The Switch is most likely the replacement for the 3DS. When the DS was announced and came out, Nintendo said that it was a "third pillar" for their gaming consoles and would not replace the Gameboy line. It of course did when it sold like crazy. The Switch is doing massive sales numbers right now (outpacing the Wii and that was the last gen they "won"). The reason they didn't want to fully commit to it as a 3DS successor is that they want people to keep buying 3DS systems and games while they finish off the last year or so of its life and the Switch builds up its library. By just having one dual console, it adds to the appeal of the system and it means they can focus development time on just one platform (which is why I'm expecting the Switch library to be insanely good in a few years time). I've had a 3DS for around 4 years and I love it, but if you're strapped for money and can wait for the big time games over the next year, I honestly don't know if the 3DS is worth a buy. If you can afford it though, it is a great system with a ton of great games, many of which you can get used for 20-30 bucks at this point. But there are likely no more major first party releases going forward. If I had like 500 bucks to spend and no gaming system, I'd probably buy the Switch and a few games over the 3DS at this point.