The launch of the fully portable Nintendo Switch Lite reinvigorated questions that first arose alongside the original Switch’s launch surrounding the company’s plans for its 3DS line of handhelds.
While new titles for the 3DS have certainly slowed down since the Switch launched, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser tells The Verge that the company isn’t planning on backing away from the platform in the near future, at least as long as consumers are interested in the 3DS.
“We continue to look at the 3DS family, both hardware and games, as a strong entry point for some consumers,” Bowser tells The Verge. “And we’re seeing that. As long as consumer demand is there, we’ll continue to provide both hardware and software on that front.”
Nintendo has largely maintained that the 3DS and Switch aim to serve different corners of its audience, often referring to the nearly 9-year-old family of handhelds as an affordable entry point for families and those new to video games.
To that end, Bowser says that Nintendo doesn’t yet consider the 3DS, in The Verge’s words, a ‘dead platform’ and that its current plans see it supporting the “3DS this holiday and into 2020.”