Nintendo may not be done with dedicated handheld devices just yet

By Garrett Hulfish February 7, 2017

1111754 autosave v1 4 nintendo switch lifestyle 7 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ever since the Game Boy, Nintendo has kept its focus on both the handheld and home console market. Since the upcoming Nintendo Switch is an amalgamation of the two, what does this mean for a dedicated handheld platform?

In an interview with Time, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima answered questions about the Switch and his time with the company. In regards to its handheld market, a successor to the 3DS is not in the works, but that doesn’t mean the end of Nintendo’s handhelds.

“We are not creating a successor to the 3DS right now,” Kimishima said in response to whether he believes in the two-screen approach. “We are, however, still thinking of portable systems. We are thinking of ways that we will be able to continue bringing portable gaming systems out, so yes, we are thinking of different ways to continue the portable gaming business.”

This should come as good news to many Nintendo fans who worried that they would continue to focus only on hybrid consoles. In the past, the company has called the Switch a “home console,” but it exists in a gray area. On one hand, this is the most powerful handheld console ever created, but this comes at the loss of significant battery life. Depending on the game, the Switch can run in handheld mode for two and a half to six hours. This means that when you travel with Nintendo’s newest device, expect to carry an AC adapter along for the ride.

Additionally, Kimishima spoke openly about the console’s development cycle. “We want Switch to sell for a long time, of course, and we hope it has really long legs,” said Kimishima. “That said, technology, of course, advances quickly, and so I’m not going to say that we have a team working on the next thing. But we obviously have people looking at new technologies and thinking of new ideas even now as we speak.”

For more insight about Kimishima’s time at Nintendo, check out the full interview.

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