>>32411352Meh, the DS came out in 2004 and was still getting good releases quite late into its life. Okami Den (2011) and B2W2 (2012) were some of the best games on the system. I would argue that if gamespy hadn't prematurely killed nintendo wifi in 2014 it would have possibly had some more life in it even today, but that's just my speculation.
Then there's the original gameboy line, which depending on whether or not you include GBC lasted more than 12 years. Pokémon Crystal (2001) and Shantae (2002) came out on hardware that went essentially unchanged since the late 80s.
The fact that Switch is not a true handheld (2 hours of battery life is just pathetic) will undoubtedly extend the 3DS' lifespan beyond the natural console span of 6 years. We still have some more high profile releases down the pipeline for late this year, and I wouldn't be surprised at another Pokémon game into 2018-2019 as the Switch launch hype slows down a bit.
Is it a good thing we're probably getting another 3DS Pokémon game? Yes and no. The 3DS is aging like milk, and 240p just doesn't cut it anymore. SM couldn't fix the framerate issues of gen 6, and I'd argue it would be even worse than gen 6 if SM had a 3D mode. I've also never been a fan of the touch controls, which are still not always optional even after giving them 12 years for the novelty to fade. Eg. certain menu functions in SM like Festival Plaza or Poképelago require you to pull out the stylus, breaking the pace of gameplay.
But I'm not making the jump to Switch until they release a more compact version with handheld gamers in mind. I'd be happy with a locked-in 540p or 720p device if it's smaller, has longer battery life and preferably is in a clamshell shape.
