Switch's portability was a day one concept but the 3DS is safe, says Nintendo

One big feature of the Nintendo Switch is its ability to go from being a home-bound console to a portable one. Heck, that's why it's called the Switch - it switches! But longtime Nintendo executive and producer on the Legend of Zelda series Eiji Aonuma recently told Edge magazine that while the idea of a hybrid console was there from day one, there was another motivation behind the Switch's design: sharing.

"A handheld system is quite a personal thing," Aonuma said. "Handhelds naturally lend themselves to single-player. We wanted Switch to be about sharing: you can take not just the single-player experience out of the living room, but the multiplayer experience as well. That’s really important for us, and something we’ve wanted to achieve [for a long time]."

In fact, when asked what Aonuma thinks is the most important feature of the system, he pointed to the kickstand and tabletop mode, explaining that it lets you set up a local multiplayer experience wherever you are.

And those of you worried about the future of your 3DS, don't fret just yet. "The concept of the Switch is that you have a home console that you can take with you on the go, and in that respect it is both home console and handheld, but it doesn’t mean for us that the concept of a dedicated handheld will just disappear," Aonuma said. "Nintendo 3DS still has plenty of titles in development."

Read more about the Nintendo Switch and all its games in the latest issue of Edge magazine, on sale now. Buy future issues here.

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