Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé has confirmed in an E3 interview with IGN that Nintendo Switch is not intended to replace the 3DS. Fils-Aimé also went on to say the portable gaming system would not only be supported throughout 2018, but ‘beyond’, which means its retail availability is now pushing 7 years. That’s a decent lifespan that sits between Game Boy Colour and Game Boy Advance. Nintendo 3DS first launched in 2011 and is currently Nintendo’s third most popular hand held device, topped only by Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS.
Retail Availability
- Game Boy: 1989-2003 (14 years)
- Game Boy Color: 1998—2003 (5 years)
- Game Boy Advance: 2001—2010 (9 years)
- Nintendo DS: 2004—2014 (10 years)
- Nintendo 3DS: 2011—present
- New Nintendo 3DS: 2014—present
- New Nintendo 2DS XL: 2017—
There were concerns a couple of years ago that Nintendo 3DS would be discontinued, but that hasn’t manifested yet. Earlier this year, Nintendo added fuel to the fire when it said repairs would no longer be available for the original 3DS. Fils-Aimé said Nintendo would “continue to bring new content” to 3DS, and with the surprise announcement of Metroid: Samus Returns it seems like that promise is being fulfilled. He also mentioned that the New 2DS XL boasts a larger screen and a “variety of different colours” that customers love, which Nintendo hopes will propel the “3DS platform”.
