Topic: Nintendo 3DS Discussion

[Stogi]

The 3DS could be Nintendo trying to steal some of Apple's market as Apple is trying to do to them...
We already know that it is a dedicated 3D gaming machine with internet access, and some form of Netflix access (I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that Netflix movies aren't the only playable movies). Throw in VoIP, mobile TV, music, an app store that sells more than games, an e-reader, maybe bluetooth, keep it around the size of the PSP while folded, and suddenly people may be looking at buying a 3DS instead of an iPhone 4G--if they market it properly and bundle AIM(or something else) in there so people can still text. The 3DS's top screen is likely going to be .1" smaller than that of the iPhone so if it can do everything it does, plus do 3D and serious gaming they would be in the same market.
Of course if I'm going to imagine that Nintendo is that ambitious, I might as well imagine them partnering with Google and running Android on 3DS so the app store is full at launch, VoIP becomes easier, and Apple fan-boys would be in a rage.

That sounds like a 400 dollar piece of tech.

[TJ Spyke]

The 3DS could be Nintendo trying to steal some of Apple's market as Apple is trying to do to them...
We already know that it is a dedicated 3D gaming machine with internet access, and some form of Netflix access

Yeah, the Netflix part is only idle wishing on fans part. It's never even been hinted at that Netflix support will happen.

[BlackNMild2k1]

But the tech for all of it is (technically) already in the DSi, it's just a matter of making software to do it and enabling the hardware to use the software.

If the 3DS is around GC power and has atleast as much RAM as the Wii (please be 128MB or more) while maintaining every feature of the DSi (2 cameras, SD card, internal flash, touch screen) while improving upon each of them, there is no reason that 3DS couldn't do all that with relative ease.

I think the biggest hurdle is processing speed and having enough RAM. ram is dirt cheap and Nintendo just needs to not cheap out on the dual CPU set that they are gonna use. Just 1 Tegra 2 SoC paired with an ARM9 (or downclockable ARM11) for BC with DS will be way more than capable of handling all of those task as long as there is enough memory to do so(please be atleast 512MB of RAM).

[BlackNMild2k1]

The 3DS could be Nintendo trying to steal some of Apple's market as Apple is trying to do to them...
We already know that it is a dedicated 3D gaming machine with internet access, and some form of Netflix access

Yeah, the Netflix part is only idle wishing on fans part. It's never even been hinted at that Netflix support will happen.

Netflix has said on numerous occasions that they hope to support any hardware capable running the service. Putting their flagship 3D Movie Streaming service on the 1st viable, affordable and practical 3D viewing device would be a big win for both companies.

Netflix 3D doesn't actually exist yet, but neither does the 3DS, so there is nothing for either company to publicly talk about yet. I will be highly disappointed if it doesn't happen, and I'm 100% positive I am not alone in that.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Do you still have doubts that 3DS is the final name?

Nintendo scoops up multiple 3DS-related domain names
http://www.nintendo-master.com/xtnews/news-23732_et_si_la_3ds_sappelait_tout_simplement_la_nintendo_3ds_.htm

nintendo3ds.com
nintendo3ds.fr
nintendo3ds.de
nintendo3ds.co.jp
nintendo3ds.net
nintendo3ds.org
nintendo3ds.info
nintendo3ds.mobi
nintendo3ds.in
nintendo3ds.us
nintendo3ds.co.uk
nintendo3ds.se
nintendo3ds.be
nintendo3ds.eu
nintendo3ds.pl
nintendo3ds.gr
nintendo3ds.nl
nintendo3ds.at
nintendo3ds.ca
nintendo3ds.es
nintendo3ds.ru
nintendo3ds.ch

Looks like Nintendo doesn't.

[Guitar Smasher]

The 3DS could be Nintendo trying to steal some of Apple's market as Apple is trying to do to them...
We already know that it is a dedicated 3D gaming machine with internet access, and some form of Netflix access (I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that Netflix movies aren't the only playable movies). Throw in VoIP, mobile TV, music, an app store that sells more than games, an e-reader, maybe bluetooth, keep it around the size of the PSP while folded, and suddenly people may be looking at buying a 3DS instead of an iPhone 4G--if they market it properly and bundle AIM(or something else) in there so people can still text. The 3DS's top screen is likely going to be .1" smaller than that of the iPhone so if it can do everything it does, plus do 3D and serious gaming they would be in the same market.
Of course if I'm going to imagine that Nintendo is that ambitious, I might as well imagine them partnering with Google and running Android on 3DS so the app store is full at launch, VoIP becomes easier, and Apple fan-boys would be in a rage.

And this going to cost how much?

After so many records were broken and Nintendo finally surpassed it's predecessors with Wii and DS I be we will get an "all out" hand held and home console. They made too much money (which according to some of you doesn't physically exist) to not have some super hi end features.

It's like the PS3 never happened!

[MaryJane]

That sounds like a 400 dollar piece of tech.

If it wasn't a videogame console that is without a doubt going to sell like (I was going to say hotcakes but...) Wii's and DS's and therefore lead to people buying 1st party software which would easily make up for low-balling the initial cost of the system, I would agree with you. However, if they were to implement all the things I dream of, they could even reduce the price further for those who would buy a subscription to Netflix or VoIP like cell phone carriers do. With the DSi XL sitting at $189 that leaves Nintendo a lot of room for pricing for their all new system when you consider the comparably mundane PSP launched for $249. If the 3DS of my dreams launched for $299(without subscrition(s)) I would be content, anything less (subscriptions or not) and I just might have to jump for joy. If it's basically a DSi with 3D I would be pretty disappointed to see anything above $199.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Am I the only one that doesn't think utilizing the existing tech that will be in the system won't cost an arm and a leg?

The DSiXL probably only cost Nintendo around $120 to make just like the current Wii probably only cost Nintendo about $120 to make too.

If they leveraged current tech and sold a 3DS at cost then allowed the hardware to do what it was capable of through software then they could make that dream 3DS machine come in at under $200 (Definitely under $250) using the leverage of the order size they put in initially.

If they put in a contract order for 5million of everything they need with promised continued business then I'm sure they could get excellent pricing on everything. What manufacturer would give a little to get a solid 3DS manufacturing contract that's likely to last for the next 5 years?

[Stogi]

How cheap do you think 3D screens are?

How cheap do you think tegra 2 chips are?

ARM chips?

Touchscreens?

R&D?

[TJ Spyke]

Do you still have doubts that 3DS is the final name?

Nintendo scoops up multiple 3DS-related domain names
http://www.nintendo-master.com/xtnews/news-23732_et_si_la_3ds_sappelait_tout_simplement_la_nintendo_3ds_.htm

nintendo3ds.com
nintendo3ds.fr
nintendo3ds.de
nintendo3ds.co.jp
nintendo3ds.net
nintendo3ds.org
nintendo3ds.info
nintendo3ds.mobi
nintendo3ds.in
nintendo3ds.us
nintendo3ds.co.uk
nintendo3ds.se
nintendo3ds.be
nintendo3ds.eu
nintendo3ds.pl
nintendo3ds.gr
nintendo3ds.nl
nintendo3ds.at
nintendo3ds.ca
nintendo3ds.es
nintendo3ds.ru
nintendo3ds.ch

Looks like Nintendo doesn't.

Or likely they don't want to take a chance that someone else would register those in case Nintendo does want that to be the name (like that guy who registered domain names like paris2012.com and paris2016.com so that the French government would have to buy them, France sued the guy for domain squatting and won).

Also, I never said Netflix couldn't possible happen. I said that it has been announced or even rumored (unless you count speculation and wishes by forum posters), so it's not true to say "we already know" it will have that. You can't know something to be true when it is just random speculation from people and has no basis in true.

[Kytim89]

I agree with BnM about the pricing and features of the 3DS. Nintendo is going to splerge on the device while at the same time doing it a cheap price. I do not see the price of the device rising above $200 because the wii is about the same price, the HD consoles may get another price drop and the PSPgo sold for $250 and we know how that turned out.
 
As for the multimedia and features, Nintendo will allow the machine to play movies, but the consumer will be left to deside how it will be done. This is where Netflix will step in and offer a movie playing service. Basically you will be able to download and play movies via a wifi hotspot. The only question I have about this service is will we have to use netflix, or can we use other sources? What format will the player play video with?
 
The internal flash storage will probly be at the least one gigabyte. or two or three gigabytes at the most due to the cheapness of the technology. There is no doubt that the machine will retain the SD card slot from the DSi. These SD cards will not only hold music and pictures, but also movies.
 
The cameras will be a better quality than the ones provided by the DSi. Of course there will be two camers and they very well could have video playback capabilities.
 
The device will most likely retain the clamshell design of the previous DSs since it just an evolutinary step for the brand.
 
Virtual handheld service is a given with the gameboy family and SEGA genesis and possibly the Neo Geo Pocket color along with atari lynx support. All of these handhelds would be welcomed and their inclusion would require a little bit more than 256 MB of internal flash storage.
 
Nintendo will possibly have a more robust internet service, but it come at a price. If they are partnered with Google than a faster internet service is a given. But you may have to pay for the servie, but Nintendo will still offer the older opera browser for people who do not want to pay for a internet service on the 3DS. I imgaine the 3DS will be able to use flash video and this is really good since we would be able to watch youtube on the 3DS.
 
Nintendo could possibly add in motion controls for the 3DS with a built in accelerometer and a motion sensing stylus pen along with that spongy touch screen thing that provides force feed back.
 
A 3DS sports game? I remember someone on this forum talking about how it would be a stupid idea, I have been speculating that Nintendo would bring over wii sports and wii fit to the DS for a few years know. I was thinking that they would tie it into the portability of the hand held. This would mostly be walking and jogging centric excercises since it would be hard to do this with the wii inside you home. Imagine placing the game in the 3DS, closing the clamshell and walking down the street to get something from a corner store. The device would collect your steps and distance and transfer them over to the game.
 
 
 
 

[BlackNMild2k1]

How cheap do you think 3D screens are?

How cheap do you think tegra 2 chips are?

ARM chips?

Touchscreens?

R&D?

I have no idea, but I know certain ARM chips aren't that expensive on a per-chip basis. R&D has been 100's of millions over the past 5 or so years and when you take components and put them on orders that run multiples of millions, I assume you get wholesale discounts for volume purchasing like you would buying items from a warehouse.

Also, I never said Netflix couldn't possible happen. I said that it has been announced or even rumored (unless you count speculation and wishes by forum posters), so it's not true to say "we already know" it will have that. You can't know something to be true when it is just random speculation from people and has no basis in true.

What in the **** are you talking about? who said it was true? it's all speculation, that's all we are doing here.... speculating.

Who said "We already know"? where are you getting this stuff? who is assuming Netflix 3D is already coming to 3DS when we don't even know what exactly 3DS is capable of or if Netflix is gonna have a 3D service?

As for regular Netflix on a handheld device... iPhone & iPad have netflix on the way and Netflix has said they wish to bring their service to any [worthy] device that can support it.
3DS with [hopefully way] above iPhone level graphics will be more than a worthy device. That is why we speculate it.

[Kytim89]

The biggest obstacle that the 3DS will most likely have is battery power. This is what has hindered the PSP from being a viable hand held. The iphone also suffers from poor battery power. If the 3DS is to have a movies player, Nintendo must provide a stronger battery to power what ever bells and whistles it will probably have once it comes out.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Nintendo will not sacrifice battery power. That is a key feature of a portable device.

A movie player will not take any more battery than a game as the movie will be run off of flash memory and not a spinning disc. All they need is a 3DS compatible program that can run the codecs and you can play whatever video you want. All the 3DS needs is enough procesing power and enough RAM to run the program.

Also remember that the GBA plays custom made movies that come on GBA carts. The DS can also play videos using homebrew apps, So it's just a matter of Nintendo allowing it to happen and giving the system enough horse power to do it right.

[King of Twitch]

That's why there are rumors, pardon the pun, flying around that it's going to be wind-powered; if people are playing DS on the go, it makes sense that it would be able to harness that energy.

Run fast wind blast, tur-bine pow-ered game

[Kytim89]

Nintendo will not sacrifice battery power. That is a key feature of a portable device.

A movie player will not take any more battery than a game as the movie will be run off of flash memory and not a spinning disc. All they need is a 3DS compatible program that can run the codecs and you can play whatever video you want. All the 3DS needs is enough procesing power and enough RAM to run the program.

Also remember that the GBA plays custom made movies that come on GBA carts. The DS can also play videos using homebrew apps, So it's just a matter of Nintendo allowing it to happen and giving the system enough horse power to do it right.

If they were to bring out a movie player for the 3DS, what kind of fornmat would they use? MP4, AVI, or something else? Which format would be the most effivient towards space, audio and video quality?
 
Could the 3DS emulate other handhelds? What about the atari lynx and neo geo pocket?

[BlackNMild2k1]

Nintendo would use whatever codec support was free. And with SDHC support up to 64GB, I don't think it really matters as long as you are providing your own SD card.

And we don't know how powerful a 3DS is yet, so no one knows if it can or cannot emulate specific other handhelds.

[Kytim89]

Nintendo would use whatever codec support was free. And with SDHC support up to 64GB, I don't think it really matters as long as you are providing your own SD card.

And we don't know how powerful a 3DS is yet, so no one knows if it can or cannot emulate specific other handhelds.

I thought the SD card support was only up to 32GB? Anything above 32GB is considered SDXC. What codec is free?
 
I would actually bet my last dollar that the 3DS will have BC enabled emulation. The only question is which handhelds will it emulate? So may people complained about the lack of GBA port for the DSi and I took its removal as a sign of a VC service on the DSi. Now I am almost certain that the 3DS will have it because Nintendo always has BC in their consoles and emulation seems like the only logical way to go for them. 

[MaryJane]

How cheap do you think 3D screens are?

How cheap do you think tegra 2 chips are?

ARM chips?

Touchscreens?

R&D?

Unlike with a console Nintendo doesn't have to use proprietary tech for the DS anymore. The handheld market literally exploded with the coming of age of the smart-phone as much as I wish it wasn't true the iPhone was a HUGE part of that . Now the chipset that is rumored (Tegra 2 as you mentioned) will be mass produced, so whether or not Ninty is buying huge quantities, the price will go down, and I'm sure Nvidia will be glad to stamp their logo onto the 3DS, showing the power of its chips, and garnering them more sales. The same goes for the Sharp with their screens. They want to use their tech in a wide range of gizmos not just the 3DS. 

This means two things for Nintendo:
1. They know the price of their hardware is going to decrease much faster than ever before.
2. They DEFINITELY made deals with both Sharp and Nvidia (or whoever is providing their screens and processors).

While people who think of themselves as hard core gamers might call the DS kiddy or gimmicky all that matters to a hardware provider is sales, and I'm sure any manufacturer (Nvidia especially) would be thrilled to move half as many of their new product as the number of DS Phat's sold.

Lastly just for point of reference, the Tegra is not just a GPU. It is all in one, so Nintendo doesn't have to cost out the Tegra chipsets AND ARM processors they are already in there:

 

The NVIDIA Tegra architecture is a heterogeneous multi-processor architecture that consists of eight independent processors for graphics, video encode and decode, image processing, audio processing, power management, and general-purpose functions. These processors are power managed independently with local hardware control and system level control built into each processor. A system-level power monitor allows the Tegra processor to turn on only those processors required for a specific use case, while keeping all other processors turned off.

Tegra’s purpose-optimized processors are analogous to a carpenter’s tool kit that has various tools such as hammer, saw, screwdriver, and drill. A carpenter does not use a hammer to drive screws or a drill to cut wood. Each tool is optimized for a specific task or function. Likewise, the Tegra processors are all specialized for particular tasks
- Graphics Processor (GPU): Delivers outstanding mobile 3D game playability and is also used for visually engaging, highly-responsive 3D touch user interfaces.
- Video Decode Processor: runs video macro-block oriented algorithms including inverse discrete cosine transforms (IDCT), variable length decode (VLD), color space conversion (CSC), and bit stream processing to deliver smooth, full frame rate 1080p HD video playback and streaming HD Flash video playback without compromising battery life.
- Video Encode Processor: runs video encode algorithms to deliver full 1080p HD video streams for video recording and conferencing capabilities.
- Image Signal Processor (ISP): handles light balance, edge enhancement, and noise reduction algorithms to deliver real-time photo enhancement capabilities.
- Audio Processor: handles analog signal audio processing to deliver over 140 hours of continuous 128kbps mp3 audio playback on a single battery charge.4
- Dual-Core ARM Cortex A9 CPU: for general-purpose computing delivers faster web browsing and snappier response times on Java enabled websites
- ARM7 Processor: handles system management functions and several proprietary battery life extending features on NVIDIA Tegra.
Each processor adds instructions, caches, clocks, and circuits optimized for each specific task, with performance monitors to track system activity. Each processor is designed to provide the performance needed for demanding and heavy workload tasks such as browsing java enabled Web pages, HD video playback, responsive 3D user interfaces, and gaming. The proprietary power management features in the NVIDIA Tegra processor track system workload levels and continuously manage the frequency and voltage of each processor to provide the demanded performance at the lowest possible power. Using a set of dedicated processors, the system can easily handle multi-tasking loads that include a combination of 3D, video, communications, and audio tasks. When loads do not require multi-tasking, only the processor required for the task is used while all other processors in the system are turned off, thus achieving the lowest power consumption possible.

Power efficiency as you can see a big part of all this for those worried about battery consumption.

[TJ Spyke]

Who said "We already know"? where are you getting this stuff? who is assuming Netflix 3D is already coming to 3DS when we don't even know what exactly 3DS is capable of or if Netflix is gonna have a 3D service?

Wow, did you even READ my original post? Obviously not because you are asking stupid questions. In my post I quoted the person I was responding too, he specifically that we "know" 3DS will play Netflix, as if it's fact. My post was replying to him and saying that it is nothing more than speculation.

[UncleBob]

The 3DS could be Nintendo trying to steal some of Apple's market as Apple is trying to do to them...
We already know that it is a dedicated 3D gaming machine with internet access, and some form of Netflix access

Yeah, the Netflix part is only idle wishing on fans part. It's never even been hinted at that Netflix support will happen.

ORLY?
http://kotaku.com/5499214/super-guide-vitality-sensor-and-netflix-ds-a-conversation-with-nintendo

I pointed out to Fils-Aime that earlier this month Netflix started polling the users of their video rental and streaming service to see if they would want the service on the Nintendo DS. Netflix is bound to the Wii this spring.

The poll was very much real, he said, but it also asked about iPod devices and mobile phones.

"Netflix is a wonderful partner and one thing they do is utilize data and consumer research and they are constantly asking their user base all kinds of questions," he said. "So for them, they're constantly looking for ways to bring their experience to as many people as possible."

And Fils-Aime said technically speaking, the DS could stream videos from Netflix.

"We've already shown an ability to transmit content from the Wiii to your DS," he said. "We do it with (Nintendo of Japan's video on demand ) Wii No Ma service. We can transfer game demos from the Wii to the DS too, so the technology is absolutely possible."

[TJ Spyke]

That is not saying it will happen, he just says that is is technically possible for the DS to do it. The GameCube could play 3D games, but it never did. The Wii can technically play DVDs, but it's not enabled. Saying that the DS technically could stream Netflix doesn't mean that the 3DS will (or that the DS will).

[Adrock]

From what I've read, Nvidia is really banking on the Tegra line which is probably especially true considering their rift with Intel. I'm sure Nvidia would LOVE for Nintendo use the Tegra 2 and almost single-handedly save them. I mean, really, how many people besides me bought a Zune HD? I would love for Nintendo to use Tegra 2. The first generation Tegra is pretty impressive tech and Tegra 2 probably blows it out of the water.

Also, what if 3DS only has one screen?

[MaryJane]

That is not saying it will happen, he just says that is is technically possible for the DS to do it. The GameCube could play 3D games, but it never did. The Wii can technically play DVDs, but it's not enabled. Saying that the DS technically could stream Netflix doesn't mean that the 3DS will (or that the DS will).

Yes except the only theatre playing 3D movies in the GC's heyday was IMAX, and a dongle to play DVD's on the Wii would seem just stupid now that there is this thing called Blu-Ray...

Let me introduce you to 2010:

Google and Verizon are teaming up to make a tablet PC to compete with the iPad on AT&T
Windows is no longer the only OS for smart phones
Laptops are more popular than desktops
Nintendo is back on top of the video game world (in terms of sales and $ anyway)
The average person can store 64GB of data on a piece of silicon the size of a fingernail clipping
Netflix and other VoD services are taking over T.V
And I'm just having fun so don't take it personal

[BlackNMild2k1]

Who said "We already know"? where are you getting this stuff? who is assuming Netflix 3D is already coming to 3DS when we don't even know what exactly 3DS is capable of or if Netflix is gonna have a 3D service?

Wow, did you even READ my original post? Obviously not because you are asking stupid questions. In my post I quoted the person I was responding too, he specifically that we "know" 3DS will play Netflix, as if it's fact. My post was replying to him and saying that it is nothing more than speculation.

First of all I'm not even gonna get into it with you again because your avatar describes conversations with you perfectly


and second of all you quoted me in the post so how am I supposed to know you are responding to someone else when you quoted me and I was talking about 3DS & Netflix3D more than anyone?

third. I'm pretty sure you took his statement out of context. I'm pretty sure he wasn't confirming Netflix support for a device we know almost nothing about. More speculating like everyone else in this thread that rides the HYPE TRAIN.

Also, what if 3DS only has one screen?

I think full backwards compatibility with DS kinda rules that out.