Nintendo 3DS - General Discussion Thread

"The May firmware update, as reported previously, will also come with an online browser that you’ll be able to open and use even while playing a game."

Wow. Way to go, Ninty.
Click to expand...

That'll be great for looking up FAQs in RPGs when you get stuck.
 
[quote name='007']I again go to the point I made earlier in the thread, which is that the worst thing they could do was name this thing ANYTHING with 'DS' in it. The mass consumer has limited to zero knowledge of the fact that this is an entirely brand-new handheld. After the glut of 'new' DS models, people have been trained to assume anything new with 'DS' in the title is the same basic thing. Anecdotal evidence, but every person I talked to after I bought the 3DS asked almost the exact same question, which was "So, outside of the 3D, is there anything else different?". Zero idea that it wasn't just a DS that happened to have 3D now. This, frankly, is the first huge thing that Nintendo needs to address, especially with the OMGSOSHINY Sony handheld coming this fall.

On top of that, they're selling a (for lack of a better word) gimmick that you can only really experience by physically using a machine.

So, basically, you've got a $250 pricetag, a userbase that's been trained to assume that new models are nothing more than what they already have, a 'gimmick' selling point that can't be replicated by anything short of just playing the handheld, and a lack of anything with Mario or Zelda in the title. It's really not all that shocking that sales are below expectations.

Now, I'm saying that as someone who picked it up day-one, currently has four games for it, and sincerely loves the thing. Loves it. I'm sad that it hasn't really taken off. I can, though, understand why it hasn't... I just hope Nintendo does, as well.[/QUOTE]

You covered a lot of good points, but I have a slightly different interpretation of your points.

First, this IS another model of DS; just with the added 3D gimmick, a higher resolution top screen, an analog nub (why didn't they add two nubs?!?!), and a few other minor upgrades. Its not a revolutionary change, its an evolutionary change (i.e. another DS model); and one that is not worth the $250 price tag.

Second, if a DSi retails for $150, and the 3DS costs $15 more in materials than a DSi to manufacture, then the 3DS isn't worth $100 more, no matter what people say about marketing, research, advertising, etc. This device just isn't worth $250 no matter how you cut it.

Third, the weak launch titles certainly don't make this a must-have console. There is literally nothing in the launch that looks groundbreaking or is a "must-have" title.

Fourth, the 3D effect is annoying; I tried the 3DS several times, and each time I found the effect to be tiring on the eyes. Worse, it requires you to have the handheld at a certain angle and distance to get the best effect; if you change those factors, it messes with the 3D even causing blurriness/double image. Since this is a handheld, you KNOW you're going to move it around while playing, which makes this whole problem worse.

Overall this is a very disappointing "new" handheld from Nintendo that just looks like an attempt to "cash-in" on yet another gimmick (3D). I don't think they'll have the same success that they did with the Wii, since having the 3D "feature" is really no big deal, and can in fact be annoying in longer gameplay sessions. I'm not surprised that sales are not up to par, and I think it doesn't bode well for the future of this new handheld.
 
Agree or not whether this system will sell, it will be a landmark product and a game-changer. You'll see this technology pop up in computers, tablets, and TV in the next 5 years.
 
I have a feeling they priced it high on purpose just because they can and they know early adopters will grab it for whatever price they release it at. Like every other system its gonna drop in price eventually. I would like to see the DSi drop to $100 and the 3DS drop to $199 with the DS Lite phased out (its already phased out at Gamestop except for used systems). They can also use the upcoming price drops as marketing gimmicks like oh get the 3DS that is now $199 when in reality the system was never worth its initial price in the first place so all in all it makes sense from a business standpoint to start off with a higher price. If they priced it too close to the DSi at $150 then people wouldn't buy the DSi and they would risk losing sales on that console.

I don't really think its "just another DS" because it has a whole new line of software for it that the older model systems cannot play. Its also more powerful than the DSi, which wasn't much more powerful than the DS Lite.

When I purchased my first DS there were nearly no games for it, but by the time the games started coming out, the DS Lite was already out and you could have easily waited and purchased the DS Lite and started buying games then and you wouldn't have missed anything but higher prices and more inferior hardware.
 
I just read an article, where Nintendo said there's new titles coming out soon that are basically going to move units... But they're both N64 remakes. Yes, hundreds of thousands more people are going to pay $300 to play two remakes.

Edit: lol, they're trying to entice people to buy the system by giving them Excitebike 3D... Yet another remake.

When is the first specifically made for 3DS non-remake coming out?
 
[quote name='elessar123']I just read an article, where Nintendo said there's new titles coming out soon that are basically going to move units... But they're both N64 remakes. Yes, hundreds of thousands more people are going to pay $300 to play two remakes.[/QUOTE]

Well... hundreds of thousands, maybe given that its Zelda... But not millions no.

Perhaps I'm being pedantic though...
 
[quote name='foltzie']Well... hundreds of thousands, maybe given that its Zelda... But not millions no.

Perhaps I'm being pedantic though...[/QUOTE]

The problem is, I think most of the people who already bought the 3DS knew about Zelda coming out, so it helped them justify the 3DS purchase. I can't really picture that there are tons more people who are waiting for it to be releasedbefore buying a 3DS. I could be wrong though. Personally, I think Kid Icarus might be the first big potential to move units.

Edit: Looking at the list on Wiki, the other two potentials are Kingdom Hearts 3D and the Layton games.
 
I'm not buying a 3DS yet because

-I honestly feel it's $100 over-priced for what you're getting

-The 3D sweet spot is embarrassingly tiny.

-Even if the 3D was done well, I don't care for 3D in general, and since it's obviously factoring into the price that's just another big turn off.

-The screens went back to the small 3" from the DS Lite, why? Yes, the top screen is wider, but it's still the same small vertical space. Why not have 3.5" bottom screen and a 4" top screen? I currently have a DS Lite, and wanted to upgrade to a system with a larger screen, but this ain't it.

-The battery life is terrible, and I don't think I should have to shell out a single additional cent for a third party battery/power pack when the 3DS costs $250.

-Literally no games I want now, or with official release dates. Yes, I wouldn't mind having the OoT enhanced port, but I'm not going to pay $300 to play it. I already have OoT on my Gamecube collectors disc.

-Lack of second analog stick. The touch screen is not a proper replacement for a second analog stick. A gyroscope is not a replacement for a second analog stick. Combine that with the fact that moving the system completely ruins the 3D effect, and you have a mess of features that don't work well together.

Now, I obviously don't speak for everyone, but I know both myself and my girlfriend were excited for the next-gen Nintendo handheld months before it release, but we both were so disappointed by what it actually turned out to be. We both expected to buy one at launch, but neither of us did for the reasons above. We're perfectly happy with our DS Lites, and my girlfriend still enjoys her PSP. This system doesn't seem to do anything better than either of those devices to us at the moment.

What would get me to purchase a 3DS? A complete redesign. I thought about just waiting for a price drop in a year or two, but having borrowed a friends for a week and played with demo units multiple times trying to get myself to like it, watching videos, reading peoples realistic impressions after the launch hype died down, and the poor battery life, I need a completely improved take on the hardware before I'll be interested in buying it.

I want improved battery life, larger screens with improved 3D viewing angles, second analog stick(Nintendo could make developers map controls to the touch screen for people with an original 3DS), sub $200 price point, improved cameras with better sensor higher resolution and non-garbage lenses, and a library of deep games that are worth the $40 they are asking unlike shallow Pilotwings & Steel Diver.
 
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Got Bust-a-Move Universe from Goozex today. Enjoying it okay. I didn't expect much from it. I've not really played these sort of games in the past, so it seems fine to me. The 3D is okay, but definitely not necessary or stellar.
 
[quote name='chimpmeister']
Second, if a DSi retails for $150, and the 3DS costs $15 more in materials than a DSi to manufacture, then the 3DS isn't worth $100 more, no matter what people say about marketing, research, advertising, etc. This device just isn't worth $250 no matter how you cut it.

[/QUOTE]

This makes no sense.. so if a new medicine comes out that took $1,000,000,000 to research and costs just pennies more to manufacture, but has less side effects, its not worth more money at retail?

How do you expect any changes to come if there is no reward or at minimum recovery of investment?
 
[quote name='utopianmachine']Got Bust-a-Move Universe from Goozex today. Enjoying it okay. I didn't expect much from it. I've not really played these sort of games in the past, so it seems fine to me. The 3D is okay, but definitely not necessary or stellar.[/QUOTE]

NOt a bad game at all, and really nothing new to offer if you've played them before, but it's a good intro to the system.

I wish it had online play, though. Samurai Warriors has it, why not?
 
[quote name='Snake2715']This makes no sense.. so if a new medicine comes out that took $1,000,000,000 to research and costs just pennies more to manufacture, but has less side effects, its not worth more money at retail?

How do you expect any changes to come if there is no reward or at minimum recovery of investment?[/QUOTE]

So if a pen costed a billion dollars to research, it's ok to sell it for $1000 a pen? So what if it writes underwater.

I seriously doubt the 3DS's development costs was over $10 mil, because most of that technology was already there. Most of their work was to integrate it.
 
[quote name='Snake2715']This makes no sense.. so if a new medicine comes out that took $1,000,000,000 to research and costs just pennies more to manufacture, but has less side effects, its not worth more money at retail?

How do you expect any changes to come if there is no reward or at minimum recovery of investment?[/QUOTE]

Sorry, there's no way the "development costs" of the 3DS are anything remotely substantial. Its basically just a DS with some minor upgrades, mainly the added upper "3D enabled" screen and a single analog nub (welcome to 2005 Nintendo!).

$150 markup per console is greed, pure and simple . . . Nintendo is all about the money, not the games. Look at the Wii, super-elcheapo hardware that Nintendo still sells at a huge profit even with recent price reductions; in April 2009 it was estimated to cost $88 per console to manufacture, and that was TWO YEARS AGO. It has certainly fallen since that time, and they are just NOW getting ready to drop the Wii console price to $150, what a ripoff.
 
Yeah, because why would Nintendo be in the videogame business for profit? Ridiculous!

Gah, sorry, I just really hate that mindset. It doesn't matter what the thing costs to produce, these companies aren't in it to be your friend and give you great deals. Even the companies that do charge less than the console costs to make only do it because they the real money is in the games, and the console is simply the gateway. Oh, and the Wii not having a price-drop until now? Why would you have dropped the price 2 years ago when people were still gladly paying $250? Your logic here just baffles me.

Oh, and 3DS isn't 'basically just a DS with some upgrades'. That's like saying the NGP is just a 'PSP with some upgrades'. Let that talking point go, man.
 
[quote name='Strell']Nintendo making a profit makes you angry, we get it. You can go live your fantasy world elsewhere now.[/QUOTE]

There's a difference between making a profit, and gouging.
 
And that's up to the customer to decide on a person-by-person basis.

It's an entertainment device, people. It's not imperative to your life in any way.

What company in the world wants to sell ANYTHING at a loss? You guys are just picking and choosing at random to make a really fallacious point, and it's ridiculous.
 
[quote name='Strell']And that's up to the customer to decide on a person-by-person basis.

It's an entertainment device, people. It's not imperative to your life in any way.

What company in the world wants to sell ANYTHING at a loss? You guys are just picking and choosing at random to make a really fallacious point, and it's ridiculous.[/QUOTE]

It's not, but I'd hate for Nintendo to go the way of Sega because they developed tunnel vision.

Edit: Don't get me wrong. I'm not a Nintendo fanboy. I also admit that I play my DSL more than any other console. But I think they're making tons of mistakes, and their financial reports show this. The fact that they claim Steel Diver is worth as much as say, Divinity 2, Tactics Ogre (and other $40 MSRP games), and MORE than $30 MSRP games is ridiculous, and a little insulting.
 
[quote name='Strell']And that's up to the customer to decide on a person-by-person basis.

It's an entertainment device, people. It's not imperative to your life in any way.

What company in the world wants to sell ANYTHING at a loss? You guys are just picking and choosing at random to make a really fallacious point, and it's ridiculous.[/QUOTE]

Sony,

Of course they had did as a means to an end. The PS3 was a vehicle to help establish Blu-Ray and eventually eliminate HD-DVD. Which arguably it did... Whether it was cost effective is a question for business schools classes to come.

Still weird to me that a loss on each unit was ~$150.
 
[quote name='2DMention']NOt a bad game at all, and really nothing new to offer if you've played them before, but it's a good intro to the system.

I wish it had online play, though. Samurai Warriors has it, why not?[/QUOTE]

I would suck at Bust-a-Move online play. I imagine you've gotta see those combos and setups fast. Me, I meander about. Pop. Pop. Pop, pop. :D
 
I ordered Bust-a-Move for $20 from amazon DOTD. Worst case is I can use the squarenix code and sell the game if I don't like it
 
[quote name='Strell']Does != wants foltzie. You know better than that.[/QUOTE]

Now now, I clarified that they wanted market share for Blu-Ray and used the PS3 as a way to drive it home. A means to an end.

Oddly enough the Cell chip was supposed to be a similar investment and while I see that other products use the Cell chip, I have no idea as to how well those sell.
 
I think it's rather pointless to dwell on the 3DS's price tag too much. Keep in mind Nintendo is going to give us new content via firmware updates at no extra cost. And we are (or will be) savvy enough to find games at very low prices...and that'll offset the said cost over time.

Just my two cents.
 
Criticizing a company for trying to make money, is like criticizing a gaming platform for running games. It's kinda what it is suppose to do.

It's not like the 3DS is a necessity like food, water, gasoline, etc. It's for entertainment purposes and it's not like the only choice either.

That said, $250 for the system + $40 per game is still quite a bit to pay for such amenities. This isn't mutually exclusive to the 3DS though. Of course it goes without saying, the reason we are here on CAG is because we don't want to pay MSRP. I know I don't.
 
Indeed, plus the 3DS had some nice pre-order bonuses for those savy on price (thats us, Yeah!). I picked up a 3DS plus three games for about $300. Not great for a handheld, but not bad.

The only real complaint I have is that I havent been able to sell my DSi yet.
 
[quote name='foltzie']Indeed, plus the 3DS had some nice pre-order bonuses for those savy on price (thats us, Yeah!). I picked up a 3DS plus three games for about $300. Not great for a handheld, but not bad.

The only real complaint I have is that I havent been able to sell my DSi yet.[/QUOTE]

If you don't want to deal with the headache of selling, you could always go with the $75 offer from Amazon.
 
It may be kind of clever since they know they can sell to a lot of us at $250, and then price cut in October or whenever. Obviously they could easily cut to $200 or even $150 if they wanted to.
 
[quote name='omster']If you don't want to deal with the headache of selling, you could always go with the $75 offer from Amazon.[/QUOTE]

I was referring to DSiWare titles and the current inability to transfer.
 
[quote name='SaraAB']When I purchased my first DS there were nearly no games for it, but by the time the games started coming out, the DS Lite was already out and you could have easily waited and purchased the DS Lite and started buying games then and you wouldn't have missed anything but higher prices and more inferior hardware.[/QUOTE]

Oddly enough, I still see advantages to the original DS that have been lost in the revisions. It is sturdier for one thing - less breakable by kids and such. It has better sound. And it can play GBA games without them sticking out of the system. For all those reasons it is still the DS I let the kids play with.

I use a DS Lite for my everyday usage. While I bought a DSi I never felt the need to use that either. I think I played with the camera for a day or two then set it aside. And I saw no reason whatsoever to get the XL. Now I have a 3DS and so far it's been the same thing though when some games come out I will probably play that a bit more.

I think all the back and forth over the 3DS price is a bit silly. After all, over time, the console price is pretty insignificant. It is the price of the games you get, over the life of the system, that really matters. So I am more disappointed in the $40 MSRP for games than the $250 price for the system as that means it will take them longer to drop to where I'd buy them. I was slightly tempted to get Bust-A-Move when it was the DotD (then I noticed it was $19.95 the day after anyway ;)). But that still isn't cheap enough for me. I'll pick up these launch titles when they are sub-$10. As someone else pointed out, the cost of the system can be more than made up for by our CAG-y ways...
 
I'm probably going to wait on a 3DS XL unless Nintendo drops the price on the 3DS this year. I love my DSi XL because of the screen size. In the meantime, I probably will get a game or two for it. Most likely Ocarina of Time 3DS and I will definitely get Kid Icarus Uprising.
 
There's still reason to have a DS Lite, still the best way to play GBA games and use the connectivity (what little there is of it). I do want to pick up another one down the road, but they never did fix the hinge cracking issue did they? I'd love a 3DS XL but the parallax effect would need to be completely readjusted for it, and didn't they originally say that no-glasses 3D only work for smaller screens? What's the screen size limit on the parallax effect?
 
Inflation drives up prices too. $40 in 2004 was a little less then $35. Most of Nintendo's games on the DS were $35. Same for the GBA. Some games on the GBA were even $40! Inflation aside, we are now in a time with the best deals I have ever seen for games. MSRP is becoming irrelevant. Especially so for us CAGs.

Inflation calculator for anyone that is interested: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/
 
That's why I still love my DSLite, actually. Plays GBA games, and after 3.5 years of use, the battery still lasts like 10 hours. I just hope I can find some cheap new ones before they're completely gone, for future use, since I couldn't find them at Target clearances, nor Radio Shack.
 
Don't have a problem with 3DS price. I brought it from amazon and ordered 3 of each free accessories. After selling them I made around $50. This is in addition to the $25 promo off a game. So I feel this is the best deal until Black Friday next year. I can already count more 3DS games that interest me (Tales of the abyss, Devil Survivor, Mega Man Legends 3, Zelda, and Star Fox) this year than games on other system.

I know at least 2 people who ever using Fat or DS Lite and decide to upgrade for the bigger screen. Having a bigger screen (but not XL big) is a huge advantage for me. I upgrade to a DSi for this reason alone.

As for GBA games, the best experience is still the backlight GBA SP.

As for games, I agree the $40 is too much, epically when many sellers are selling them for around $30
 
[quote name='PrinnyOtaku']There's still reason to have a DS Lite, still the best way to play GBA games and use the connectivity (what little there is of it). I do want to pick up another one down the road, but they never did fix the hinge cracking issue did they?[/QUOTE]

I have an Onyx DSL from the first batch, and it doesn't have a hinge crack. It got loose after letting my GF play it when hers broke. Then I fixed hers and she got another for Christmas like a year and a half ago, so now we have 3. None have hinge cracks.

It was really a problem with the polar whites more than the other colors. It happens in later models, but much much less. I think the Mario red one was prone to it too though.
 
[quote name='2DMention']NOt a bad game at all, and really nothing new to offer if you've played them before, but it's a good intro to the system.

I wish it had online play, though. Samurai Warriors has it, why not?[/QUOTE]
Samurai Warriors does not have it. Wherever you read it, they were wrong.
 
[quote name='omster']Inflation drives up prices too. $40 in 2004 was a little less then $35. Most of Nintendo's games on the DS were $35. Same for the GBA. Some games on the GBA were even $40! Inflation aside, we are now in a time with the best deals I have ever seen for games. MSRP is becoming irrelevant. Especially so for us CAGs.

Inflation calculator for anyone that is interested: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/[/QUOTE]

Yeah, and this applies to the 3DS price as well (though I understand people are comparing it to the current DS Lite and DSi prices). And this was my point in the WiiStream thread (or whatever they are gonna call that thing). All the "OMG it might be $350-$400!?!?!" exclamations I thought were a but much. I mean, that's one hell of a deal compared to my original Atari 2600 purchase (which was, what $150-$200 back in 1970-something?).

[quote name='elessar123']That's why I still love my DSLite, actually. Plays GBA games, and after 3.5 years of use, the battery still lasts like 10 hours.[/QUOTE]

I admit I don't ever play GBA games, but I do have quite a few from my earlier days on CAG. The battery life on the DS Lite is tremendous though. I was playing SMT Strange Journey on my way back from Atlanta 2 weeks ago and probably put 5-6 hours if play on the plane. Since then I've played it for an hour or two every 2 or 3 nights. Finally, last night, I got the red light and had to plug it in. I think I played it at least 12 hours between charges, though. And it is at least 3 years old. Battery life is my only other problem with the 3DS (besides the $40 games) and why it will probably never by my travel system, which is unfortunate given the StreetPass stuff. It wouldn't last a full one-way plane trip (two flight usually for me: 2 1/2 hours followed by 4-5 hours).

[quote name='62t']I know at least 2 people who ever using Fat or DS Lite and decide to upgrade for the bigger screen. Having a bigger screen (but not XL big) is a huge advantage for me. I upgrade to a DSi for this reason alone.
[/QUOTE]

Wait, the regular DSi has a bigger screen than the DS Lite? I have one and never noticed that. It certainly is no big deal even if it is bigger. OK, I whipped 'em both out to compare ;). Yeah, what do you know, it is a little bigger. I guess I didn't pay that much attention when the DSi came out. What is the battery life like on the DSi, though? If it is the same as the DS Lite I might as well use it instead - I have no particular attachment to the DS Lite over the DSi (both are black so certainly there's no fashion reason ;)). At the very least I can still use it while I'm at home - no difference there anyway.

Oh, and FWIW, no hinge crack on my Onyx DS Lite either. I'm not sure if I got one of the first ones or not, though. I may have waited a few months, but it was certainly a fairly early one. I just realized I have another DS Lite in the house that I completely forgot about. I got my daughter the lime green one a few years back and she almost never uses it. So I'll put that one away for GBA compatibility (plus we also have 2 GBA SPs).

The odd thing about my household is that while I have 3 kids of game-playing age (plus two little ones), they really never want to play handhelds. I see kids all over the place playing DS's, but mine have just never gotten into it. My two boys certainly play games all the time, but it is the 360 (almost exclusively Halo) for one and the PS3 for the other. I got one of them interested in Pokemon for a bit, but he's already gotten bored of it. They showed brief interest in the 3DS but have already moved on from that. Oh well...
 
If my DSL didn't break I wouldn't have a DSi, however I still have a DS phat that is going strong. I had the onyx black DSL and I think the ribbon cable separates from the top screen/touch screen from opening and closing the system too much. Which means my DSL ended up having lines on the top screen which made it unplayable. My first DSL developed a problem where it would shut off in sleep mode, thankfully under nintendo warranty so then they sent me the second one which developed the lines on the top screen problem. The second one was no longer under warranty so the problem happened after like 2-3 years of use. Since the DSi was $119 on amazon around last BF when I looked I just bought that one. Of course I play the crap out of these systems as I mentioned before.

Oh and BTW the DSi supposedly has worse battery life than the DSL, however I haven't noticed a difference, I think if you turn up the brightness the battery life will get worse since the system sucks more power and the DSi is way brighter than the DSL. But other than that battery life is nearly the same, or very close. I actually think the DSi lasts longer for games like Treasure World which is a wifi hunting game that I use often. The DSi lasts much longer on that game than the DSL ever did, I can go almost a whole day without charging the DSi on that game this way I don't miss a wifi hotspot because the system has run out of battery.
 
I'm doubtful that they can increase the battery life much on the 3DS. From the specs of the GPU that's in it, it's a power hog. Part of the problem with going with a start-up company for your chip designs.
 
The battery life can definitely be improved, if they stop using 1300mAh battery packs... At least with the PSP you had the ability to swap out the garbage packs the Slims came with with higher mAh packs. I was using a 2200mAh instead of the 1200mAh in my PSP-2000.
 
[quote name='chimpmeister']Sorry, there's no way the "development costs" of the 3DS are anything remotely substantial. Its basically just a DS with some minor upgrades, mainly the added upper "3D enabled" screen and a single analog nub (welcome to 2005 Nintendo!).

$150 markup per console is greed, pure and simple . . . Nintendo is all about the money, not the games. Look at the Wii, super-elcheapo hardware that Nintendo still sells at a huge profit even with recent price reductions; in April 2009 it was estimated to cost $88 per console to manufacture, and that was TWO YEARS AGO. It has certainly fallen since that time, and they are just NOW getting ready to drop the Wii console price to $150, what a ripoff.[/QUOTE]
:rofl:
 
Ah yeah... all six games coming in one package this summer.

sagadebut610.jpg


New Cave Story 3D pics have surfaced as well.... still looks terrible though.
 
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