Nintendo is actively looking to launch the 3DS with a "balanced portfolio", according to Saints Row publisher THQ...

If there was thing some people continue to level against Nintendo DS, it is that the platform continues a 'Nintendo tradition' of opting for the younger gamer over the more 'mature' player. With the upcoming 3DS, it looks like that perception is something Nintendo is setting out to counter.

One of surprise announcements for the system at E3 was a new iteration in THQ's GTA-inflected Saints Row series. According to THQ's Danny Bilson, the move to put Saints Row: Drive-By on 3DS was one heartily endorsed by Nintendo as an effort to capitalise on the 'mature' market.

"Nintendo really wants to launch with a very balanced portfolio. They really don't want it to feel like a kiddie platform. They were very clear: they really wanted Saints Row on it. Now, we know how those go sometimes: sure, the first party wants it, but is it really going to work? The interesting thing about the game is we were already making it. We were already making it as our Xbox Live game and in 3D also. It's designed for 3D already. So the 3DS version is an incremental cost. It's not a big startup cost. Anything in a transmedia play has a column called marketing in it. It's also a marketing tool. So how does that game model for us? I believe it will do great, especially if Nintendo is going to go mature and really do a big mature campaign on it. It's a killer game. It's got all the weird humor of Saints Row, and also its existence is part of the marketing plan to sell Saints Row 3."

With Saints Row, Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil set to hit 3DS early in its life, it looks like Nintendo are hoping to mould a more 'mature' market than with recent platforms, as well as (more importantly) perhaps build strong foundations for third party success. Fingers crossed the big name support doesn't dry up within a couple of years.

Which franchises are you looking forward to going 3D with? Let us know below...