Question: Will there be a Nintendo 3DS Lite?
Answer: At this time, Nintendo says it has no plans to release a "Nintendo 3DS Lite" or any other model of the Nintendo 3DS.
Nintendo is known for frequently remodeling its line of handheld systems, which is why people are skeptical that the Nintendo 3DS will remain the only iteration of the system for years to come. The Nintendo DS Lite followed the original style Nintendo DS within a year, and it boasted better battery life, a sharper screen, and a slimmer body. After that came the Nintendo DSi, and then the Nintendo DSi XL. And before the Nintendo DS even existed, Nintendo quickly followed up its original Game Boy Advance with a much smaller version of the system that had a rechargeable battery and a backlit screen. It's no wonder potential buyers feel a bit wary of shelling out for the first model of the 3DS.
However, Kenichi Sugino, the design manager of Nintendo’s Research & Engineering group, stated in a January 2011 interview with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata that the design for the 3DS employs everything Nintendo learned from making the DS Lite:
Nintendo is known for frequently remodeling its line of handheld systems, which is why people are skeptical that the Nintendo 3DS will remain the only iteration of the system for years to come. The Nintendo DS Lite followed the original style Nintendo DS within a year, and it boasted better battery life, a sharper screen, and a slimmer body. After that came the Nintendo DSi, and then the Nintendo DSi XL. And before the Nintendo DS even existed, Nintendo quickly followed up its original Game Boy Advance with a much smaller version of the system that had a rechargeable battery and a backlit screen. It's no wonder potential buyers feel a bit wary of shelling out for the first model of the 3DS.
However, Kenichi Sugino, the design manager of Nintendo’s Research & Engineering group, stated in a January 2011 interview with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata that the design for the 3DS employs everything Nintendo learned from making the DS Lite:
Sugino:When you changed your approach and got rid of all gaps, Nintendo DS Lite was born. I think that experience can be seen in Nintendo 3DS.
Iwata: The first thing (Nobuo) Nagai-san, who’s in charge at the Uji plant, said to me when he looked over the designs for Nintendo 3DS before mass production began was "This time it’s fully packed right from the start."
Sugino:Oh, really? (laughs) But he was right. That’s why we don’t have any short-term plans for creating a more compact version of Nintendo 3DS like we did with Nintendo DS Lite. (laughs)
Iwata:Yeah. (laughs) When making Nintendo 3DS, we used all our tricks for Nintendo DS Lite—and more—for cutting down on size right from the start.
