Iwata: 3DS has proved handheld market is alive

The rejuvenation of 3DS has proved wrong those who though the smartphone boom had destroyed the handheld market, Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata has said.

The Japanese exec has also claimed that the company will once again register a profit on each 3DS sold in the first half of its next financial year.

"Last summer, when the sales pace of the Nintendo 3DS was slow, there were extreme remarks saying, ‘With the penetration of smartphones, will there still be a market for handheld hardware?’ which was almost equal to ‘Handheld hardware is not necessary anymore’” he told investors.

"I believe we proved that such opinions are incorrect."

Iwata could not ignore the fact, however, that 3DS missed its sales expectations for its first year.

"Because the start of the year-end sales season was slower both in the US and in Europe in comparison to the last few years, and because we could not cover the lack of sales even after the sales gained momentum, the total sales did not reach our forecast," Iwata added.

"Considering that, in the end, the momentum at the end of the year was almost as we had expected, we have to look back on the fact that we could not boost sales a little earlier. "