Topic: Nintendo 3DS Discussion

[MegaByte]

An old metal radio antenna turned into a stylus.

[Kytim89]

An old metal radio antenna turned into a stylus.

How would that work and does anyone have any pictures or mock ups?

[UncleBob]

An old metal radio antenna turned into a stylus.

How would that work and does anyone have any pictures or mock ups?

You know those lightsaber toys that you can buy - they're like a series of tubes that fold into themselves?  Like that, only smaller.

[Kytim89]

When I owned a DS Lite I bought this kit from Nyko that had a wrist strap with a cord that attached to a specieal clip on a light up stylus that plugged into the stylus slot on the Lite. When the stylus was taken it was connected via a chain to the wrist strap and it could not be lost. I would like to see a similar situation for the 3DS stylus.

[Caliban]

An old metal radio antenna turned into a stylus.

How would that work and does anyone have any pictures or mock ups?

You know those lightsaber toys that you can buy - they're like a series of tubes that fold into themselves?  Like that, only smaller.

hahahahahahahahahahaha

[UncleBob]

After several hours of research, I present to you - the DS timeline...

[nickmitch]

Talk about your fast lane.

[TJ Spyke]

Why would you need back lit buttons? I know I never actually need to look at the buttons (except when using Sony's Playskool-based controllers). That would be a unnecessary extra cost if true.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Why would you need back lit buttons? I know I never actually need to look at the buttons (except when using Sony's Playskool-based controllers). That would be a unnecessary extra cost if true.

the new and casual gamer might need them since everyone will be unfamiliar with the new button setup, but I'm sure it cost almost nothing to do and adds perceived value to the product. I'm also sure tha tif i twas true, there would be a way to turn it on and off in the menu somewhere.

[TJ Spyke]

But how many people play their games in such a dark environment that they can't even see the letters? I'm not saying it wouldn't look neat, but I just don't see the need for it or the reason for adding the cost.

[TheFleece]

IGN reports that no foreign press will be allowed to the Sept 29th event. Does that mean release details will be only for Japan and not for other regions?
http://ds.ign.com/articles/112/1123079p2.html

The back lit buttons sound like a really a fancy aesthetic, but I doubt that it's true. The new button set up are only the menu buttons: Home Start and Select. Everything else is the same layout of the DS systems. While I wouldn't enjoy some backlit lovin' I would have to wonder if it were even necessary if not a waste. Imagine the battery died due to powering lights beneath the buttons. If it's true I would hope that the option to turn it off becomes available.

[Caliban]

It's alright. Someone always ends up translating the news for us.

[Mop it up]

Backlit buttons doesn't sound like Nintendo. That's the kind of thing that is done to make a device "look cool," and Nintendo has never been about looks. If they were added to help the types of gamers who have trouble remembering the buttons in the dark, well, Nintendo recommends playing games in a well-lit room, and illuminated buttons would encourage the opposite.

[Louieturkey]

Backlit buttons doesn't sound like Nintendo. That's the kind of thing that is done to make a device "look cool," and Nintendo has never been about looks.

That's totally not true.  If Nintendo didn't care about looks we wouldn't have gotten a DS Lite; there wouldn't be multiple colors for their handheld systems and all the home systems would still look like the NES (some might actually like that). 
Gamecube was all about the games so Nintendo wanted it to look like a toy because games were toys.
The Wii needed to be sleeker and smaller and more Apple-like to appeal to the popularity of Apple and make it more everyone-friendly.  So they made it look that way.
Nintendo has almost always been about looks.

[Mop it up]

Let me clarify: Nintendo has never been about doing something only for the looks. All the decisions you mentioned had a purpose beyond looks, especially the DS Lite, which fixed some issues that the original DS model had.

[Shaymin]

It's alright. Someone always ends up translating the news for us.

Not to mention Nikkei ends up leaking everything beforehand.

[UncleBob]

Lighted buttons could be useful.  The game could use these to communicate to the player.  Think Simon Says.  Think Navi wanting to tell you something, so the X button flashes.

[Shaymin]

Think Navi wanting to tell you something, so the X button flashes.

If this will happen, I'm anti-backlit buttons. It's bad enough they're using cycles for the popup and her screaming "HEY! LISTEN!", wasting battery on lighting 1 button will only cheese me off even more.

[TheFleece]

Lighted buttons could be useful.  The game could use these to communicate to the player.  Think Simon Says.  Think Navi wanting to tell you something, so the X button flashes.

I could see something where the Home button would shine to alert the player they have a message to check like the Wii, but I don't see the need to have all the buttons light up. Maybe if there were a 3DS with a Tron design, but only for that!

[Stratos]

I love the idea of the buttons lighting up and even using that in the game, but I want the option to turn them off If I want.

[Mop it up]

Lighted buttons could be useful.  The game could use these to communicate to the player.  Think Simon Says.  Think Navi wanting to tell you something, so the X button flashes.

Now that sounds like the kind of thing Nintendo would do.

[Adrock]

That's silly. There are 2 screens.... and the button flashes? How is that more useful than an on-screen indicator? Seems more extraneous than innovative.

[UncleBob]

That's silly. There are 2 screens.... and the button flashes? How is that more useful than an on-screen indicator? Seems more extraneous than innovative.

Removing the indicator from the screen leaves more room for game play to happen on the screen.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Grab your salt containers cause it's rumored leak time:

Germany's Sunday edition of BILD says that 3DS is launching in Japan on Nov. 11th and Q1 2011 for Europe with the launch games of Mario Kart, Professor Layton & TLoZ: OoT 3D at the price point of 200€

[Caterkiller]

Hmmm... Would Nintendo really surprise us like that? that is almost only one month away. When do we normally get release dates?