The Nintendo 3Ds is a solid handheld device that has won over many fans despite its rough start. Since its initial release back in 2011, the handheld has seen some impressive titles like Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Fire Emblem Echoes, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Super Smash Bros., Monster Hunter 4, Bravely Default and more. Aside from first major first party support, the 3DS also has a solid collection of games publishers like Capcom, Square Enix, and Atlus among others.
With the recent reveal of the Switch, it’s quite clear that the company has plans of bringing over their major titles to the hybrid console as evident by the recent Metroid Prime 4 announcement.
With this in mind, many fans believed that Nintendo would ultimately abandon all 3DS support. Even so, players are wondering what Nintendo still has in store for their handheld and how they plan to make it thrive. Here are some things the company can do to help keep the Nintendo 3DS afloat while still focusing on the Switch.
Creating more remakes
The upcoming games for the 3DS are mainly just remakes and rehashes of previous titles like Pokemon Ultra Sun/Moon and Metroid: Samus Returns. Remaking games on the 3DS would help sate the desire fans have for classic titles while being generally less costly than doing it on the Switch. Nintendo has a wealth of games from the SNES and Gameboy era that could use the remake or remaster treatment and the 3DS would be the perfect platform for them to port it on.
Games like the Super Mario RPG, A Link to the Past, and even Star Fox 2 would help keep the 3DS library fresh while giving those without the “ Nintendo 3DS a reason to buy it.
Enhancing virtual console support
While the Nintendo 3DS may have a few Virtual Console games, it is apparent that it still lacks some noteworthy titles under its collection.
There’s no denying that Nintendo’s classic titles are part of its assets in the current industry and releasing more of these on their handheld would help give it a boost in the market. The handheld might not need the full Virtual Console treatment, but perhaps periodically releasing some of their popular games would help keep the handheld alive and kicking.
Cross-platform play and save data transfer
In line with the recent announcement of Monster Hunter for the Switch, the game will have the ability for crossplay with the Nintendo 3DS. Those without a Switch can still enjoy playing the game with their friends because of this nifty feature. Similarly, Nintendo could also implement cross-play and save data transfer to some of their future games that will be available on both the Switch and 3DS. That way, gamers can continue to play on the go with their Nintendo 3DS if they lack a Switch or they simply do not want to bring it outside.
