Nintendo has no intention of killing off the 3DS

Just because Nintendo is making its long-awaited entrance into the mobile market, doesn’t mean the company is giving up on handheld consoles. In an interview with the Washington Post, marketing chief Scott Moffitt claimed this 3DS sales are actually up from last year, and that his company has no intention of abandoning the device. Whether or not Nintendo intends to release a new handheld console is unclear, but from what we’ve heard about the Nintendo NX, the company’s next console will somehow merge handheld consoles and traditional consoles into one device. 

If you thought Nintendo’s foray into mobile gaming meant certain doom for the firm’s handheld 3DS console, then think again. In an interview with the Washington Post this week, the gaming giant sent out a clear message: “The 3DS is here to stay.” In fact, according to the firm’s marketing chief Scott Moffitt, sales of the dual-screened console are actually up on last year. Perhaps more surprisingly, Moffitt says, the total number of 3DS units sold exceeds the combined tally of Xbox One and PS4 consoles shifted overall. He said: “Nintendo 3DS is here to stay. Let me throw out a number that might surprise you. So far, on a global basis, Nintendo 3DS has sold more hardware than PS4 and Xbox One – combined. Most people find this shocking.” Despite finally giving into pressure to release smartphone games, Nintendo seems convinced the titles will be able to co-exist with the dedicated console games, saying they enable ‘very different kinds of game play.’