Nintendo’s Tatsumi Kimishima recently sat down with Bloomberg to talk about his first year as company president after the untimely death of Satoru Iwata, as well as what the future may hold for the 3DS, Switch, and virtual reality.
When discussing the Switch, Kimishima said that it wasn’t designed as a successor to the Wii U or the 3DS, instead referring to the hybrid console as a “new experience.” He also promised that the 3DS will continue “in its own form” because of growing sales:
Bloomberg: Will you discontinue the 3DS?
Kimishima: Thanks to our software, the 3DS hardware is still growing. So that business still has momentum. And certainly rather than being cannibalized by the Switch, we think the 3DS can continue in its own form.
Nintendo made similar comments back when the DS first launched (calling it a “third pillar”) and said it shouldn’t be looked at as a replacement for the Game Boy line. However, that’s exactly what happened, so Kimishima is possibly being diplomatic about the future of the 3DS.
The President was also rather diplomatic about Nintendo’s attitudes towards virtual reality, refusing to confirm that they have a Switch-compatible headset in the works, while also admitting that he can’t say it could never happen:
Bloomberg: Will Switch have VR capabilities? Are you developing VR that will connect to Switch?
Kimishima: If you asked as if this might be possible in the future, certainly we can’t say no. In terms of how it can be used for gaming, it’s something we must consider. It depends on the system specifications.
The Nintendo Switch will be released in March 2017, and Nintendo will fully unveil the console during a special presentation on January 12.
