Why Nintendo Shouldn't Abandon the 3DS

Nintendo’s presentation at E3 earlier this week was received fairly well by the company’s fans despite some analysts criticizing the lack of surprises in what was announced. Opting to release a long video instead of hosting a live event, the company focused on the games it knows will be smash hits, with the Switch edition of Super Smash Bros. taking center stage.

While Nintendo understandably focused its presentation on upcoming games for its latest hit console, the Nintendo Switch, the complete absence of the hugely successful portable console 3DS surprised many and had fans worried that the company might turn its back on the popular system. However, Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime told Bloomberg this week that there are no such plans and that the company sees the 2DS and 3DS as affordable options for kids, families and people to get into video games – sort of like a gateway drug for prospective gamers.

As the following chart illustrates, leaving the 3DS family behind wouldn’t be a smart move for Nintendo anyway. Having sold more than 70 million units to date, the portable gaming system has a huge installed base that Nintendo would be foolish to neglect. Over the past two fiscal years, players bought more than 30 million software titles for the 3DS/2DS family, more than for the Switch and the (now discontinued) Wii U combined.