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Discussion How will Nintendo maintain the DS/3DS legacy?

How will Nintendo maintain the DS/3DS legacy?

  • They won’t

    Votes: 22 46.8%

  • Single-screen ports/remasters

    Votes: 15 31.9%

  • Single-screen emulation

    Votes: 9 19.1%

  • Dual-screen (Switch + TV) emulation

    Votes: 1 2.1%

  • An actual successor

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    47
julian

julian

Bob-omb
Founder
For over a decade, the DS and 3DS were the dominant handhelds on the market. Together they have hundreds of exclusives with an input mechanism and screen design that makes simple ports a little more challenging when compared to Nintendo’s other platforms.

So I ask, how if at all will Nintendo honor that legacy?

Will they ignore it?
Will they port over the heavy hitters while removing the dual screen nature?
Will they evolve the Wii U’s single screen emulator to work on Switch? Keep in mind that will make TV play very awkward.
Will they add a Wii U like feature to a revised Switch so it can send video to the TV and allow for dual screen gameplay? Or be the most expensive DS emulator by requiring two switches to work?
Or will they actually create a backward compatible, clamshell, dual screen successor? Seems the least likely but I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t want it - especially if they add DS games to the eShop. It’s insane they never did that.
 
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this is why i collect ds games right now. i don't think that something in the near term is coming to do this. it seems like the most interesting type of system to have a collection for where original hardware will always be king.
 
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They'll probably do some dedicated remakes of some specific high profile games like they're already doing with Pokemon DP. Other than that I don't see them doing much (at least for now).

Thinking about it more though, what else would Nintendo even want to port? As amazing as the DS's library is, Nintendo's own offerings were actually pretty weak. People aren't really clamoring for re-releases of Metroid Prime: Hunters or the original New Super Mario Bros. I think it's going to largely be up to third parties to figure out how to rework their DS games for modern releases, similar to what we saw with the Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection and The World Ends With You remaster.
 
0
An evolved form of the Wii U emulator but NERD is the way to go. It would only really work well for handheld but that’s the great thing about a hybrid.

With the Switch you have the screen real estate to have dual screens of the normal 3DS/DS. And I would add options. For example, some games used the inventory screen as a map or item management or even a menu. Map a button so that when you press it, it will remove the side by side and it switches out between the bottom and top screen as need be. Would not work for all games as some you definitely need side by side, but for many? It will work. It will be just like other games where I have to press start to go into my inventory.
 
0
For the most part they won't.

They will likely remaster a select few games for single screen play, but the vast majority of the library will remain on the DS and 3DS, unless they make another dual screen system.

I hope at some point a company like Analogue creates a "premium" DS.
 
I had a dream once where they announced a device that hooks up to the Switch that let me play my 3DS games lol

3DS is my favorite Nintendo console, no hyperbole. Great software lineup, street pass, mii verse, themes, and for games that used it well, the 3D was awesome on the New 3DS.
 
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I think we'll continue to see a mixed approach. It wouldn't surprise me if we see DS turn up as an emulated option in the next few years, given the work done with the device on Wii U.

3DS is trickier, but it wouldn't surprise me if some games get ported as we've seen with Miitopia. I'm reflecting my own tastes here, but things like Samus Returns, Ever Oasis, and especially Kid Icarus Uprising could really get a second lease of life on Switch.
 
MisterSpo said:
I think we'll continue to see a mixed approach. It wouldn't surprise me if we see DS turn up as an emulated option in the next few years, given the work done with the device on Wii U.

3DS is trickier, but it wouldn't surprise me if some games get ported as we've seen with Miitopia. I'm reflecting my own tastes here, but things like Samus Returns, Ever Oasis, and especially Kid Icarus Uprising could really get a second lease of life on Switch.
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Those three games should be ported and remastered. Ever Oasis is a real hidden gem. Samus Returns was excellent considering the source material holding it back, and would love to play Kid Icarus with stick and gyro.
 
I believe that for the immediate future we may see remasters/remakes of specific titles (hoping for Ever Oasis or Link Between Worlds) but I do not see nintendo trying again the emulated approach until much much later.
 
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- No they won’t ignore it
- Yes I think any notable heavy hitters will be ported or remade with alterations
-yes they will likely bring over that emulator at some point imo
- i think some sort of casting option will come to a next (next) generation switch when that tech is less expensive and more consistent but it will not primarily be for dual screen play options
- absolutely cannot see them making another dual screened device again , never say never of course , but the screen is one of the more expensive parts of a handheld and i just don’t see them doing a device with two relatively modern screens . nor can i see it return as the main form factor regardless . i could see them try out some sort of foldable device but if so much closer to the end of the decade or early next than any time soon.
 
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If you rotate the Switch (tate mode) you could play most double screen games that way. Touch will not be as good (cos resistive > capactive) but it'll do. As for playing on the TV I guess you could flip between displays and be limited to mostly non-touch games.

The big problem is the lack of a mic. For games that just use it to blow you could just dedicate one of the Switch's extra buttons towards it (most DS/3DS games that use the mic don't use ZL or ZR), but games that require speach will be hard.
 
3DS games in general are focused on the 3D screen and are easier to translate to a single screen. Plus them being more modern helps with remastering. Now that they're pretty much done with the Wii U, they are already starting to use the Wii, 3DS and GC libraries to fill in the release gaps with remasters.

DS in general are way more reliant on touchscreen and dual screen, so I expect these to be emulated instead.

But since 3DS remasters and DS remakes are already a reality, while DS emulation is years away at best, I vote for remasters.
 
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BGBW said:
If you rotate the Switch (tate mode) you could play most double screen games that way. Touch will not be as good (cos resistive > capactive) but it'll do. As for playing on the TV I guess you could flip between displays and be limited to mostly non-touch games.

The big problem is the lack of a mic. For games that just use it to blow you could just dedicate one of the Switch's extra buttons towards it (most DS/3DS games that use the mic don't use ZL or ZR), but games that require speach will be hard.
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does brain age on switch not use any speech? never thought about that but i guess it can't use it ...
 
0
Unless Nintendo gets creative with future hardware, I think that some games will be trapped (lack of a better word) on the system for the foreseable future. Games that can be ported without completely remaking the game like 3D Land, A Link Between Worlds, and Kid Icarus will probably get ports down the road.
 
0
I’ve thought about this a lot. I think it’s going to be a case-by-case thing. I think 3DS games, on the whole, are going to get upgraded ports (Miitopia) or outright successors (Luigi’s Manison 3, Animal Crossing New Horizons) (whether New Horizons is an appropriate successor to New Leaf is a conversation for another day)

I think Original DS is a different beast, though. I think there probably will be an emulation solution there, but obviously it’s gonna be weird. I think what they’ll do is a game-by-game screen layout. For example, a game primarily played on the top screen, with the bottom screen just acting as a map, that’ll have the main screen taking up most of the space and the map screen in the bottom corner. For games where the gameplay is equally split across both screens, both screens will just be stacked one on top of the other, with an option for the screen to be turned 90 degrees for people with Flip Grips or people who just want to lean their console against a wall or stack of books or something.

I think the thing that would make DS emulation go from shoehorned to intuitive would be game-specific triggers to switch screen layouts. As an example, let’s look at a game that would never come to any sort of DS Emulation package: Elite Beat Agents. That game’s gameplay segments are divided into two phases: parts where you’re actually tapping the screen to the music, and parts where you’re watching a cutscene on the top screen. In an ideal DS Emulation scenario, there are triggers at each phase change to switch screen layouts to more prominently feature the screen that matters most at that very moment.
 
0
Looking at the few DS titles that are available on Switch (eg. Miitopia, or third-party ports like The Alliance Alive), it seems single-screen ports/remasters is the most popular option. Although, I get the feeling a lot of those games are going to be stuck on their platform of origin for the foreseeable future.
 
0
Some less touch based games will be remastered for a single screen,most will never leave the system. Their value will increase massively.
 
0
I expect the DS to eventually come out for Nintendo Online with select remakes sprinkled here and there.

3DS software, on the other hand, I think makes more sense to release uprezzed and full price to space out game releases late in the Switch’s life, and I expect that to take place more often once the Wii U porting well has dried up. We’ve already seen it with Miitopia. Perhaps if Metroid Dread outperforms expectations, Samus Returns could be ported to Switch. How Nintendo handled EOL for the 3DS with its multitude of ports is telling.
 
0
It’s interesting to imagine a timeline where the Wii U didn’t bomb. It’s obvious they were trying very hard to merge their existing console and handheld lines into one ecosystem, slowly bringing feature parity between the two and adding DS games to the Wii U. I have trouble imagining they have completely abandoned this concept. It doesn’t fit with their MO. I just don’t know when or how they will return to it.

…I still don’t get why they never put DS games on the 3DS eShop.
 
DS I think will probably be the final NSO platform. With proper screen options, a vertical grip, and a solution to the camera and mic problem, Switch should be able to do just fine emulating DS games on a single screen.

3DS is similar from an input/output perspective (though some stereoscopic 3D option would be ideal), but how Nintendo chooses to sell them is a lot more murky. Ideally I'd prefer if they basically incorporated the 3DS eShop (including DSiWare) into the Switch one, but there's not really any precedent from Nintendo.
 
0
I feel like they will remake/remaster what games they can.
 
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julian said:
It’s interesting to imagine a timeline where the Wii U didn’t bomb. It’s obvious they were trying very hard to merge their existing console and handheld lines into one ecosystem, slowly bringing feature parity between the two and adding DS games to the Wii U. I have trouble imagining they have completely abandoned this concept. It doesn’t fit with their MO. I just don’t know when or how they will return to it.

…I still don’t get why they never put DS games on the 3DS eShop.
Click to expand...
The only method that Nintendo had at the time would have been to release games as native DSiWare, but DSiWare has a 16MB limit for games. That's really small. As an example, the First Hunt demo for Metroid Prime Hunters was 16MB. The full release was 64MB, four times that number. That limit restricts all but either the earliest games, or the simplest ones, which is why Nintendo didn't go that route.
 
Robert said:
The only method that Nintendo had at the time would have been to release games as native DSiWare, but DSiWare has a 16MB limit for games. That's really small. As an example, the First Hunt demo for Metroid Prime Hunters was 16MB. The full release was 64MB, four times that number. That limit restricts all but either the earliest games, or the simplest ones, which is why Nintendo didn't go that route.
Click to expand...
I’m not sure I follow. You could buy DSiWare games off the eShop, which suggests they had a way to download what is essentially DS software onto your 3DS. It then behaves the same way DS cartridges work where it goes into a DS mode. This is also how they handled Wii titles on the Wii U. The Wii didn’t let you download full games but that didn’t stop them from releasing Wii retail games on the Wii U eShop.
 
julian said:
I’m not sure I follow. You could buy DSiWare games off the eShop, which suggests they had a way to download what is essentially DS software onto your 3DS. It then behaves the same way DS cartridges work where it goes into a DS mode. This is also how they handled Wii titles on the Wii U. The Wii didn’t let you download full games but that didn’t stop them from releasing Wii retail games on the Wii U eShop.
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It was literally impossible to fit larger cartridges (which the vast majority of Nintendo's output would fall in) into the DSiWare package. Keep in mind that in order to run DSiWare, the game had to be installed to the system memory, which was only 256MB. Even if they could raise the file size limit, that space would get filled up very quickly with just a small amount of games. If you installed say, Pokémon SoulSilver and Mystery Dungeon Sky, you'd fill up the internal storage with just two games, as those are both 128MB. If you want to play something else, you had to go into the settings app and manually copy the games around, which is a pain. With the system being fully backwards compatible with original DS cartridges, which were still easy to get during the 3DS's lifespan barring the main series Pokémon games, Nintendo didn't think it was worth it to create a whole new system just to sell old games. Nintendo did it on the Wii U because it was easier (mounting the ISO and running it) and it needed some way of increasing the value of the system.
 
Robert said:
It was literally impossible to fit larger cartridges (which the vast majority of Nintendo's output would fall in) into the DSiWare package. Keep in mind that in order to run DSiWare, the game had to be installed to the system memory, which was only 256MB. Even if they could raise the file size limit, that space would get filled up very quickly with just a small amount of games. If you installed say, Pokémon SoulSilver and Mystery Dungeon Sky, you'd fill up the internal storage with just two games, as those are both 128MB. If you want to play something else, you had to go into the settings app and manually copy the games around, which is a pain. With the system being fully backwards compatible with original DS cartridges, which were still easy to get during the 3DS's lifespan barring the main series Pokémon games, Nintendo didn't think it was worth it to create a whole new system just to sell old games. Nintendo did it on the Wii U because it was easier (mounting the ISO and running it) and it needed some way of increasing the value of the system.
Click to expand...
Why would a DS rom behave like a DSiWare title? It should just behave like putting in a DS cart.
 
I thought the wii library would be a goner because of the wiimote but they infused some of the dna in the joycons, even if Galaxy in handheld mode is clunky. The dual screen aspect is weird, a lot of the games could be reworked but straight ports won't happen.
 
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julian said:
Why would a DS rom behave like a DSiWare title? It should just behave like putting in a DS cart.
Click to expand...
Like I said, that was Nintendo's only way of distributing DS titles they had at the time. DS games on 3DS run in a native DSi environment (your system has to reboot in order to enter and exit this mode), meaning that they don't have access to anything that wasn't present on an original DSi (cartridge or DSiWare on system storage). If Nintendo thought there was a way, they probably would have done so, like with the Wii U. They probably didn't think it was worth it to create a special loader for this mode when the system is already fully BC and DS games being quite plentiful. It doesn't make that much sense, but that's Nintendo for you.
 
famicorpse said:
This is what I was hoping it was initially to be honest. My 3DS XL was the perfect handheld.
Click to expand...
they'll play around with those flipscreens one day, they love clamshells too much and it's too fun of an idea not to use it. but not anytime soon.
 
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Robert said:
Like I said, that was Nintendo's only way of distributing DS titles they had at the time. DS games on 3DS run in a native DSi environment (your system has to reboot in order to enter and exit this mode), meaning that they don't have access to anything that wasn't present on an original DSi (cartridge or DSiWare on system storage). If Nintendo thought there was a way, they probably would have done so, like with the Wii U. They probably didn't think it was worth it to create a special loader for this mode when the system is already fully BC and DS games being quite plentiful. It doesn't make that much sense, but that's Nintendo for you. I feel like you keep repeating the limitations of the DSiWare which I already knew about and has nothing to do with what I’m talking about.
Click to expand...

The basic question is whether they could make the DS mode read a rom file as if it came from the cartridge slot - which they did with the GBA ambassador games and the Wii VC games on Wii U. So it’s possible they couldn’t figure it out, but it seems unlikely and it definitely has nothing to do with the DSiWare limitation.
 
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