When Nintendo reported two straight quarterly losses in early 2011, followed by a less-than-stellar initial release of its new 3DS handheld console, it didn’t take long for the naysayers to begin spelling the company’s doom.

This is a familiar dance. It started in the ’90s, when Nintendo’s veneer of dominance started cracking in the face of competition with the Sega Genesis. Or maybe it was the decision to abandon the CD format for the Nintendo 64 when Sega and Sony made the leap. Or perhaps it was because, even with the GameCube, no Nintendo console had sold better than its predecessor — that is, until the release of the Wii.

However, despite calls that Nintendo abandon its hardware ambitions — even with the new wrinkle of the ever-rising iOS platform — there are plenty of reasons why Nintendo would never, could never, and should never stop making TV or handheld consoles.

Here are the top five:

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Super Mario is the long forgotten entry in the Super Mario franchise, yet at the same time, it’s one of the most enjoyable. This Game Boy launch title was the first portable Mario game since the Game & Watch era, and it was developed by Gunpei Yokoi (rather than creator Shigeru Miyamoto), who was basically the brains behind Nintendo’s entire direction ever since they decided to make video games. While it contained the same platforming action from the NES, although it added in a few twists of its own. As the mustachoed plumber, you’re out to save Princess Daisy (not Peach/Toadstool), and the rest of Sarasland (not the Mushroom Kingdon) from the evil Tatanga (not Bowser). Like in SMB, you collect mushrooms to grow bigger, and flowers to shoot fire. However, in some levels, you pilot a vehicle. Also, the levels have more variation in thier backgrounds. One level features an Egyptian motif. While the world itself may have forgotten about SML, it’s sequel is best known for introducing Wario to the franchise. SML is slated to be one of the first games to be released on the 3Ds download service, so I advise you to check it out.