14 DAY TRIAL // Despite the fact that the new Nintendo 3DS handheld is set to be available all over the world before the end of March 2011 Nintendo as a company still has long term plans for the DS family, aiming to make sure that customers have options when they look for a platform that allows gaming on the go.
Satoru Iwata told Nintendo investors that, “We have no plans to immediately cease any activities for Nintendo DS”, adding, “We have experienced several transitions from one platform to a new generation in the past, but the speed at which such transitions were made greatly varied in different markets.”
The executive says that the main reason is the American market, which is every increasing in importance for Nintendo.
Iwata says, “The U.S. is a big market with such dual natures. Given the difference in the speeds at which each market shifts to a new platform, how Nintendo should spend what amount of energy in order to launch and market many new Nintendo DS software titles must be slightly different from market to market.”
The Nintendo DS family, which currently has three big models, including the big screen LL and the camera enabled DSi, managed to move more than 130 million units to gamers all over the world and publishers, despite a drop in sales, are still interested in creating more content for the device.
2011 will see significant resources devoted to the 3DS launch, with the emphasis on delivering video games which make full use of the three dimensional power of the new handheld, but the DS will be kept relevant, with Nintendo even preparing to enhance the anti piracy measures.
At the moment publishers like Activision Blizzard, THQ, Take Two, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts and Konami have announced video games for the Nintendo 3DS and as the launch date approaches more titles are set to be revealed.