While we've previously expressed a cautious optimism about the 3DS' prospects of winning a market share that's quite as vast and varied as the original DS, and the current signs certainly seem to hint at Nintendo realising that 3D won't necessarily help them win over the same sort of consumer who purchased a DS, it seems that other heavy hitters amongst the Japanese industry share similar concerns.
In an interview with Japanese media outlet Nikkei, Kenji Matsubara, the CEO of Tecmo, who are arguably most famous for the Dead or Alive series of beat 'em ups, became the first Japanese games representative outside of Nintendo to pass comment on the new, Avatar-style 3D handheld.
When asked what audience he thought the 3DS was targeting, Matsubara replied:
"3D games don't have a sales record yet, so I don't know. However, I suspect it will be more accepted by core gamers rather than casual players. When you bring something new to the market, the core player group first finds it interesting, and then it expands from there. I believe current DS core gamers who like new things and core gamers who don't have a DS will be the first to jump in. After that, it will be up to the content."
As he rightfully points out, the success of the 3DS will be entirely up to the strength of its software. While its doubtful that the handheld will go on to be a flop, if the games don't have the same sort of universal appeal as a Brain Training, a Professor Layton, or a Pokemon, the handheld may find its reception a lot more muted than many are expecting - at least until it finds a game that'll entice the more "casual" players to make the leap.
