Yesterday, Nintendo announced the brand-new Nintendo Switch Lite — which is a budget, and smaller version of the original Nintendo Switch. Given that his new console is actually a handheld, as it cannot be connceted to the TV, many thought that this was the last nail in the Nintendo 3DS' coffin.
The Nintendo 3DS was introduced in 2011, and people actually thought that the Nintendo Switch was its replacement; considering how long the product has been on the market. In spite of what people thought, Nintendo kept saying that this wasn't the case, and that they would
continue to support the 3DS as long as there is demand — as revealed by the then Chief Operating Officer of Nintendo of America: Reggie Fils-Aimé.
With the Nintendo Switch Lite announcement, Doug Bowser — Nintendo of America's recently appointed Chief Operating Officer — has also confirmed that this is not the end of the Nintendo 3DS, stating that "
We’ll continue to support our 3DS family of systems as long as there is demand."
The thing that is most appealing about the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, is the fact that — thanks to it being backwards compatible with titles released for the Nintendo DS — it's video game library is quite extensive.
It is also worth mentioning that any console in the Nintendo 3DS family of systems is still cheaper than the upcoming Nintendo Switch Lite, so it is understandable why the company wants to keep it around. Again, as long as there is demand, they'll keep supporting it.