3DS Console Discussion

[Grazza]

Cor, I really fancy an Etrian Odyssey on 3DS. Just the thought of exploring a new forest and taking items back to the village blacksmith has me drooling.

[killer kirby]

Well, with all these rumors coming true I am guessing that means Final Fantasy the four heroes of light 2 must be legit then *Squueeeeeel*

[Ike]

Etrian Odyssey has been on the list since E3 so will be nice to finally see it. Just hope it gets released over here, can't import it this time.

[khilafah]

Etrian Odyssey has been on the list since E3 so will be nice to finally see it. Just hope it gets released over here, can't import it this time.

 

we will all be importing US/Japanese 3DS machines mate if so.

[Diageo]

Bought nintendogs because it was only 20 euro at the airport and godammit is this dog cute. It hurts and it brings my heart joy at the same time.

[Serebii]

Just saw a new ad promoting all the upcoming main games. Nintendo are marketing the hell out it...bout time they've learned to do it

[Agent Gibbs]

Just saw a new ad promoting all the upcoming main games. Nintendo are marketing the hell out it...bout time they've learned to do it

 

Yeah i've seen loads of adverts for the 3DS lately and the emphasis at the end of "This is not just a DS this is NINTENDO 3DS" is a really good thing, i've noticed casual gamer types understanding the difference now

[david.dakota]

Yeah i've seen loads of adverts for the 3DS lately and the emphasis at the end of "This is not just a DS this is NINTENDO 3DS" is a really good thing, i've noticed casual gamer types understanding the difference now

 

I'm not so sure; "This is not just a DS, this is Nintendo DSi" works as well. It generally seems a pretty old marketing line; they need to be braver and more innovative. Copying and pasting from Marks and Spencer is pretty poor.

 

It needs to be snappy, relevant and clear: "New Games. New Console. New Nintendo 3DS" for example.

 

But its difficult; the problem comes down to the choice of name and without a rebrand we'll see the same problems with consumer confusion - it looks like a DS, it sounds like a DS - it must be a DS. Nintendo tried to be too clever and in doing so shot themselves right in the bollock.

 

I've said it before - they need a swift rebrand with a redesign. Something more 'pocketable' with superior battery and - don't beat me - with phone functionality. Sure, us early adopters will be pissed, but needs must.

 

There is one really big problem for Nintendo at the moment. Its fruit-shaped. iPhone has simply ransacked the market Nintendo built up with the DS and Wii; there is nothing there. I'd argue that casual gamers are the type to want one device to play everything. They don't want a bagful of phones, tabs and consoles - they want something in their pocket that is functional and, on occasions, to kill time with. 3DS does not offer that. Nintendo need to decide where there future lies; competing with Apple or going back to the gaming hardcore, cap in hand.

 

Unless you're Google (or a desperate Microsoft) it is foolish to compete with Apple; perhaps in 5 years when the 'Jobs effect' fades. I think prior to launch Nintendo felt their new gadget could take on Apple, but now I think they need to reclaim the core - but with Vita showing a great line up of core games, that's easier said than done.

 

Don't get me wrong. I love the 3DS and am looking forward to what's been announced. But I'm realistic - Nintendo will not be market leaders again and certainly not with the 3DS or WiiU for that matter; Nintendo will make them profitable but not that runaway success that we've seen in recent years.

[Grazza]

Yeah i've seen loads of adverts for the 3DS lately and the emphasis at the end of "This is not just a DS this is NINTENDO 3DS" is a really good thing, i've noticed casual gamer types understanding the difference now

 

Same here - I've noticed it's becoming something of an object of desire, and quite rightly too. Nintendo deserves success with the 3DS. It's a great machine, and has been since launch day. OK, it's not perfect, but it doesn't even remotely deserve to flop.

 

Graphics and processing abilities are much better than the DS, as are the controls. It's a shame they've fumbled with the whole "two Slide Pads" thing, but it is just a fumble, not a disaster.

 

Then there are the games. Here is a machine that you can play gorgeous versions of Pilotwings, Ocarina of Time, DOA Dimensions, Street Fighter IV and Star Fox 64 on, as well as forthcoming games like Mario Land, Mario Kart, Metal Gear Solid 3, as well as others. I still genuinely think that's the best first-year line-up I've seen.

[Burny]

I've said it before - they need a swift rebrand with a redesign. Something more 'pocketable' with superior battery and - don't beat me - with phone functionality. Sure, us early adopters will be pissed, but needs must.

That's exactly the opposite direction they should take with a redesign imo. If the XPeria Play shows anything, than that's how gadgets that can't decide if they want to be a phone or a gaming handheld will end up stuck half way between both, but unable to compete with either. It's too ugly and large to be a popular phone and too limited to be a popular gaming handheld.

 

With the second analogue addon confirmed, the only way forward for the 3DS seems to be an "XL" revision. It's incidentally also the only way to notably improve battery life: They have to build a device with a larger battery, not a smaller one with a smaller battery.

Edited September 12, 2011 by Burny

[Serebii]

A rebrand and redesign now would destroy the faith consumers have in the company and would severely damage their business for the forseeable future.

 

Don't expect a redesign announced until next year at the very earliest

[Josh64]

I don't think they need to rebrand the 3DS now, it will just take some time to get established. The GameBoy Color and Advance managed it.

[nekunando]

I personally don't believe the 3DS really needs a second Circle Pad.. and it certainly doesn't need a redesign It is a really nice console that looks great and will have plenty of great games available in the not too distant future..

 

We live in a culture where everyone has to have everything RIGHT NOW and exactly the way they want it. With all this talk of a second Circle Pad, it's just like making the controls like everything else out there when it just isn't needed

 

I was watching the second part of the latest Bonus Round this morning on Gametrailers and one of the guys made a point that I completely agreed with. It wasn't about the 3DS specifically, but the sentiment still applies. The general point was that the guy didn't really want to play certain games on certain devices (such as racing games on the iPhone) because he can go and play superior racers on other formats.

 

Now, for me, the genre isn't the important aspect but rather the way the genre is embraced by the console it is on. For example, I had PES 2011 3D on the 3DS until recently. It was decent, but it certainly wasn't a patch on playing PES on the big screen with superior controls and less limitations.

 

If the 3DS officially gets a revamp with another Circle Pad, a lot of people will consider it 'great' that it can maybe now get ports from other consoles or can now play host to Dual Analog FPS games. Is that really what we want?

 

The original DS was at its best when it gave us experiences that we couldn't get on other consoles (Elite Beat Agents being an excellent example), not when it tried to bring us an inferior version of something that was available elsewhere. The Pro Evolution Soccer games on DS, for example, were terrible

 

I'm much more excited in seeing what way developers can take advantage of the system as it is than by trying to conform to what people believe is a requirement.

 

I recently stated in the PS Vita thread that I have no interest in that particular console. I know very little about it, in actuality, but I don't feel that it has something that I particularly NEED. It may be able to, in some ways, replicate the PS3 experience in the palm of your hand but if I want the PS3 experience, I can go buy a PS3. For the record, I find very little about the PS3 appealing anyway..

 

I've mentioned Pro Evolution Soccer a couple of times already but I'm gonna do it again as I feel it helps highlight elements of my analysis. I'm sure many of us had played the series on PS2 for years before either moving onto the FIFA or PES games of this generation. But what of the Wii version? It could have simply been a port of the PS2 game to be played with the Classic Controller, but is there much point in that when I can just play it on PS2 or a supposedly superior version on an HD console? I'm not convinced. The implementation of 'Playmaker' controls made the Wii version of the game relevant by offering something unique that couldn't be done on other hardware (certainly not at the time). Ideally, the game would have been built from the ground up for the Wii but still.. Konami can be commended for doing something different with the franchise and largely pulling it off

 

To summarise, what I'm saying is that I want games on the 3DS that I can't experience anywhere else, not something that feels like a watered down version of a similar game on another format.

 

Whatever your thoughts on the 3DS situation, I'm just happy that it gave me one of my favourite games of the year in Pilotwings Resort

Edited September 12, 2011 by nekunando

[Grazza]

With the second analogue addon confirmed, the only way forward for the 3DS seems to be an "XL" revision. It's incidentally also the only way to notably improve battery life: They have to build a device with a larger battery, not a smaller one with a smaller battery.

 

I very much agree. My biggest complaint about the 3DS was that it in some ways felt like a step-down from the DSi XL (which I've kept just to play Dragon Quest). Take the screen: only the resolution is better. The XL beats it for size and brightness.

 

So, I'd love a 3DS with a 5" top screen. I say 5" to match the Vita, plus to compensate for the fact it's widescreen. It's even possible the resolution could be increased for web browsing. The lower screen could say the same size (as odd as that sounds), thus giving extra room on the lower half for the extra Slide Pad.

 

I personally don't believe the 3DS really needs a second Circle Pad.. and it certainly doesn't need a redesign It is a really nice console that looks great and will have plenty of great games available in the not too distant future..

 

Strictly speaking, I don't think it needed one either (considering no handheld at that point had ever had two). Now the peripheral exists though, I think it's best to establish it as part of the system.

[Fused King]

@ /Nando/

 

I completely agree.

 

Now, if you would be so kind to grow an interest of Little King's Story in your brain, I would appreciate you even more

[ReZourceman]

I would like buttons that don't click.

[Dcubed]

So much for that redesign coming any time soon.

 

I don't think we'll be hearing about it until March 2012 at the very earliest.

[Serebii]

So sick of analysts and investors...

 

Beware. I come bearing a ridiculously poor written article. I bolded some key points which are either not researched well or are complete lies

 

(Reuters) - Nintendo's attempt to rescue its failed 3DS handheld games gadget failed to dispel market gloom, triggering a 5 percent share slide and stoking deep worries for an iconic brand desperate to win back users.

 

On Tuesday, President Satoru Iwata introduced what he said was an unprecedented range of games, aimed at attracting everyone from hardcore gamers to fashion-conscious girls and fans of the long-running Mario series.

 

The Japanese company also announced on its website a new 1,500 yen ($19) slidepad accessory needed for certain games.

 

But analysts and investors dismissed the line-up as lackluster and largely irrelevant in the face of cheap or free games played on the likes of Apple's iPhone and iPad and Google-powered Android devices.

 

Nintendo has been criticized for sticking rigidly to its own hardware, meaning it has no access to the new generation of mobile devices.

 

"I don't think the new games will make any difference," said Mitsushige Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment.

 

"Nintendo succeeded by pulling in people who weren't gamers and their needs now are no longer being filled by Nintendo, they are happy playing games on their mobile phones," he said.

 

Nintendo's shares ended 5 percent lower in a strong market. The Kyoto-based company's shares have plunged nearly 50 percent so far this year, hit by the 3DS flop and doubts that it can replicate the success of its Wii home console with the next generation WiiU, announced at the E3 games show in June.

 

Nintendo, which means "Leave luck to heaven," was forced to announce price cuts of up to 40 percent in July to try to boost slumping demand for the glasses-free 3D version of the DS, but this only temporarily spurred sales.

 

In July, Nintendo slashed its outlook for the business year to end-March to its lowest in 27 years as it braced for losses from the 3D gadget and a stronger yen.

 

In a subdued Tokyo conference hall on Tuesday, an appearance by the company's star game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, wielding a toy sword and shield raised a laugh, but a series of 3DS game images depicting Miyamoto and Iwata as a pair of young lovers was met with silence.

 

LINE-UP OF GAMES

 

"From the end of this year to the beginning of next, we are planning the kind of extensive line-up that has probably never been seen before in the history of video games," Iwata told reporters and guests.

 

"We will make an all-out effort to see that the 3DS sells enough to become the successor to the DS," Iwata said.

 

That will be no easy task, given that earlier models of the DS had sold a cumulative total of about 148 million units by the end of June this year. The gadget, along with the motion-controlled Wii home console, enabled Nintendo to dominate the industry for years.

 

In Japan, 3DS sales leaped to more than 200,000 units in the week of the price cut, but swiftly fell back to about 55,000 units, according to research firm Enterbrain.

 

That leaves only the secretive company's famed content, never made available on other firms' hardware, to revive sales.

 

"The only possible way for Nintendo to revive would be to stop concentrating on mobile games and switch to Wii-type games for the whole family," said Makoto Kikuchi, CEO of Myojo Asset Management. "However, at the moment, I can't see this change coming."

 

Iwata took a 50 percent pay cut, and other executives took 20-30 percent cuts to take responsibility for the poor performance.

 

Analysts have cut their full-year operating profit forecasts for Nintendo by an average of 45 percent in the past 30 days and the stock is now trading at 45 times its estimated forward 12-month earnings, according to Thomson Reuters data.

 

Shares in software provider Capcom slumped by 8.3 percent after the company said it would be developing the next generation of its hit Monster Hunter game for the 3DS.

 

Nintendo slashed the price of the 3DS after sales shriveled to just 710,000 units in April-June from 3.6 million in the first month after its launch, and a tiny fraction of the 16 million unit target for the year.

 

Macquarie Securities analyst David Gibson said he still expected the 3DS gadget to sell about 14.5 million units over the year. ($1 = 77.000 Japanese Yen)

 

 

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/09/13/us-nintendo-idUKTRE78C0PF20110913

 

I don't get investors. They demand Nintendo go against the norm, so they do, and then they demand Nintendo conform. It's doing my head in.

Edited September 13, 2011 by Serebii

[david.dakota]

Investors have little to no knowledge of the market - they care about results, ie profit. They're not a great representation of things. But they are influential; this Christmas will be make or break for Iwata; if he cannot turn things around - or at least stabilise the share price - investors will remove him, he needs their confidence.

 

Put simply investors have seen Apple run amok in the market place, they've seen a handful of app games hit the mainstream and make big dollars. They want a piece of that pie (i'd suggest they fuck off and buy shares in Apple, personally). Nintendo is profitable - Iwata is too shrewd to make basic profitability mistakes - but the 3DS has failed to keep stock prices high. Investors have lost hundreds of millions; they're understandably pissed.

 

Of course, Nintendo have some incredible games lined up for Christmas - system shifters like Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, Monster Hunter TriG (at least in Japan) and they're following through with Kid Icarus and RE Revelations early 2012. A constant stream of software is essential going forward. Icarus has probably been pushed back to ensure that constant stream of cash - the 3DS is not going to support 'evergreen' titles.

 

There is a distinct lack of western games in the market; this can be remedied by buying 3-4 promising developers - Nintendo need to drive that market too.

 

"The only possible way for Nintendo to revive would be to stop concentrating on mobile games and switch to Wii-type games for the whole family,"

 

I tend to agree with this sentiment though (although 'revive' seems to suggest Nintendo is dead); its hard to see how Nintendo can regain the handheld market without building a phone. The home console market is unscathed by Apple and Android; Nintendo need to capitalise on it.

Edited September 13, 2011 by david.dakota

[dazzybee]

Annoucement of another update in November. 3D video recording, some replacements/additions to plaza and quest games. NO MENTION OF MESSAGING!!!

[Burny]

I tend to agree with this sentiment though (although 'revive' seems to suggest Nintendo is dead); its hard to see how Nintendo can regain the handheld market without building a phone. The home console market is unscathed by Apple and Android; Nintendo need to capitalise on it.

 

I'm calling it now: If Nintendo manages to keep the 3DS on track and sit through this generation without being torn apart by disappointed shareholders, Nintendo's next system will try to unify their handheld and home console gaming platforms somehow.

 

I can't see them just giving up the handheld market entirely to smartphones. It has been too profitable for them in the past.

[heroicjanitor]

The most profitable iphone game (Angry Birds) made 50million. That's fuck-all compared to what Nintendo games make in profit.

[bryanee]

In regards to the stock price drop that happened before the conference even start and then went back afterwards.

[Dcubed]

So sick of analysts and investors...

 

Beware. I come bearing a ridiculously poor written article. I bolded some key points which are either not researched well or are complete lies

 

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/09/13/us-nintendo-idUKTRE78C0PF20110913

 

I don't get investors. They demand Nintendo go against the norm, so they do, and then they demand Nintendo conform. It's doing my head in.

 

Simple. Investors/shareholders care only about short term gains, while the CEO of a company (should at least!) care about the mid/longterm.

 

It's a classic conflict of interest and it's not a phenomenon that is unique to Nintendo. Almost every public company is subject to it (that's one of the first things I learnt as part of my degree - Business & Marketing in case you're wondering!)

 

The shareholders want Nintendo to jump on the latest trend/fad because it would mean a quick short term gain that makes them money personally. Iwata is thankfully smart (and confident) enough to put the company's long term health over the demands of their shareholders.

 

One company that actually serves as the opposite to this rule is Activision, where short term gains are all that matter to them (see Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk and soon to be Call of Duty), at the expense of the company's long term health. Kotick probably plans on jumping ship as soon as the COD and WOW cash cows are good and dead (with Activision collapsing into a pile of dust)

Edited September 15, 2011 by Dcubed

[Debug Mode]

The most profitable iphone game (Angry Birds) made 50million. That's fuck-all compared to what Nintendo games make in profit.

 

But correlate that to the development time and resources needed.

 

I'm worried. A lack of interest was seen after Nintendo's conference (although it made its way back up in the second half of the trading day, it promptly fell straight back down the next day). Sony saw marginal interest after their conference (But keep in mind, Sony has fingers in maaany electronic pies).

 

We could be looking at the early indicators that our current perception of handheld gaming is dying.