Unpopular Opinion: I want a 3DS successor

Protome said:

Man, my experience with the 3DS is apparently completely different from yours. My 3DS XL drains battery as fast if not faster than my Switch. And the 3DS drains a shitload of battery when in standby, which the Switch does not.

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When people compare battery life with Switch and any other platform they almost never use games that run longer in their comparisons. There's quite a few games that have ~5-6+ hour battery life on the Switch, but typically you get people zoning in on the ~3.5 hour games. Also, they tend to disregard how easy it is to just obtain a near infinite battery life via USB and battery packs.

If anything they should release a better home console and let the switch be the portable console.

No we got that. It's called Switch. Maybe make a smaller version for people that hate the size.

I love the 2 screen concept, even if just for maps and menus. It's been incredibly convenient and I do miss having that with the Switch. If they could make a new DS that played Switch games and vice-versa then I don't see a problem with it.

Nintendo can't afford to develop games for two platforms anymore, at least not with the output people expect from Nintendo platforms.

A 3ds successor is rumored to be in development.
It's unclear if it's going to be just a smaller Switch or a new dual screen handheld.

billysea said:

If Nintendo was not afraid of killing the 3D of the 3DS, I will not be surprise if they make a smaller and cheaper Switch that doesn't allow you to "switch" that can only be played in portable mode with no detached controller.

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The difference is the ability to switch between portable and console has been a popular thing, 3D was not.

Me too! Switch isn't a handheld or a handheld replacement for me. My gaming golden years were on the GBA/DS/PSP so I'm very attached to the format.

Protome said:

And the 3DS drains a shitload of battery when in standby, which the Switch does not.

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This is true.

But my Switch is out of juice in just under 3 hours whereas my 3DS (granted XL) usually lasts 6 hours.

That's quite a differential there.

Most of people's wish list can be covered by Switch revisions/iterations while continuing to remain in the Switch family of consoles. That's why I don't get the need, or those that want, a separate device.

For example, you want a more portable experience? Instead of wishing for a 3DS successor why not wish for a Switch "mini" that is cheaper, smaller and more portable, that still plays the same games?

The thing about Switch revisions / iterations is that you have to consider they won't drop the Joy Cons no matter what.

I have an inkling of an idea of how a true-ish 3DS successor might not only work, but also work in such a way as to both contribute to Nintendo's agenda and allow them to keep making games for "essentially one platform".

You'd have to look a little ways back at a little device called Nvidia Shield Portable.

It wasn't a particularly successful device, for a variety of reasons, but primarily I think it was because it wasn't a Nintendo handheld. You could play a lot of old Nintendo games on it, but there just wasn't the kind of first-party support for it that you would really be tempted to buy it over just a gamepad for your smartphone.

Fast-forward to this generation. The Tegra 4 is still a massive improvement over the 3DS hardware. It is, still, a Tegra device, with everything that entails. And nowadays, it is likely to be just the kind of 'dirt cheap and readily available' that Nintendo could make use of for a cheap handheld console.

It would, in a lot of ways, be a "Switch Lite", but with none of the Switch branding. It's be named something silly, like DSNeXT. But under the silly (yet memorable) naming and simplified, dedicated-handheld design, would be the same kind of backend power, OS and APIs that run on the Switch. Just, adjusted downwards to a 480p screen and some 50 GFLOPS of compute power (or however much the T4 or T4i can put out). And there'd be a full suite of controls on the gamepad/body, slimmed down and refined to better fit the handheld's purpose.

The practical upshot of such a device, would be that any existing Switch game that does not need a tremendous amount of processing power - a lot of pixel indies, VNs, 3DS-like games and re-releases, "Nintendo Classics" up to their N64 catalog if that ends up happening, all would end up straightforwardly ported to that device. And any game made specifically for that device's audience, the little mobile games, 2D platformers, continued series from the 3DS and DS - all would have an open bridge to be directly playable on the Switch, distributed via the eShop, with little to no modification necessary.

It'd be an ideal "gateway console", far more directly 'preparing' a young audience for owning their own Switch later on, with a reduced expense up-front and little to no migration cost.

I get that there might still be a market for smaller, $99-$149 dedicated handhelds that the Switch hasn't completely filled.

The problem is that a 3DS successor would probably just end up getting downgraded Switch ports. Shit, the 3DS already did just get a Switch port (Captain Toad). This is what happened between the 3DS and the Wii U which is probably why Nintendo made the Switch in the first place. The company reached a point where the kinds of games it normally makes played well on both their handheld and console hardware.

Before Nintendo revealed the Switch I was honestly in favor of two separate pieces of hardware that shared one game library: a conventional console, and a cheaper handheld. Theoretically Nintendo could still do this in the future if it just made more form factors that played the same Switch games.

N30RYU said:

If anything they should release a better home console and let the switch be the portable console.

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This is nearly as bad of an idea as OP. Nintendo absolutely should not fragment their console/handheld systems again. They should just wait till hardware/prices allow them to release a 'pro' switch.

The switch is not portable for me so it doesn't fill the niche that I need. I also don't think it's worth it to have a single console when the loss of a dual screen console means the loss of a ton of games that were perfect for the DS family line. The Switch also doesn't allow the same kind of development of low budget games that I enjoy and I've personally not seen them make the transition to the switch as of yet.

All of this just means that I'm losing more than I gained as a consumer when I bought a Switch. I still give the system a few years to see if it lives up to the legacy, but I fully expect japanese games to take a big hit when it comes to the transition between the 3DS and Switch catalogue, especially when it comes to JRPGs.

3DS feels better in my hands that Switch. The Switch feels like it's gonna crumble if I do any sort of quick movements.

Me too. It's the only handheld device I cared for because of the 3D, something I can't get on my TV. But with my Switch, why would I play on this small screen instead of my TV? I don't go out a lot so playing a game outside is not something I do at all.

I'm actually for it, a major hardware upgrade with the same dual screen format

fantomena said:

3DS feels better in my hands that Switch. The Switch feels like it's gonna crumble if I do any sort of quick movements.

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Do you turn green when you get angry?

Jokes aside, I've never felt Switch not being stable myself.

I think if they can manage to get the hardware in place for a smaller Switch in 2-3 years, they'll do that. Until then they'll keep putting remasters/ports/compilations on the 3DS as long as people still buy it and keep that alive as their cheap "entry level" system. Because it costs them so little to do and lets them focus on their main Portable/Console.

Phantom Thief said:

Absolutely not, holy shit. This would be the best way to sabotage Nintendo and their prospects. You'll get your handheld experiences on the Switch. You'll get all of that without having to buy a separate piece of expensive hardware. Why ask for the exact opposite of that?

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So basically Nintendo already has it planned out and done. Possible announcement next year you think?


The one thing I already miss from the 3DS/handhelds is the 40$ price tag for new games besides Atlus games which drops in price pretty quickly anyways.

Nintendo already proved the 40$ price tag is left with the 3DS and they won't enter games in the market with that price.

Edit: just checked and I was wrong. Captain Toad for Switch is 40$.

Chauzu said:

Do you turn green when you get angry?

Jokes aside, I've never felt Switch not being stable myself.

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Good for you. I had to buy a grip to make it feel less uncomfortable and it's still feels like the joycons sometimes are gonna break off.

Dreamboum said:

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Wow it never twigged for me that Shaun of the Dead's "WE'RE COMING TO GET YOU BARBARA" was a reference until now.

Dreamboum said:

The Switch also doesn't allow the same kind of development of low budget games that I enjoy and I've personally not seen them make the transition to the switch as of yet.

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Can you elaborate on what you mean by low budget games? Are these low budget games available on other platforms like PC, PS4, and XB1?

Minsc said:

Basically just another 3DS hardware revision then? That's about the only thing that sounds feasible, make the 3DS even smaller and slimmer, and give it no new game support, but allow it to run all GB through 3DS games in digital form. I see absolutely no reason to support cartridges in such a handheld.

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I'd quite like to be able to use my GBA carts on it or have them released digitally at a reasonable price, and I'd want a much wider selection of games available digitally.

skittzo0413 said:

Yeah, it's kinda telling that the 3DS XL was more popular than the base model. And that thing is barely smaller than a Switch, even when closed.

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I contributed to that by getting an XL bundle and I sorely regret it, wish I'd gotten just a regular 3DS. But it's true, I haven't actually regularly taken a handheld out of the house since the DS Lite, and that was taking considerably less journeys with me than the GBA.

I can see them making a smaller version of the Switch, maybe, for increased portability, but a completely new system? There is absolutely zero resons that should exist.

I'm kinda appaled by some people's reasoning for a 3DS successor, when the Switch offers the form factor and techinical capabilities it does.
Wish for a smaller Switch why don`t you?

I truly hope no one from Nintendo with such opnions looking to be validated by the a minority comes into resetera and stumbles upon this thread....

Chauzu said:

Do you turn green when you get angry?

Jokes aside, I've never felt Switch not being stable myself.

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It's highly subjective (and prone to a lot of puns) but I know I prefer the feel of my 3DS to the feel of my Switch in my hands.

I dunno it's as if the Switch is too big or something.

I'm liking the Switch but I wish it was a little smaller, I miss a built in mic and I miss dual screens. I would love to see a DS with two heat-sensitive multi-touch screens.

I just want a small handheld that I can throw into my purse without a second thought about the screen. The Switch isn't really that.

I want a device that works with the switch that is also portable that lets you use it as a controller for the system like a WiiU Controller or 3DS.

But why?... Just make a Switch Mini that plays all the same games.

ultra bawl said:

I'd quite like to be able to use my GBA carts on it or have them released digitally at a reasonable price, and I'd want a much wider selection of games available digitally.

I contributed to that by getting an XL bundle and I sorely regret it, wish I'd gotten just a regular 3DS. But it's true, I haven't actually regularly taken a handheld out of the house since the DS Lite, and that was taking considerably less journeys with me than the GBA.

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I just don't see them putting in a feature like that if stores aren't going to stock the carts. We'd be talking about older games, and I'm not seeing stores using up shelf space for GBA/DS/3DS carts, plus they'd make a lot more money if they simply made everyone re-buy all their games again digitally like they traditionally do. I guess there'd be a lot of issues getting the rights to release many GBA and DS games digitally again these days, so used carts might be the only legal way to go. Just sounds like a mess to me, a product that has very limited appeal and a questionable future without new games being developed for it. Basically you want a NES Classic, but gameboy/DS/3DS all-in-one edition, and with the bonus ability to use actual carts - sounds like a tall order.

HBK said:

It's highly subjective (and prone to a lot of puns) but I know I prefer the feel of my 3DS to the feel of my Switch in my hands.

I dunno it's as if the Switch is too big or something.

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And in comparison, I always got hand cramps while playing 3DS due to its small size. There's no one-size-fits-all solution for a handheld.

LavaBadger said:

And in comparison, I always got hand cramps while playing 3DS due to its small size. There's no one-size-fits-all solution for a handheld.

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Which is why we need both :p

Emily said:

Can you elaborate on what you mean by low budget games? Are these low budget games available on other platforms like PC, PS4, and XB1?

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I meant 3DS exclusive games, such as The Denpa Men, or what Level-5 had made with Guild01 and 02 games, or Cattle Call JRPGs such as Legend of Legacy and Alliance Alive. Not to mention Atlus' constant outpouring of games very early into the 3DS lifespan.

Dreamboum said:

I meant 3DS exclusive games, such as The Denpa Men, or what Level-5 had made with Guild01 and 02 games, or Cattle Call JRPGs such as Legend of Legacy and Alliance Alive. Not to mention Atlus' constant outpouring of games very early into the 3DS lifespan.

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Ah, I see. That makes a lot more sense.

Thanks for elaborating!

Nope, the Switch is becoming one of Nintendo's best systems ever made imo, no point splitting resources.

Just like how a lot of Sony fans want Sony to focus on the PS4, I want Nintendo to focus on Switch.

I really don't understand how anyone can feel like the Switch doesn't feel like a handheld. It's a handheld first, second, and third. Nintendo couldn't even be bothered to let this modest mobile chip (modest relative to anything in the non-mobile space) run at full clockspeeds when docked. That tells you everything you need to know about what took priority. Everything else is just rhetoric to soothe the console crowd into not getting upset that Nintendo abandoned the console market. Which they have.

Emily said:

Can you elaborate on what you mean by low budget games? Are these low budget games available on other platforms like PC, PS4, and XB1?

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I think he may have meant lower scale games that launches at cheaper prices like the vast majority of JRPG's that came out on the 3DS.

If that's what he meant I agree with him. Getting games like Octopath for the Switch is great for us coming from the 3DS but it's pushed as a AAA priced title. (not complaining just pointing that out) Smaller scale games packed with content like Little Battlers Experience, Monster Hunter Stories, Fantasy Life, and so much more is why I loved the 3DS so much and worried that may be lost on the transition to the Switch.

Meelow said:

Nope, the Switch is becoming one of Nintendo's best systems ever made imo, no point splitting resources.

Just like how a lot of Sony fans want Sony to focus on the PS4, I want Nintendo to focus on Switch.

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Aren't there quite a few Sony fans that want Sony to make another Vita though?

Or maybe they're not really Sony fans, just Vita fans?

I want 720p 3D in a portable and what ever form that takes, I'm game.

Gridlock said:

I think he may have meant lower scale games that launches at cheaper prices like the vast majority of JRPG's that came out on the 3DS.

If that's what he meant I agree with him. Getting games like Octopath for the Switch is great for us coming from the 3DS but it's pushed as a AAA priced title. (not complaining just pointing that out) Smaller scale games packed with content like Little Battlers Experience, Monster Hunter Stories, Fantasy Life, and so much more is why I loved the 3DS so much and worried that may be lost on the transition to the Switch.

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Eh... I mean the Switch is loaded with lower budget indies that are selling lot hotcakes. There's no reason to assume smaller scale games won't come from Japanese devs in time.

Minsc said:

I just don't see them putting in a feature like that if stores aren't going to stock the carts. We'd be talking about older games, and I'm not seeing stores using up shelf space for GBA/DS/3DS carts, plus they'd make a lot more money if they simply made everyone re-buy all their games again digitally like they traditionally do. I guess there'd be a lot of issues getting the rights to release many GBA and DS games digitally again these days, so used carts might be the only legal way to go. Just sounds like a mess to me, a product that has very limited appeal and a questionable future without new games being developed for it. Basically you want a NES Classic, but gameboy/DS/3DS all-in-one edition, and with the bonus ability to use actual carts - sounds like a tall order.

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Yes, thank you, this is literally how I concluded my first post in this thread, by saying that it was an unrealistic dream based on a personal whim that would never happen because it makes little business sense and wouldn't have wide appeal.

ultra bawl said:

Sadly "I want" doesn't get and Nintendo probably aren't up for hemorrhaging money just for my whims. :(

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Really enjoyed engaging with you so you could condescendingly tell me what I already said about my own blue sky hypothetical, good talk.

Minsc said:

Aren't there quite a few Sony fans that want Sony to make another Vita though?

Or maybe they're not really Sony fans, just Vita fans?

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There's as much people wanting a Vita successor as there are Nintendo fans wanting a 3DS successor.

To be honest, I'd be a lot more excited for TWEWY Final Remix if it were coming to 3DS instead of Switch. Different controls, capacitive screen, single screen. I'm so nervous for that game. I like my Switch a lot, but it's not gonna cover everything that was great about the Gameboy and DS lines.

Nah OP.

I'd rather have a smaller switch with 3D capabilities. That would fill the void of the switch's lack of portability + it would give 3D capabilities back for those who want it. Dual screens while great are dead forever. The only way to bring them back is to make a game play in TATE mode on the switch. You would need a new way to dock the joycons for that to work though.

I think they will do a portable only version down the line with a Vita/GBA like form factor.

Hasney said:

As long as every single one of those games come out on Switch too, knock yourself out.

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The vitriol behind the 3DS now made me read your post as though English wasn't my native language lmao. That's how deep the 3DS hate runs.

I just saw "Knock your self out" and was like jeez that's aggressive wanting the guy to KO himself lol.

The idea of anyone wanting more split development for nintendo is laughable when they already have a hard time keeping a full steady switch lineup. Remember wii u droughts?