Gaming 3DS and Switch: Can They Live Together?

[ATofix]

Well I may have went overboard with this one....
Thats a lot of text... Enjoy anyway...

The Nintendo switch thus far has been a success. Say whatever you want but it's making money for Nintendo so technically its all good. As much as the switch has been a success it has one flaw. Competition. But not from Microsoft or Sony, Oh no the switch appears to have a bigger problem.
The 3DS.
The NINTENDO 3DS.
A console that focuses on portability making it direct competition for the whole "both portable and home console" concept that the switch is based on.

And yet, Nintendo is adamant that they can live together in peace. Even recently Nintendo released info on the "2DS xl" a upgraded version of the 2DS. Clearly Nintendo bent on keeping the 3DS around for at least another year or so.

But Why? Common since would be to drop the 3ds and go full steam ahead with the switch. Now Nintendo isn't stupid I'm gonna assume and they know the risks of having both these consoles around at the same time.
So why haven't they done the obvious?
Can they survive together?
Yes I believe. And I think I know why.

Nintendo has a ace up there sleeve. And if i'm correct Nintendo could do something shocking. First lets talk about the switch thus far. "Breath of the Wild" was the perfect game to kick the switch off with. It got people excited and gave people a reason to get there hands on the switch.
I went out to buy a switch the day it came out and "low and behold" Game-Stop was fresh out. They did offer me a "bundle" (a clever way of uping the price point average by adding some random stuff) but couldn't promise me it would arrive before Easter.

Shortiges.
A clever strategy by Nintendo to make the switch seam as rare as the holy grail. Now more and more games are coming out for the switch (If a Nintendo dev is reading this, just give us a Pokémon game trailer already why don't you?) the switch looks to be on it's way to being a successful console.

Enter the 3DS.
The 3DS is a pretty cool platform. The 3D feature (Well not needed. I.e. The 2DS) is super cool. And hey. If you don't like the games and stuff available just mod your DS do you can set anime girls at background if that's your kind of thing. (It's not mine.)

Anyhow the 3DS is cool. Most people agree Nintendo could just retire the 3DS line and everyone would be ok with it. And yet no. They don't. The Switch is also a cool console. But it needs something more to really differentiate itself from the 3DS if they are to live in together. Nintendo knows this.

The only clear answer i see is....
Virtual Reality. Yup. The big thing the switch could do that the 3DS can't. But virtual reality is a strain on any system. To be honest the switch likely couldn't handle it.
But you know what it could handle? Augmented Reality.

Now I know your thinking: " The switch doesn't have a camera." Not a problem. Just slap one on a joy-con. Now i know you may be thinking that this is old news. A YouTube channel called "Game Theory" made a video that went viral a while ago about the AR possibility. But at that time the 2DS xl was unknown.

And now with Nintendo filling a patent for a VR headset it seams like Nintendo can hide this for only a matter of time. AR could be just what Nintendo needs to keep both these systems going. Lets hope I'm right cause Nintendo could churn out some killer VR stuff.

All we can do is wait and see. And hey, thanks for reading through this article! Hope it gave you some level of enjoyment and i didn't waste 5 minutes of your life.

Edit: Sorry for the mass of text. Can't get it to line up the way i want. Oh ya. And if you disagree with me on anything, argue about it it aimlessly in the replys. Funz. And thanks to Risingdawn for making the post a bit easyer on the eyes.​

 

[WiiUBricker]

Is your enter key broken?

 

[Sliter]

if cross platarform play, why not? switch is portable but still not very practic to carry (I think ...)
also the 3D is nice haha

 

[xile6]

holy batman, wall of text.

Not sure what your really talking about.
But with the way the switch is moving. It would be best to kill off the 3ds as a handheld and just work on the switch.
It works as a home system and works as a handheld. So you can make games for one system that will work for both setups.
No more split games.

 

[Xzi]

They don't really have to live together. 3DS is only going to be supported for another year or two at most. By then Switch will have Mario, SSB, maybe even a Pokemon game. All the staples. People will definitely jump ship from 3DS, what with the massive graphical leap.

 

[SaiTheOHaireDeliveryGuy]

TL;DR
The 3DS is on its way out, slowly but surely. The games that are being released between now and then were in development most likely as a fall back had the Switch launch flopped, which of course it didn't. The New 2DS XL is a final effort to milk the money from the 3DS family and nothing more.

 

[orangy57]

I like the fact that I can play multiplayer without having to get my friends to buy the game and system just to play together. It's like going over a friend's house from wherever you are.

 

[Hells Malice]

I ain't reading that wall.

They're two separate devices that serve two different purposes. Of course they will exist together, like console and handheld always have for Nintendo. The Switch being basically a tablet doesn't change the fact it's still not THAT easily portable.

3DS probably doesn't have terribly long left before it's replaced, but it isn't being replaced by the Switch unless Nintendo is incredibly inept. Though, to their credit they do tend to be.

 

[Bladexdsl]

nope switch is taking over

 

[Vipera]

Nintendo said the same thing when the wii u came out, except that the Switch can't run DS/3DS or even Wii U games. I want to think that they are serious this time around. But part of me thinks that the 3DS will be all gone as soon as they get rid of the hardware leftovers.

 

[Futurdreamz]

Mmm, idunno.

The whole poing of the old gameboy Micro was that Nintendo wanted a "third pillar" of an cheap and kid friendly product, but the DS killed it off quickly. The 2DS XL does seem to be in the same position of being a last-ditch attempt to keep the line going. However, I think it'll be a bit more successful. The DS wasn't that expensive and the folding made it seem kid-proof (even though many broke) so it did a good job of replacing the GBA Line, however the Switch is a much more expensive console and I'd be concerned about a kid finding a way to destroy it. Granted I haven't heard of any Switches being completely destroyed, so it may be more durable or just kept away from small kids.

Time will tell, but I suspect that the 3DS line will be around for a few more years.

 

[Risingdawn]

2DSXL screams dsi to me, it's a final hardware revision, a last squeeze of the market. The game's are those final development schedules wrapping up.

Sure we will see another healthy year, another lacklustre year after that but I doubt we will be seeing another pokemon or Monster Hunter past XX. No more Zeldas or major Mario's.

3ds has a big user base, developers will still want to target it but the next 2 years will see a gradual shift to Switch where Nintendo can focus on a single "hybrid" console instead of decent handheld and struggling home console setup.

Let's face facts, Switch is a handheld and powered appropriately, it would be unprecedented to have 2 handhelds maintained at once but by rebranding their handheld into a "hybrid" and migrating their entire user base from 3ds to Switch Nintendo are in a position to claim their "console" a major success and forget about the Wii U.

Nintendo have no interest in playing the power game with Sony and Microsoft. They know there is little point diluting the market with a 3rd identikit pc box, filling shelves with a 3rd set of multi platform releases and barfing money on 2 month exclusivity deals.

3 console's never work, never have and never will. In a 3 way console war there has to be a looser, has to be an Atari or a Sega unless you can lap over into a different market, with Wii this was a lap over into non gamers, fitness casuals and Wiimote wavers. With Switch it's the handheld market.

Handhelds have been Nintendo's lifeblood since the 'game and watch, the one market with total dominance and minor competition, on their home turf handheld is where the real money is.

The way Nintendo survive is in 1st party development, in house publishing and 2nd party exclusivity. They keep their costs and profit margins to themselves and controll their franchises with an iron fist. They may look like they don't have a clue but financially they are still in the game for a reason.

 

[Risingdawn]

My work here is done..

 

[ATofix]

(I broke that wall up for you a bit if you want to edit it in, you may get a better reaction when it's easier on your eyes )

Thanks! Used it. Looks a ton better!

 

[jt_1258]

Nintendo said the same thing when the wii u came out, except that the Switch can't run DS/3DS or even Wii U games. I want to think that they are serious this time around. But part of me thinks that the 3DS will be all gone as soon as they get rid of the hardware leftovers.

...till ds vc possibly pops up again at least

 

[Oakmontowls]

...till ds vc possibly pops up again at least

I don't see the switch being able to play ds games since you either have to make the two screens tiny or remove touch screen compatibility completely which wouldn't work for many ds games. a possible fix would be forcing handheld mode and making you detach the joycons and hold the switch sideways. However any game that needs the precision of a stylus (phantom hour glass & spirit tracks) will still be difficult to play with this set up. They really should just put more of the vc titles on to the 3ds specifically the ones that were on handheld consoles already (gb,gba,ds).

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Well I may have went overboard with this one....
Thats a lot of text... Enjoy anyway...

The Nintendo switch thus far has been a success. Say whatever you want but it's making money for Nintendo so technically its all good. As much as the switch has been a success it has one flaw. Competition. But not from Microsoft or Sony, Oh no the switch appears to have a bigger problem.
The 3DS.
The NINTENDO 3DS.
A console that focuses on portability making it direct competition for the whole "both portable and home console" concept that the switch is based on.

And yet, Nintendo is adamant that they can live together in peace. Even recently Nintendo released info on the "2DS xl" a upgraded version of the 2DS. Clearly Nintendo bent on keeping the 3DS around for at least another year or so.

But Why? Common since would be to drop the 3ds and go full steam ahead with the switch. Now Nintendo isn't stupid I'm gonna assume and they know the risks of having both these consoles around at the same time.
So why haven't they done the obvious?
Can they survive together?
Yes I believe. And I think I know why.

Nintendo has a ace up there sleeve. And if i'm correct Nintendo could do something shocking. First lets talk about the switch thus far. "Breath of the Wild" was the perfect game to kick the switch off with. It got people excited and gave people a reason to get there hands on the switch.
I went out to buy a switch the day it came out and "low and behold" Game-Stop was fresh out. They did offer me a "bundle" (a clever way of uping the price point average by adding some random stuff) but couldn't promise me it would arrive before Easter.

Shortiges.
A clever strategy by Nintendo to make the switch seam as rare as the holy grail. Now more and more games are coming out for the switch (If a Nintendo dev is reading this, just give us a Pokémon game trailer already why don't you?) the switch looks to be on it's way to being a successful console.

Enter the 3DS.
The 3DS is a pretty cool platform. The 3D feature (Well not needed. I.e. The 2DS) is super cool. And hey. If you don't like the games and stuff available just mod your DS do you can set anime girls at background if that's your kind of thing. (It's not mine.)

Anyhow the 3DS is cool. Most people agree Nintendo could just retire the 3DS line and everyone would be ok with it. And yet no. They don't. The Switch is also a cool console. But it needs something more to really differentiate itself from the 3DS if they are to live in together. Nintendo knows this.

The only clear answer i see is....
Virtual Reality. Yup. The big thing the switch could do that the 3DS can't. But virtual reality is a strain on any system. To be honest the switch likely couldn't handle it.
But you know what it could handle? Augmented Reality.

Now I know your thinking: " The switch doesn't have a camera." Not a problem. Just slap one on a joy-con. Now i know you may be thinking that this is old news. A YouTube channel called "Game Theory" made a video that went viral a while ago about the AR possibility. But at that time the 2DS xl was unknown.

And now with Nintendo filling a patent for a VR headset it seams like Nintendo can hide this for only a matter of time. AR could be just what Nintendo needs to keep both these systems going. Lets hope I'm right cause Nintendo could churn out some killer VR stuff.

All we can do is wait and see. And hey, thanks for reading through this article! Hope it gave you some level of enjoyment and i didn't waste 5 minutes of your life.

Edit: Sorry for the mass of text. Can't get it to line up the way i want. Oh ya. And if you disagree with me on anything, argue about it it aimlessly in the replys. Funz. And thanks to Risingdawn for making the post a bit easyer on the eyes.​

The VR headset patent I believe is pretty old, who knows if anything will ever come from it.
The 3DS already has AR, but honestly I don't believe much in the technology. There are some uses where it's cool, but mostly it just seems more gimmicky than anything, and doesn't actually add anything to the game. And Microsoft is already heavily invested in AR with their HoloLens which runs on far more powerful hardware, so I doubt Nintendo could compete with that. But gimmicks are what Nintendo does best so who knows.

I do believe the 3DS and Switch can coexist though. Whichever sells better, Nintendo's still making tons of money, so in the end it doesn't really matter to them or the investors.
It only really matters in terms of 3rd party support, 3rd parties will flock to the console that sells better.
The 3DS and Switch have slightly different target audiences, 3DS is obviously more kid friendly considering the form factor, price and (on average more) cartoonish graphics. The Switch right now is priced rather high, so are the games and accessories, the barrier of entry is simply too high for many kids, although I'm sure many of them would still love to have one.

The Switch's powerful (as a handheld) hardware means it's also better suited for more complex games that older gamers are more likely to enjoy. And the large size again appeals more to older gamers (by older I mean mostly late teens and up)
So I do believe that they both have distinct target audiences and due to that will have distinct types of games for each, the Switch will be more focused on full-fat complex home console experiences like BotW and the 3DS will be more focused on simpler games that anyone can enjoy. For that reason, it's completely possible for 3rd parties to support both consoles equally, without one console taking anything away from the oher.

 

[jt_1258]

I don't see the switch being able to play ds games since you either have to make the two screens tiny or remove touch screen compatibility completely which wouldn't work for many ds games. a possible fix would be forcing handheld mode and making you detach the joycons and hold the switch sideways. However any game that needs the precision of a stylus (phantom hour glass & spirit tracks) will still be difficult to play with this set up. They really should just put more of the vc titles on to the 3ds specifically the ones that were on handheld consoles already (gb,gba,ds).

<------beat phantom hour glass on the ds light, then 2ds, then tablet, there are styluses for capsitive screens, also, the struggle of not being able to find your ds stylus for awhile and using your fingers on that tiny af screen, I think they may suggest handheld mode and allow using a cursor to enter tap input, I also played with one large screen and one small in most cases which worked just fine for me

 

[ATofix]

The VR headset patent I believe is pretty old, who knows if anything will ever come from it.
The 3DS already has AR, but honestly I don't believe much in the technology. There are some uses where it's cool, but mostly it just seems more gimmicky than anything, and doesn't actually add anything to the game. And Microsoft is already heavily invested in AR with their HoloLens which runs on far more powerful hardware, so I doubt Nintendo could compete with that. But gimmicks are what Nintendo does best so who knows.

This is true but the hololens didn't go nearly as mainstream as it should have. Nintendo AR would make a much bigger splash. And plus the 3DS AR was a gimmick. Not a full game attempt.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

This is true but the hololens didn't go nearly as mainstream as it should have. Nintendo AR would make a much bigger splash. And plus the 3DS AR was a gimmick. Not a full game attempt.

Well, HoloLens isn't officially released yet, so it remains to be seen how big of an impact it will have.

I don't think AR is really that well suited for a full game. It would work for something like Pokemon Go but it would still feel really gimmicky. Superimposing the game onto the real world just means you don't have a game world to immerse yourself in, and the developers don't have as much freedom, they can't create any kind of world and setting they want to, it all has to be based on the real world.
I see AR as more of a negative thing due to those points. I like to immerse myself fully in a game and "escape reality" as it were. VR gives me that, even conventional games do to some degree, but AR does not, at all.