the dual screen. For me it was always a gimmick and didn’t really add anything you couldn’t already do with a bigger screen.
It’s the opposite. The problem was when they tried to use the two screens like they were just one, ie Yoshi’s Island DS, making everything harder than it needed to be. The dual screen could do great things when used properly. Just being able to have a separate inventory screen (and a touch screen, to boot) in many games, like the N64 Zelda ports or Phoenix Wright, was a godsend. And then you have the extraordinary applications of the dual screen concept like 999 - simply impossible to replicate with a single screen without losing something in the translation.

There were always going to be games that wouldn’t make any significant use of the second screen, and that’s fine too. Better to not use it, than to force it for a mere gimmick. There was no written rule forcing devs to use both screens, and when used well, the second screen could enhance the experience significantly. The DS and 3DS had the best of both worlds.

I’m much more pissed that Nintendo themselves nonchalantly dropped 3D on the 3Ds at one point. I liked the feature - actually loved it when they finally improved it on the new 3DS. Not having it in their latest 3DS games was lame.
 

cireza

Banned
it's the Switch
To me Switch is a modern handheld, which means, a sort of phone/tablet with buttons getting mediocre ports of whatever is being released. And Nintendo games, of course.

Nintendo 3DS was the last dedicated handheld console with some real efforts from third parties made to its games. It had an identity. Games had to be optimized for the hardware and low resolution. The majority ran pretty well, which is the opposite of what we are getting on Switch. Having third party games that run well is a rare thing on Switch. And when it happens, you are simply playing a game available elsewhere and probably in a better state.
 
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I disagree. The Switch is a ton better direction than the 3DS. I hated that console, despite loving its games. It was incredibly uncomfortable, the 3D was inconsistent and a constant battle and it was underpowered.

The Vita was a much better piece of hardware than the 3DS, even though the 3DS had the better overall library.

Switch is a much better handheld. Also, being able to play on the television is a great benefit.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I loved the 3DS but the 3D screen was the worst part of the system. It was a novelty for about 10 minutes until I got a headache, then I pushed the slider into the down position and never turned it back on outside of the occasional bout of curiosity. While dual screens were sometimes put to good use with various games (like Mario Kart), I'll admit that I find it a lot easier to focus on one bigger screen. Having to glance up, then down, then back up, etc causes eye strain - and I find myself limiting my 3DS time to 1 hour sessions because of this.

For me, the Switch is better is nearly every way, and not just better internals that let it run visually better games.
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Nah, good riddance, I say. I have long been a big fan of handheld gaming, going all the way back to the Milton Bradley Microvision. I had a Game Gear, a Lynx, a Game Boy, a Nomad, I always loved handheld gaming.

But 3DS is probably my least favorite handheld system I've ever owned, at least taken in the context of the time it was released. Chunky form, clunky controls, badly underpowered, crappy battery life, with a dual screen gimmick that was even more useless than the first time, and a pointless 3D gimmick that was more distracting than an enhancement.

Obviously there were good 3DS games, but I always felt that the system was something I tolerated for the sake of the games. Contrast this to the Switch, where often times I will buy multiplatform games on Switch instead of other systems (assuming it's a game that ports well), simply because I like playing games on my Switch. I would never want a 3DS game that was available on another system.

As someone who can only focus on one screen at a time, I don't miss Duel Screens.
As a fellow human with one head and two hands, I concur.
 
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Grechy34

Member
The market talks and the Switch is a great success financially so Nintendo have done no wrong to their business by phasing out the dual screen model. Yes, we lost dual screen function but if we didn't lose that we wouldn't have the switch function either so I think the natural progression of their technology has allowed them to be a viable player in the hardware game still.

I think another 3DS type handheld could have ended up like the Wii U and buried them on that front if they persisted. I am glad they moved on. The Switch isn't perfect but there's no denying it has seen a big shift in the gaming landscape. I think we will only now see further upgrades on this technology (Steam deck etc)

Also nothing stopping anybody enjoying vast the 2DS/3DS library still today.
 
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Banjo64

cumsessed
I loved the 3DS but the 3D screen was the worst part of the system. It was a novelty for about 10 minutes until I got a headache, then I pushed the slider into the down position and never turned it back on outside of the occasional bout of curiosity. While dual screens were sometimes put to good use with various games (like Mario Kart), I'll admit that I find it a lot easier to focus on one bigger screen. Having to glance up, then down, then back up, etc causes eye strain - and I find myself limiting my 3DS time to 1 hour sessions because of this.

For me, the Switch is better is nearly every way, and not just better internals that let it run visually better games.
I agree with all of this as much as I like the 3DS.

The only maddening thing for me is the drift issue on the Switch. I’m not the type of guy to buy a controller a year, my original joycon drifted so I’m using an 8bitdo pad in table top mode but I desperately want to use this as a handheld again.

The new Pokémon Lite is stunning and I want it badly, but we only get a 2 year warranty in the UK and the thought of having to buy a whole new unit in 2-3 years time is pretty maddening.
 

Hugare

Member
I miss a proper handheld, 'cause the Switch sure as hell aint one

Never used mine outdoors, and never seen someone using it outside

Hopefuly Nintendo will make a portable device again someday
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
I had the OG 3DS and wasn't too impressed with it. I thought the DS had a much better selection of games. I still have a DS lite but no longer own a 3DS.

That being said though, I'd totally buy a 2DS/3DS XL if I found one for a decent price.
 

TexMex

Member
I had the OG 3DS and wasn't too impressed with it. I thought the DS had a much better selection of games. I still have a DS lite but no longer own a 3DS.

That being said though, I'd totally buy a 2DS/3DS XL if I found one for a decent price.

I agree that the DS library may take the edge, but the 3DS gives you both!

Though to be fair, the DS Lite was backward compatible with GBA if I remember, that would give it the edge.
 
Clamshells had a good run. GBA SP, DS and 3DS. I'm fine moving on to something new, but those were some of the best systems ever made. Loved the small form factor, and great battery life. Also had solid gyro, touch screen, street pass, and 3D. Pretty innovative little device. Playing 3D Land is still better than 3D World because of the 3D.
 
The second screen didnt get much use from developers on 3DS compared to DS so maybe thats why they did it. The 3DS kind of invalidates the DS so im happy 3DS will have the last say in that style of handheld console. I love the 3DS.
 
I remember when people were wondering how Splatoon 2 could work on the Switch. The map was on the gamepad screen in the first game. How could they possibly change that?!
Well, now they just show the map with the press of a button. The same way it has worked on other consoles for decades. I'd argue it's faster and less jarring because you're not shifting your view and focusing your eyes on a different screen.

For the handhelds, the dual screens gimmick was just a coping mechanism to get more information on tiny and low res screens without having to shell out for a higher res one. for the Wii U... I don't know what they were thinking. I thoroughly enjoyed those systems, but never because of the two screens, rather in spite of them.
 

levyjl1988

Banned
Being able to multi-task while playing on the top screen and accessing your inventory at the same time on the bottom screen was amazing. There are things only dual screen can do. The second screen is for menus so it doesn’t clutter up the top screen.
The question is: Do you prefer menu options as an overlay or on their own screen entirely like Pokemon?
I like to think of the 3DS and DS as a dual monitor setup as opposed to single screen.
 

stranno

Member
DS was a great console.

3DS was not. A really weak hardware, struggled even more having to render two buffers. Stupid 240P resolution (thanks to the crappy PICA200 processor) that couldn't even 2x scale properly Game Boy Advance (320) or Nintendo DS (384). Cores wasted between the Super-Stable mode and the OS. A much more powerful revision that only takes advantage of.. four/five games? Absolutely poor I/O performance.

It was a disaster in terms of hardware. In terms of software, well, it had a bunch of great games. I'd say it is a decent catalog, considering the limitations.
 
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ToTTenTranz

Banned
Being able to multi-task while playing on the top screen and accessing your inventory at the same time on the bottom screen was amazing. There are things only dual screen can do. The second screen is for menus so it doesn’t clutter up the top screen.
I'm hoping Valve develops an API for Steam Deck that lets devs integrate the handheld as both a controller and a second screen for inventory management.
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
I agree it's not fair to consider the Switch a successor to the 3DS, the switch is tied to the PS4, Xbox One generation and Nintendo keeps giving it years and btw I played the 2DS. After Nintendo's historic handheld history it's of great concern that we don't see a hint of a new traditional handheld.
 

Kssio_Aug

Member
I liked the 3DS concept and games, but the one I bought I rarely played because my wrists would hurt with about 30 minutes playing. It was horribly uncomfortable for me... That being said, at least ergonomically I think Switch is a much better handheld.
 

yurinka

Member
I think the Switch it's the proper successor of 3DS. Dual screen was a nice homage to the ancient Game & Watch handhelds, but I prefer a bigger, single widescreen. Which also allows to play better the multiplatform games and simplifies porting and multiplatform development.

Regarding touchscren, I think it's nice for menus and some casual games but outside that and the novelty I prefer using dpad/analogs and buttons, to the point I rarely used the Switch touchscreen and I don't know if most of the many games I played there feature touchscreen support or not.

Regarding ergonomy I prefer Switch but I think the joycons suck and should be replaced by Switch Pro Controller shaped ones, with these Dual Shock like horns for a better and more natural grip, with proper analog controllers and dpad, and with big face buttons + bumpers + triggers for man-like bear hands like the ones I have.

I also think it was a great idea the hybrid console with deattachable controllers and high end portable graphics concept, and to merge there Nintendo's home consoles and handhelds efforts and catalg. Even if there's room for improvement in some areas, I think Switch has been the best possible 3DS successor.
 
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Rodolink

Member
Loved the console specially the first version with its glossy watery finish and my Majora's Mask special edition, still have couple of backlog there like DQ VII and Metroid Samud Returns, only thing I would desire is a video out option but not possible unless modyfing the hardware itself.
Really doubt we would ever see a succesor of it, although with the new foldable screens that might be possible once they get cheap, who knows maybe next switch is foldable.
 
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