In what many might not consider the most startling revelation, research firm Influence Central has uncovered strong evidence that the rise of smartphones and tablets as gaming devices has been largely to blame for the faltering commercial performance of the Nintendo 3DS.
Data sourced from an online-conducted survey in January and February and based on 500 women states that, today, the average age for a child to get their first smartphone is 10.3. This early introduction has led to the 3DS’s current fourth place ranking for the most popular choice of car trip entertainment; tablets, phones and DVDs are ahead. Only 24% of children take Nintendo handhelds on their travels.
Smartphones and tablets have greatly disrupted mobile gaming, and this can be easily attributed to the huge array of free-to-download games that they offer. There is also the convenience of buying just one device that can also be used for several other purposes, such as movie and music consumption and productivity tasks, rather than purchasing a dedicated machine just for mobile gaming.
Historically, Nintendo has been a titan in the handheld gaming market, having sold almost 120 million units of the Game Boy, 81 million of its successor the Game Boy Advance, and 154 million of the Nintendo DS. However, the 3DS has sold only 58 million units since its release in 2011.
