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Dante

3DS Console Discussion

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I'm very excited about this machine. Graphics are good, game line-up is excellent and the design is OK considering it has to be backwards compatible. However, the one thing that disappoints me is the resolution: 400x240 (effectively) versus 256x192 for the DS Lite. The PSP is 480x272, the iPhone 3GS 480x320 and the iPhone 4 a staggering 960x640.

 

The reason I say this is because the original DS just didn't seem high-enough resolution to me and a vertical resolution of 240 pixels isn't a great deal higher. Hopefully it'll be just enough, but it is well below other devices with the same size screen nowadays.

 

I've absolutely no technical knowledge, but I read this elsewhere, it sounds intelligent, and it may allay some of your fears.

 

Possibly more important than the resolution, is the dpi, after all, saying 400x240 sounds quite low resolution, since we're used to hearing about resolutions on big TVs, but if you point out that the screens on the 3DS are 133 dpi, which is higher resolution than most computer monitors, it takes on quite a different meaning.

In fact, that's a higher dpi than any full HD (1080/1920) screen 17" or more.

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My phone has a similar resolution to the 3DS and it's crystal clear. From what I can see, anything that requires a higher resolution would simply be too small to see. Luckily Nintendo aren't a "my number is bigger than yours" company.

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DPI is Dots Per Inch, or Dot Pitch is the measurement of the space between sub-pixels (3 per pixel). A high DPI+ a small screen size gives a high PPI (Pixels Per Inch), higher PPI gives sharper images.

 

It's a balancing act though. On a screen this small fine details will be lost while on a larger screen with lower PPI the details are there even if the image isn't as sharp. Of course, the larger screen you don't notice that the image isn't as sharp.

 

Also note that Resolution has more of an effect on developing the games. It's easier for hardware to run at such low sizes regardless of the DPI/PPI.

Edited by Nolan

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Nintendo 3DS Specs Comparison: 3DS vs PSP and iPhone 3GS

 

Iwata: Nintendo Doesn't Expect To Sell 3DS Below Production Costs

 

Unlike competing video game hardware manufacturers, Nintendo typically makes sure that it sells its video game hardware at or above production costs, and the 3DS is no exception, said Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata in an interview with VentureBeat.

 

"I have to refrain from talking specifically about the price point," Iwata said. "What I can confirm is that, in terms of the production costs, it will cost more than the costs for the Nintendo DS today."

 

He added, "Having said that, we believe we will produce enough value worthy of the production cost. We do not think we have to sell the products below cost."

 

The 3DS boasts a 3.5-inch top screen that uses the latest parallax barrier technology to display a 3D image without glasses. Other features include a Pica 200 graphics core process from Japanese hardware firm DMP, three camera lenses, two of which enable 3D photos and a second 2D touch screen.

 

Nintendo has remained quiet on a release date and price for the 3DS. When the original DS launched in North America in 2004, it retailed for $150. One analyst said that a $199 price point for the 3DS "is the best bet."

 

Typically, video game hardware manufacturers sell consoles at a loss, and make up for those losses through the first- and third-party sales of high-margin software. For instance, supply chain analyst firm iSuppli estimated in 2006 that for the $499 PlayStation 20GB model, Sony lost over $300 per console. iSupply found in December 2009 that Sony reduced per-console losses to just $37.

 

Iwata also said that the 3DS is not a response to Apple's popular iPhone or iPad. "It was not our goal to [create the 3DS as an answer to Apple], but if people think that, it is the result. We never try to think in terms of any competitive product or company. If you do that, you just focus on a certain narrow area."

Edited by Dante

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On the other hand, because the visual capabilities of Nintendo 3DS are more powerful than the existing Nintendo DS, if you are going to take full advantage of the graphics capability of Nintendo 3DS, the development cost is also expected to rise.

 

Therefore, if developers decide to try and maximize the graphical powers of the system, then the cost would be more expensive than what it is currently for Nintendo DS and may potentially approach the cost of developing Wii software.

 

Looks like the days of picking up great DS games for less than £5 are over. :(

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Looks like the days of picking up great DS games for less than £5 are over. :(

 

Let's face it, it was a guilty pleasure any way =(

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Looks like the days of picking up great DS games for less than £5 are over. :(
Just be sure to stock up on games now!

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Nintendo has pushed back its planned 3DS UK release date until early December, CVG has been told by a high-ranking source close to UK retail.

According to our informant, marketing for the device will still kick in towards the end of October, but the handheld won't arrive in stores until just before Christmas - and with limited stock.

 

"Early indications to us are that the launch is going to emulate Wii in December," our source told us. "We've been informed that Nintendo wanted a long run-up to Christmas, but now it's going to be a close-run thing. We're not expecting a lot of stock before next year."

 

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=252870

 

Please be true! (Though not so much about the short supply).

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If that's true I might actually buy and resell on eBay, seems to be the way to do things nowadays.

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Nintendo to make "serious" 3DS titles

 

While Nintendo's focus seemed to be squarely on first-party development, the publisher also stressed that the 3DS would also launch with ample third-party support. The company has now reiterated its aim to better embrace external publishers, with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata telling Japanese news service Nikkei that he intends to work more closely with developers in order to "expand into elaborate games targeting serious gamers".

 

The wave of third-party titles announced so far for the new Nintendo handheld seem to back up Iwata's statements, with titles like Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D - The Naked Sample, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Pro Evolution Soccer, Dead or Alive 3D, Resident Evil Revelations, Ninja Gaiden, Pac-Man & Galaga, and Dragon Ball would all be coming to the 3DS, as well as a spate of unnamed titles from developers like Harmonix, Take-Two, Atlus, AQ Interactive, Disney Interactive Studios, Hudson Soft, Majesco, Marvelous Entertainment, and Sega.

 

In the Nikkei interview, Iwata went on to suggest that the current DS and its software only caters to those who do not play games, something that he hoped to rectify with the 3DS in terms of advances in graphics and gameplay. Recognizing this shift in focus from first-party to third-party development, Iwata told Nikkei that Nintendo went to great lengths to incorporate software developers' requests when making the 3DS, and called on these developers to make games for the new system.

 

"These partnerships are good for both Nintendo and the software developers," Iwata said.

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Is it at all possible for Epic Games to produce a title for the 3DS or are they completely locked into Microsoft?

 

Just because the comments at the start of this video got me thinking!...

 

Edited by Retro_Link

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I thought it was just the Gears series that was locked into Microsoft.

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Microsoft don't own Epic Games, so they're free to make anything (apart from Gears of War) for any other platform.

 

 

"Iwata went on to suggest that the current DS and its software only caters to those who do not play games"

 

Really? I have a hell of a lot of DS games that the "casual" gamers would probably struggle with.

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Although, Microsoft owned series have been known to appear on the DS. Mechwarrior and Viva Pinata spring to mind.

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Although, Microsoft owned series have been known to appear on the DS. Mechwarrior and Viva Pinata spring to mind.

 

Very true, I forgot about that. I really can't see Gears of War popping up on the 3DS though, they'd need a larger team working on it than was devoted to Viva Pinata.

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Doesn't have to be Gears, but just the thought of Epic Games loving the system and potentially wanting to work on it is good enough for me!

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Doesn't have to be Gears, but just the thought of Epic Games loving the system and potentially wanting to work on it is good enough for me!

 

For me, just the thought of Epic Games loving the system and potentially wanting to work on it is enough to make my eyes vomit and excrete at the same time.

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If they're willing to make a game that doesn't have the artistic sensibility of some dog sick, sure.

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Whilst Epic Games are not my cup of tea, and Zelda: Spirit Tracks is the best thing I've ever played on a handheld, it's good that many developers are interested in the 3DS. I don't care if people think I'm a graphics whore - truly great systems need serious polygon-crunching power. There's nothing shallow about that. Hopefully now Nintendo are releasing a handheld with decent processing and graphical power, they'll be rewarded for it. (By the looks of it, they already are.)

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I was just reading IGN's editor impressions of the 3DS and saw Daemon Hatfield complaining he can't see the effect due to bad eyesight.

 

I'm actually starting to feel bad for all the people out there who'll never be able to see the system's selling point.

 

I wonder how well the effect works with older people with poorer or more unbalanced eyesight too...

 

The 3DS is already coming across as definitely a more hardcore system than the DS I think, since right off the bad they're selling it with a main feature that NOT everyone can enjoy!

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If that's true I might actually buy and resell on eBay, seems to be the way to do things nowadays.

 

Yes it is the way. The way to becoming a complete bastard.

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Yeah dude. I mean I might lay down a few pre-orders just to ensure I get one, but if I do get two the first place I'll go is here (N-Europe) and sell to someone for price I got it + P&P to someone who missed out.

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Yes it is the way. The way to becoming a complete bastard.

 

Shit son, you sound upset!

 

I don't think there's any thing wrong with selling on ebay if it's sold out. Put a low price tag and leave it to see how much people are willing to pay. I'm probably going to do the same, I did it for the DSi and made a very quick sell to CEX before they stopped buying it for over the RRP.

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