In a recent interview, Reggie Fils-Amie, President of Nintendo of America stated that Nintendo considers the Switch as a home console first, and it is not meant to replace the existing 3DS handheld console.
Talking to Wired, he said, “I think there’s a sense that Nintendo Switch is a portable device. It is portable. But at its heart, it’s a home console that you can take with you on the go.” He was responding to the question regarding what the release of the new hybrid console meant for the 3DS. He said that Nintendo had managed two different systems before, and the introduction of the new one doesn’t mean that the older one will become obsolete.
He goes on to say, “3DS has a long life in front of it. We’ve already announced games that will be launching in the first couple quarters of this year. There are a number of big games coming. And in our view, the Nintendo 3DS and the Nintendo Switch are going to live side-by-side. You’re going to be meeting different price points, you’re going to be meeting different types of consumers, you’re going to have the newest, freshest content available on Nintendo Switch, you’ve got a thousand-game library available on Nintendo 3DS, plus some key new ones coming. They’re going to co-exist just fine. We’ve done this before, managing two different systems.”
The Nintendo Switch was revealed last week to a lukewarm response from the audience. While the pros of the upcoming console include portability, no region lock and a solid IP, general concern exists regarding lack of launch titles, battery life and third-party support. You can read my views about the console here.
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