Topic: Nintendo 3DS Discussion

[MaryJane]

So are you saying that Nintendo is not only going to launch high, but keep the price high as well? Or it's not going to be more than $200?

Even $200 is a lot, and not everyone will be willing to pay over $150 for a handheld unless the 3DS is the best thing since sliced bread, or the iPhone (perception-wise). It very well could be, but without calling or 'tablet functions' it's behind the competition when it comes to (initial) perception.

When a non-informed person goes to make their first 3D purchase, are they going to look at which is getting better 3rd party support, or price and function? As you and I both mentioned 3D smartphones are coming, which don't (and likely won't for awhile) have the graphical output of the 3DS, but if they can also play 3D movies at a similar resolution as the 3DS, and can access ESPN 3D and Youtube 3D from anywhere (which I am predicting to get big within the next two years), the phone seems a worthwhile purchase and the 3DS worth waiting for.

The 3DS will still sell, videogamers, impulse buyers, and well off kids will be all over the thing, but the casual market may be a little reluctant at anything more than $200 and limited features. Like the lack of global internet access, or playability on a T.V with multiple people. Unless of course Nintendo does do a Kinect like thing with the 3DS's cameras, and a later version has 4G. Both of which are wishful thinking on my part, but 4G wouldn't be a complete shocker for the redesign 3yrs or so from now.

[BlackNMild2k1]

3D phones pose almost no threat to the 3DS seeing as most phones are so expensive that yo usually need a 2yr contract just to afford them. I also wouldn't expect a huge attach rate to a 3D model phone until either iPhone3D hits the market or every manufacturer starts pumping out 3D model phones. Otherwise there won't be a userbase large enough for anyone to really notice.

Re: price, Nintendo see that the PSP has sold over 60million units at starting price of $300, so it knows it can reach a mass market at that price. My cieling for day 1 purchase is no more than $250, but I'm hoping to hold out for a drop to $200 or a 3DSLite, whichever comes first.

Also when an uninformed person walks into a store, a 3D phone comparison is not likely to be made, but htey will see Mario & Resident Evil in 3D along with a bunch of other games and possibly movies too(advertised a being watchable through download if not able to be physical sold for the 3DS). And the store s will likely have a 3DS internet kiosk somewhere to allow the 3DS internet access to show off it's VC selection, movies and internet capabilities. Ands since more and more people are owning smart phones, it also means that people are carrying mobile hotspots in their pockets. the 3DS not having it's own dedicated 3/4g connection built in with it's own monthly rate is not as big of a deal as most people think. For a little extra per month (cheaper than a separate 3/4g Plan) you can always have your own personal wifi spot active regardless of where you are as long as your cell phone is getting reception.

[TJ Spyke]

PSP was never more than $250 (unless you count bundles).

[Adrock]

Oh my mistake.... FALSE ALARM. Go ahead and un-cancel those pre-orders.
http://www.siliconera.com/2010/11/04/mega-man-resident-evil-and-silpheed-go-glasses-free-3d-on-android-phone/


3DS is many leagues above that visually and probably in battery life too.

That looks like the iPhone version of RE4 so I can only guess Capcom ported that to Android. In any case, have you ever played it? My friend had it on his iPod touch and it's flippin' awful. These kinds of games don't work without physical buttons.

Honestly, the only thing 3D screens on a phone does is increase the number of car accidents per year due to people focusing on the screen trying to center the 3D image.

[NWR_insanolord]

Mixing 3D with a touch screen ruins the effect, as you see depth but your finger can't go past the screen.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Mixing 3D with a touch screen ruins the effect, as you see depth but your finger can't go past the screen.

and that is where a rear touch pad comes in handy.


I don't know if that phone will have one, but I'm sure 3D screen is likely for PSP2 as a last minute addition if the 3DS is as BIG as Nintendo is hoping it will be.

[MaryJane]

Yes, fingers will mess up the 3D effect, which is why the people who are going to focus most of their time on designing 3D interfaces are going to take that into account and design the UI so where you are pressing, is not also where you are viewing.

Besides, the main draw for 3D smartphones will be movies, pictures, and youtube/self created clips, all things where you won't be touching the screen to enjoy. It's not like they are going to inanely make text boxes or touchscreen dialpads in 3D.

Also, the next generation of autostereoscopic screens will have no dead zones. They are already in the testing phase, and will likely debut in late 2011.

Anyway, all I was saying is that people are more likely to buy a 3D smartphone to upgrade their existing one, than buy an entirely new device just to play videogames on the go. Yes the 3DS can do more, but it's all about perception.

If Nintendo knows what's good for them, they will leave no questions unanswered after CES. CES is the perfect place to get media hype for any cutting edge product(unless you're apple and do your own event). Next to the other autostereoscopic devices at CES, the 3DS will likely produce the best visuals making it the frontrunner for media fodder, but they need to tell everyone everything it can do, from AR to movie playback(Netflix?) to 3D pictures/video to youtube uploads to supermarket/ballpark/restaurant collaboration to whatever else it can do. Everything needs to be put on the table because any questions as to functionality will lead to questions about viability.

[BlackNMild2k1]

GameStop opens Nintendo 3DS preorders in Canada, sets 20th March release and $299 price

Are you one of the few Canadian folk who read this blog? Well if you’re super keen to preorder the Nintendo 3DS then you might be glad to know that GameStop and EB Games retailers throughout Canada are now accepting your reservations. It’s quite likely that they’re just guessing the data, but for now, the preorder listing has the Nintendo 3DS set for a 20th of March release date (which is a Sunday) and a price point of $299 CAD.

I'm still hoping for $249.99 US, but what is the current conversion of CAD to USD?

I also stopped some lady from rushing through Walmart tomorrow to buy the DSi for $150 or whatever they are selling it for. Told her the New DS is coming out in March so since she waited all this time (her daughter has a DSPhat) she might as well hold out for the 3DS. She also wasn't worried about the price since it comes out right around tax time, and I did warn her about hot it would cost atleast $100-$150 more.

[Shaymin]

As of the time of this post, $1 US is $1.01 Canadian. So it's basically par.

I'm hoping they're overshooting the price and will refund anyone who pays in full or at least gives them a game and an accessory.

[Kytim89]

GameStop opens Nintendo 3DS preorders in Canada, sets 20th March release and $299 price

Are you one of the few Canadian folk who read this blog? Well if you’re super keen to preorder the Nintendo 3DS then you might be glad to know that GameStop and EB Games retailers throughout Canada are now accepting your reservations. It’s quite likely that they’re just guessing the data, but for now, the preorder listing has the Nintendo 3DS set for a 20th of March release date (which is a Sunday) and a price point of $299 CAD.

I'm still hoping for $249.99 US, but what is the current conversion of CAD to USD?

I also stopped some lady from rushing through Walmart tomorrow to buy the DSi for $150 or whatever they are selling it for. Told her the New DS is coming out in March so since she waited all this time (her daughter has a DSPhat) she might as well hold out for the 3DS. She also wasn't worried about the price since it comes out right around tax time, and I did warn her about hot it would cost atleast $100-$150 more.

Gamestop had a $25 minimum down payment on the DSi, so I wonder how much it will be for the 3DS?

[Kytim89]

Apparently Pachter believes that the handheld market is fininshed.
 
http://www.1up.com/news/analyst-psp2-dead-on-arrival

[noname2200]

Christ, Pachter's doing everything he can to make me actively despise him.  His model of analysis is consistently proven to be off-track, but he still insists that "shiny hardware" is all it takes to sell videogames. 

[nickmitch]

I still don't get why people don't get the difference between real, full fledged games on the go and short, simple, casual games like Angry Birds. Angry Birds works because it's incredibly simple and costs 99cents on iOS4. Meanwhile, Dragon Quest IX works because it's about a billion hours long. I'm not playing DQIX on my iPhone. It can't happen. It won't happen. Ok, it COULD happen, but I still wouldn't do it.

[Guitar Smasher]

I don't disagree that the portable market will suffer in the near-future, but it won't be at the hands of Apple.  The 3DS is overshooting the market, and its high cost of entry will be responsible for its early struggles.  The PSP2 will be hopeless unless it avoids having a library consisting of ports of console games - games which are not suited for portable experiences.

But Apple isn't in any position to really steal the conventional portable market.  Face it, devs aren't going to develop PSP2/3DS quality games for iPhone and then charge 99 cents, when they can charge $40-50 on the other systems.

[MaryJane]

Pachter isn't an analyst, he's a publicist who looks for whatever he can say that will get people talking about him. When the 3DS and PSP come out and do well, he'll retroactively change his opinion. This is not a person worth listening to or otherwise discussing.

[King of Twitch]

According to a study by a market research group that nobody has heard of, nearly 3,000 people who have a smartphone and a DS or PSP only use their smartphone for games. Sell your Nintendo stocks and cancel your 3DS preorder while you still can.

http://blog.games.yahoo.com/blog/246-study-gamers-ditching-ds-psp-for-smartphones

[Adrock]

Pachter isn't an analyst

No, he's an analyst. People and companies pay him a lot of money to advise them on what to invest in and to predict where the market is going. Now, I didn't say he was a good analyst, but he is an analyst nonetheless. ****, I wish I could get paid as much as he does to be wrong all the time.

[Stogi]

I think that's why companies pay him -- because they know he's always wrong. So it's just a simple thing to do the opposite.

[KnowsNothing]

FTA:
"He added, 'I think the PSP2 is gonna be dead on arrival. It looks to me like young kids are just as happy playing with an iPod Touch or a Nano. The Touch is cool, it plays games, it plays music, they're gonna put a camera in it, you're gonna have all sorts of cool stuff.'"

Does anybody play games on the Nano?  And doesn't the iPod Touch already have a camera in it? (the answer to that last one is yes, because I have taken pictures with my ipod touch)

[MaryJane]

There's talk in the PSP2 thread about it playing PS3 games, but what the 3DS playing Wii games?

NWR has an article up about two One Piece games being ported to the 3DS, but what about continuing play? It would be pretty awesome if some games could be partially downloaded to the 3DS.

My idea is this; you reach a save point, connect your 3DS (wirelessly), and then you choose how much of the game you would like downloaded to the 3DS. Obviously this could only  work for linear games, so RPG's and games like Metroid Prime are out, but what if for like NSMB you could download and play the next four levels or so.

The reason I say choose how much to download is because of the presumably limited internal storage and different people will have it filled to different degrees. It would also combat piracy since you couldn't download the whole game from a friend and play without pay, or otherwise pirate the game through the transfer.

[Stogi]

Until Nintendo comes out with a console/handheld hybrid (which they never will unless forced to), they'd much rather you buy two versions of the same game then being able to transfer it. That's why I don't hold much faith in Nintendo allowing us to transfer our VC titles that we already bought.

[BlackNMild2k1]

VC is different. We should be able to transfer those since they should be attached to an account, but that's a whole different matter that we all agree on and has been discussed to death.

As for Wii/2 to 3DS continued play, you WILL have to own 2 version of the game that may let you transfer saves back and forth, but you WILL NOT be able to just copy over a portion of the Wii/2 game onto the 3DS to pick up where you left off.

Imagine if they started doing Videogame double packs like they do with Blurays and DVD's. Buy Final fantasy XX on Wii2 and get a 3DS copy packed in for continued play options! only $80 in stores this Tuesday.

That actually would be a pretty good idea if marketed right. Would entice 3DS owners to get a Wii2 or vice versa since they already have games for it.

Save Sync® - Only on Nintendo System

[NWR_insanolord]

Save Sync® - Only on Nintendo System

Actually, Sony's done it before. I don't know if it's happened recently, but I remember a while back you could continue a Madden Franchise Mode game from the PS3 to the PSP and back.

[Kytim89]

1-Up just did an article about which sequels should be on the 3DS.
 
http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3182635
 
I have to agree with this article.

A Twilight Princess sequel would be nice.

[BlackNMild2k1]

European 3DS plans  to be unveiled Jan 19th?
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/42255/Euro-3DS-announcement-next-month

Nintendo reveals details of Amsterdam gathering, suggesting 3DS plans are soon to be unveiled

Platform holder Nintendo will reveal its launch plans for new handheld the 3DS at a media event in Amsterdam on January 19th, MCV believes.

Invites for the still mysterious gathering have been sent out to the press this morning.

It’s expected that details will include a firm launch date and price for the 3DS, as well as the day one launch line-up.

Hey Easycure, Stogi....


European Roadtrip!?