So, your 3DS has been gathering dust for a while now? You’re not alone on that one. Nevertheless, Nintendo are recommitting to keeping the mega-successful handheld going.

These days, as you’ve probably noticed, Nintendo are hardly going full-throttle with 3DS releases. The latest from Wario’s ever-unhinged franchise, WarioWare Gold, hit the system this summer, and the port of GameCube classic Luigi’s Mansion has just arrived, but otherwise, pickings are slimmer than a very slim thing indeed on the 3DS.

This is completely understandable, of course. Nintendo does have the small matter of the Switch to deal with (the system has been going from strength to strength, having just overtaken the GameCube’s lifetime sales). Besides, let’s not forget that --impossible as it may seem-- the 3DS was originally released way back in 2011.

Nevertheless, at this year’s E3, Nintendo personality Reggie Fils-Aimé did promise that support for the aging system was going to continue, into 2019 by the looks of it. Now, at a recent financial briefing, the company have again stated that 3DS isn’t done just yet.

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As ArsTechnica reports, the dual-screen handheld continues to enjoy surprisingly solid sales for a system of its age, particularly considered that just about everybody on the planet probably owns one by now. It has an excellent software library, too, so there are quality games to be had even if they aren’t hot-off-the-press releases.

For these reasons, the report goes on, the system is the perfect ‘entry-level’ Nintendo hardware. As Nintendo themselves put it, those who aren’t yet ready to take the plunge on a Switch, or just aren’t inclined to do so, can enjoy the 3DS because it occupies an entirely different niche to the home console/handheld hybrid:

“Nintendo 3DS has a prominent position as the product that can be served as the first contact between Nintendo and many of its consumers, and for this reason we will keep the business going.”

This is encouraging for the 3DS’s legions of fans, of course, but the company are playing their cards close to their chests as always. When it comes to how exactly the 3DS will continue to be supported, there’s no word just yet.

One thing’s for sure, though: Nintendo Switch has had a very port-heavy year, and 3DS is starting to see increasing numbers of these releases as well. Is that going to be the angle for the foreseeable future? We’ll have to stay tuned to find out.