Nintendo Will Continue To Support 3DS As Long As There Is Demand

During the recent investor Q&A, an investor asked Nintendo directors whether Nintendo 3DS can coexist with the Switch due to its different price point and features.

Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima replied they have sold the Nintendo 3DS in numbers they have expected last fiscal year, and the system’s price point is affordable for families and kids. Nintendo expects the demand to continue this fiscal year, and as long as there is demand for 3DS, they will continue to sell the system, which will coexist with Nintendo Switch.

Check out Kimishima’s full statement below.

As Nintendo Switch enters its second year of sales, I expect the purchase demographics are changing. Do you think Nintendo 3DS can coexist due to its differentiated price and features? You say you want to popularize Nintendo Switch to the point where every person has their own, so do you plan to capture the demand that is now directed at Nintendo 3DS?

Kimishima: Consumers purchased Nintendo 3DS systems in numbers we expected last fiscal year. It has an ample software lineup at a price point that makes the system affordable especially for parents looking to buy for their kids. We expect that demand to continue during this fiscal year as well, so we will continue to sell the product. Given that Nintendo Switch is a home gaming system that can be taken on the go, this situation may change if it grows from being a one-per-household system to a one-per-person system. But the price of Nintendo Switch is not something with which most parents would buy a system for every one of their children in a short period of time. Moving forward, we will work to ascertain what kinds of play people want at which price points, and as long as there is such demand, we will continue to sell the Nintendo 3DS system. I see the product coexisting with Nintendo Switch at this point in time.