Nintendo 3DS - General Discussion Thread

[quote name='SaraAB']A lot of parents don't know about freemium games, games that lure you in and make you pay per item or whatever or else you can't continue the game. These games are becoming more and more prevalent on iPod touch, so when their kids start begging for in-game items they have no clue what to do. There are good full version games on iPod touch, but those are becoming harder and harder to find with almost every game going freemium because its so profitable.[/QUOTE]

That's quite a bit of an overstatement. There are lots of games coming out for iOS every week that aren't freemium. And others that are. Freemium doesn't work for everything.

I agree, though, that kids are getting hand-me-down iPod touches and such and that the games are far less expensive.
 
[quote name='SuperPhillip']That would be something to put around your "waist of time".[/QUOTE]


I thought you put a space belt around a time waist.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Sony is making the same mistake with the Vita. It's also far too expensive for a gaming handheld and, especially now that Nintendo is dramatically dropping the price of the 3DS, it's going to be a hard sell. There will be early adopters, just like the 3DS had, but then it will be a flop almost certainly.[/QUOTE]

The vita is gonna be a hard sell now because you can buy a home console for less. You can buy the entry level Xbox 360 or the Nintendo Wii for less and the PS3 only costs $50 more. Might push those who were on the fence about the Vita to go for the PS3. Home consoles just hold more value for your average buyer than handhelds do, especially with the insane popularity of smartphones. Most people don't see the need for more than one portable.

As for me I already made my decision after reviewing the game libraries for all systems out there, I am getting the Xbox 360 this holiday season. I need something with a massive game library and the Xbox 360 has that.

I don't think the Vita is gonna be selling much this holiday season, Sony fanboys will buy it and some will buy it but the majority will not. Kids who specifically ask for the Vita will likely get the Vita but not every kid asks for something specific. People will always pick the cheaper product that they don't have when faced with a shelf of options, this comes from years of watching people shop. People will purchase the 3DS en masse this holiday season since it is now the cheaper product. If by some chance the Vita goes down to $199 then it has a chance to sell tons. People may start to purchase the Vita if the 3DS is sold out everywhere, paranoid parents who think the 3DS will blind their kids may also purchase the Vita, but I would think these parents probably think any handheld is damaging to a kids eyes so they will probably not buy a handheld. Even after the holiday season I expect 3DS sales to remain strong through next year, at least the first part of the year, due to the lower price.
 
Nintendo will have Super Mario and Mario Kart this holiday. 2 Guaranteed System Sellers. Vita will have Uncharted...I guess? Uncharted is a game I want to play on a big TV, like God of War. There's no real point in playing it on handheld, especially when the experience will be better on a TV.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']Nintendo will have Super Mario and Mario Kart this holiday. 2 Guaranteed System Sellers. Vita will have Uncharted...I guess? Uncharted is a game I want to play on a big TV, like God of War. There's no real point in playing it on handheld, especially when the experience will be better on a TV.[/QUOTE]

And Little Big Planet, with a touch screen, early previews are already touting it as a possible killer app.

Then there's Hot Shots Golf, which was, and still is, one of the best franchises on the original PSP.

Oh yeah, Ruin too which has the nifty PS3 to Vita functionality and just plain looks great.

But yeah, Vita's royally fucked cause it ain't got no games... :roll:
 
Wipeout 2048 (Wipeout HD + new maps)

A Capcom game, possibly Street Fighter vs Tekken.

Rumors that Disgaea 3 will be a launch title for the Vita.

Nope, absolutely nothing. We'll be using it to... oh wait, we can play downloaded PSP/PS1 games on it too. Absolutely nothing.

Edit: I guess there's no Mario games on it at launch. But the 3DS still doesn't have that either.
 
^^^
Why would I play SF X Tekken on Vita? Fighters deserve to played on a Stick.

And if you're going to throw Wipeout 2048 and Disgaea 3 out there, I'm sorry, but there are better versions of those games on the PS3.


[quote name='RedvsBlue']And Little Big Planet, with a touch screen, early previews are already touting it as a possible killer app.

Then there's Hot Shots Golf, which was, and still is, one of the best franchises on the original PSP.

Oh yeah, Ruin too which has the nifty PS3 to Vita functionality and just plain looks great.

But yeah, Vita's royally fucked cause it ain't got no games... :roll:[/QUOTE]

Little Big Planet isn't a system seller. People will say 'LBP? I already have that on PS3. I'll play it there.'

And Host Shots Golf? LOLOLOLOL. That series has been around since PS1! I kindly ask that you stay informed.

I'm not saying it's fucked cuz it has no games. I'm saying it's fucked cuz it has no system seller. As much as the media loves LBP, consumers aren't as in love with Sackboy as they are Mario. And in the same timeframe, when it's Mario vs. Sackboy, Mario will murder the crap out of Sackboy.

EDIT:
And I'd say God of War would be a system seller, however they just keep porting those games to PS3 for some reason.
 
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Yeah, we all know there are great titles headed to Vita, but which are actually confirmed to be launch titles, again?

It's hard to speculate about the library argument, as we actually have no idea which games will be headed to each system. With Nintendo having two Mario games out, and the $80 price difference, that's all they need. Even IF Uncharted & LBP are part of the launch, I'd still say Vita takes a major loss. And that's coming from a guy who loves Sony and wants to see them succeed. Has Nintendo done wwll with their new handheld this year? Not really, but even I don't expect Vita to pound the 3DS(or even have a close race, for that matter).

*EDIT* To join in on the "These games are better suited for the tv, so I'll only play it there" debate, I think you're looking at it the wrong way. It's not about getting a gimped experience and feeling shafted because you don't have the larger screen and surround sound, it's about getting as much of any specific franchise as you can. I'm a big fan of Uncharted, and I'll take it whatever way I can. I'll gladly play Uncharted 3 later this year, and be equally excited about the portable version just because I love the world and the characters. Also, I fully enjoyed Ghost of Sparta much more than I did GowIII. Taking the top tier gaming experience and successfully putting it on a portable system can and has happened many times. These portable games are giving you just as many features and have just as much great gameplay these days.
 
Nintendo's NEVER sold a system at a loss before, as far as I know. I think what they're trying to do is have people ask 'XL or 3DS?' and as much as I like the 3DS, right now, I'd say XL. Unless Nintendo got a 3D version of Avatar up on their shop this holiday and promoted the hell out of it.
 
Gamecube was sold at a slight loss twice. Once during the first holiday season, once after the drop to $99. Profitability was returned within months.
 
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[quote name='KingBroly']^^^
Why would I play SF X Tekken on Vita? Fighters deserve to played on a Stick.

And if you're going to throw Wipeout 2048 and Disgaea 3 out there, I'm sorry, but there are better versions of those games on the PS3.




Little Big Planet isn't a system seller. People will say 'LBP? I already have that on PS3. I'll play it there.'

And Host Shots Golf? LOLOLOLOL. That series has been around since PS1! I kindly ask that you stay informed.

I'm not saying it's fucked cuz it has no games. I'm saying it's fucked cuz it has no system seller. As much as the media loves LBP, consumers aren't as in love with Sackboy as they are Mario. And in the same timeframe, when it's Mario vs. Sackboy, Mario will murder the crap out of Sackboy.

EDIT:
And I'd say God of War would be a system seller, however they just keep porting those games to PS3 for some reason.[/QUOTE]

I realize that HoSt Shots Golf has been around since PS1 but what I said still remains to be true, it was one if the best series on PSP. I guess New Super Mario Brothers shouldn't be mentioned for DS, Wii, or a possible 3DS version cause that game was already out on NES...

As for LBP, if your gonna go down the road of consumers not buying it because they can play it elsewhere, let's take a look at 3DS's holiday lineup. Mario Kart (available elsewhere all the way back to SNES), Luigi's Mansion (well there's already a Gamecube version why not get that), Paper Mario (might as well get the Wii version), Animal Crossing (DS, Gamecube, and Wii already available), Stat Fox (straight up port of a 64game...) and Super Mario (oh yeah, lots of versions of that already available. Basically that leaves us with what Kid Icarus... Sure it might be good, sure its a beloved franchise with a new take on the game but many consumers these days will have forgotten what Kid Icarus is so its gonna be a hard sell likely to not be a system mover.

There's lots of opportunities for comparing 3DS and Vita but one area where they're seemingly going to be equal will be with game availability. To say Vita has nothing to draw (no killer app) is just silly because the 3DS is and will be in the exact same position.
 
You can't discredit Uncharted because it's a PS3 series- it's a brand new entry, not a rehash. It's like the others are saying- You can't say Mario Kart 7 (9?) isn't worth your time when you can play Mario Kart Wii.

Also- whenever you say "I'd rather play that on my PS3", you need to consider that some people play handhelds because of lengthy commutes, travel that keeps them from their PS3, or because their family doesn't give them the TV long enough to play their PS3 all night.
 
[quote name='RedvsBlue']I realize that HoSt Shots Golf has been around since PS1 but what I said still remains to be true, it was one if the best series on PSP.[/quote]
If it is, no wonder PSP was such a failure in my book. I thought the game wasn't that great when I owned it and supposely I have been told better games came out later... I guess not if you consider this one of the greats... your argument failed for me with this comment.

I guess New Super Mario Brothers shouldn't be mentioned for DS, Wii, or a possible 3DS version cause that game was already out on NES...
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Hot Shots Golf shouldn't be mentioned because it's not that great of a game. Most people who want to play golf games choose Tiger Woods, not Hot Shots Golf.

As for LBP, if your gonna go down the road of consumers not buying it because they can play it elsewhere,
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It's not that LBP aren't great games. They are quite fun. But like someone stated above, it is not a Mario-like system seller game. No one will buy a Vita to play LBP like someone will to play Mario or Zelda. Just saying.

let's take a look at 3DS's holiday lineup. Mario Kart (available elsewhere all the way back to SNES), Luigi's Mansion (well there's already a Gamecube version why not get that), Paper Mario (might as well get the Wii version), Animal Crossing (DS, Gamecube, and Wii already available), Stat Fox (straight up port of a 64game...) and Super Mario (oh yeah, lots of versions of that already available. Basically that leaves us with what Kid Icarus... Sure it might be good, sure its a beloved franchise with a new take on the game but many consumers these days will have forgotten what Kid Icarus is so its gonna be a hard sell likely to not be a system mover.
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Mario Land itself is the system seller. You have 8 proven Nintendo franchises available by end of year. Playstation has 1 maybe 2 (again they haven't given any release dates) proven titles. Uncharted no doubt will pull in some people to get a Vita. But once they finish it... who knows what you look forward to.

The rest of the games listed are a joke. Wipeout = failure. Street fighter = 3ds has one; though why get a fighter on a handheld. Disgaea = too niche/port. Ruin = nothing special to sell a system. Hot Shots = see above.
 
Interesting article on IGN about the 3DS:

History Says the 3DS is Doomed

Nintendo's past sheds light on the fate of the 3DS.

July 29, 2011

With the announcement of the Nintendo 3DS getting a price drop, Nintendo hopes to turn around the lackluster sales of the handheld and get back on track. There's just one problem: That has never worked for Nintendo.

The fact is that Nintendo has never turned around the failure of a console or handheld by doing a price drop. What's more, every system they've had that had a price drop within six months turned out to be a commercial disappointment.

Now, it's easy to point to the Virtual Boy every time Nintendo sales falter, but it really is the classic example, and there are some unfortunate parallels between that system and the 3DS. Not to say that the 3DS is the colossal failure that the Virtual Boy ended up being, but there are some other similarities with the 3DS, and Nintendo's other consoles.

Just look at the other evidence. Back in the mid-90s, Nintendo was on top of the video game heap. They had effectively won the console wars with the Super Nintendo. However the launch of the Nintendo 64 was marred by lackluster sales. Whether it was due to more expensive games, or the competition's head start, the N64 did not perform as well as predicted, and Nintendo lost the lead. They tried multiple price drops, but it didn't save the system (which had some of the best games of the time).

The next generation didn't fare any better with the GameCube. Coming into the race in third place, Nintendo was never able to catch up, and lost more ground to the Xbox and the PlayStation 2.

Both of these systems got significant price drops within six months of their release. And both of these systems continued to underperform for their entire lifespan, despite great games, and additional price cuts.

By comparison, Nintendo's popular systems, the ones that succeeded, don't get price drops for years. It took the NES six years to get a discount. And the Wii went almost three before it got a cut. The Nintendo DS only got a price drop after Nintendo released the DS Lite over a year and a half later.

Is it a sure thing that the 3DS is going to continue to underperform? No, not necessarily. All of these situations are different, and the effort Nintendo is putting into incentivizing the system is unprecedented. But it's something to be wary of. History has shown that when consumers decide they don't want a system right out of the gate, it's really hard to ever change their mind.


http://ds.ign.com/articles/118/1184980p1.html
 
^The problem with that is that the 3DS is backwards compatible with the DS. Worst case scenario, they just take the DS off the market and force people's hands.

Then start releasing nothing buy 3DS games.
 
[quote name='nbballard']they just take the DS off the market and force people's hands.

Then start releasing nothing buy 3DS games.[/QUOTE]

I think you overestimate how much the market can command/create its own demand.

If Nintendo has not been able to convert as many people to the console as they want, the proper response, from a business standpoint, is not "convert as many people to the console." That's what they're trying to figure out, not the answer in and of itself.

You also neglect that "handheld gaming" is changing. I don't think dedicated handheld consoles are going to go away anytime soon, mind. But smart phones are killing in the handheld gaming market.
 
The 3DS should win this generation but I think Vita will make it closer than the DS/PSP battle. The 3DS should win because it is cheaper (should get to The $130 point at some point which people gobbled up), and caters extremely well to the kids market which shouldn't be as affected by smart phones/ipod touches.

However, I do think it's ironic that people are saying all the Vita games are better on PS3. Mario Land 3D and Mario Kart 7 look to be good games, but I'd be surprised if their iterations were better than what is available on Wii. And I'd much rather play my games on my 50" tv than the 3.25" 3DS even if I lose the 3D affect. So people that buy handheld systems are clearly looking for entertainment to go and aren't really affected by the console market.

Mario is a big series, no doubt, but the N64 and Gamecube showed Mario alone can't pull a console. And the Vita now has a touchscreen. That means 95% of the games that were made for the DS can now be ported to the Vita. Maybe they won't be but the library of the DS dominated the PSP from top to bottom. If Vita can make strides there, it will be competitive.
 
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[quote name='seanr1221']Yerp. Myke is pretty much spot on here.

Smart phones and iPod Touches have changed the playing field in the portable world.[/QUOTE]

And that totally sucks. I've at had at least one of each myself at one point, but I don't want $2 games to fill my portable gaming gaps whenever I want/need them. Touchscreen controls fail way more often then not and I'm actually a bit scared at how much of an affect this is having on the market. Do I think these games shouldn't exist? Of course not, I myself will even admit that there are a good many good games out there that fit the criteria mentioned above. But that's not what I want when I'm traveling, wanting to play something on my lunchbreak, or have a gaming itch while I'm in bed at night.

I don't think the portable consoles are going away any time soon, and I'm not all panicked like so many others are thinking the 3DS is a failure now. It's not. And it won't be. But all these bite-sized games are definitely not helping out my favorite past time... At least not for the best, I think. And certainly not in the way I would be happy with.
 
I'll be playing mario after they announce bankruptcy.

Mixer it's not that bad. Hard core gamers are certainly not going to be satisfied with $2 games, so the market isn't going away. And studies like EA, gobbled up PopCap, so it shouldn't take away from the developmental resources. What are going to be lost are people that weren't really into gaming to begin with. So it'll just segment the casual/hard core market more, which before the Wii/PS2 were already segmented.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']I think you overestimate how much the market can command/create its own demand.

If Nintendo has not been able to convert as many people to the console as they want, the proper response, from a business standpoint, is not "convert as many people to the console." That's what they're trying to figure out, not the answer in and of itself.

You also neglect that "handheld gaming" is changing. I don't think dedicated handheld consoles are going to go away anytime soon, mind. But smart phones are killing in the handheld gaming market.[/QUOTE]

1st, let me say that I wasn't suggesting that as an alternative to the current course of action. I was saying that now that the new price point has been established, Nintendo might want to consider not supporting the DSi.

I understand that the market has been split by the iphone and the App store pricing model, but I don't think that's the problem. According to vgcharts- they sold 120,000 DS units in the past month. That's 50,000 more than the 3DS. That's 170,000 consumers in the last month that don't have a problem with the nintendo price model. Now, assuming that you can't get a DS lite anymore (out of production) and all those units are DSi or DSiXL, then those customers aren't getting any alternative functionality out of those units (like GBA compatibility). The DSi starts at $150, and the DSiXL is $169.

If you take those off the market, people are going to naturally gravitate to the 3DS once Nintendo has made the 3DS the only method of entry into that library. They might not get all of the existing players to upgrade their systems over with that method, but increasing sales of the 3DS by almost 200% might be worth it.

I guess at the end of the day they have to weigh in the profit margin of a DSi purchase and lifetime attach rate this late in the systems life for DS games against selling 3DS at a loss and the lifetime attach rate for DS and 3DS games.
 
[quote name='RELISCH']this thread is a major clusterfuck of "nintendo is done for." until they announce that they are bankrupt, i'm gonna be playing mario.[/QUOTE]

This, and fuck the iOS/mobile phone shit.. I'd rather pay a premium for games that are worth it than pay a buck or two for utter garbage. If dedicated handheld systems go away, I'll probably get rich off of that alone ;).
 
It's easy for us to say we'd much rather play full priced actual games, rather than 99 cent minigames on your cell phone. The problem is that we are a minority, a vocal minority sure, but still a minority. I would say probably a good 85 to 90 percent of the market for video games these days are either A. Casual gamers who will be satisfied with the cell phone games and won't want to pay a premium for the 3DS and its games and B. Console junkies that are only interested in whatever flavor of the week game is out be it Call of Duty, Halo, Marvel vs Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat, etc. These people have no interest or at least extremely limited interest in portable gaming in the first place, so they too won't be buying a DS and its games.

The biggest problem Nintendo is facing is the fact that it spent the entire last decade destroying any good will it had with it's loyal fanbase. With the Wii, they reinvented gaming, brining in an entirely new market of games who otherwise did not and would not be playing video games. What they are realizing now is that this is not a long term market strategy, since Joe Consumer is fickle, and cheap. People bought their Wii, had some fun, then let it collect dust. With the 3DS, all these same casual gamers they spent so much time and money trying to court have moved onto cell phone gaming.

Unfortunately if that is the lesson Nintendo learns, then I don't really see there being much left for them. They've abandoned the hardcore gamers and their loyal fanbase, and I don't think they have what it takes to bring them back. As innovative as their last console was, Nintendo is quickly finding themselves left in the dust by new technology.
 
Personally, I'm a handheld gamer more than a console gamer at this point in time. Pretty much have been since Gameboy Color. It's my opinion that until Apple or more phone makers include actual controls (d-pad or joystick with buttons), dedicated handhelds like the 3DS or Vita will not go away. I have an Ipod Touch and have downloaded a ton of games to it. Most have crap controls where my thumbs cover up the screen. If that was my only choice of portable gaming, I'd continue to play the handhelds I've collected in the past. Without decent controls, I won't be jumping on that bandwagon. The 3DS is an awesome device and I expect great things from Vita as well.
 
"History has shown that when consumers decide they don't want a system right out of the gate, it's really hard to ever change their mind."

I read that at IGN, and that's what worries me most for the 3DS. How long is the lifespan on this thing gonna be? I bought into HD DVD, and I never wanna do that again with a product. Have it last a year or two then boom, bye-bye content. Nintendo really needs to advertise HARD this holiday, and PUT OUT SOME DAMN GAMES!!! Maybe even throw in some incentives to 3rd party developers to make quality titles for the system because apparently they're all pushing their games back until the attach rate is higher.

The only 2 games even worth owning at this point are Zelda and SSF4... both of which can be played on other consoles, and are old games. What the next big game? Starfox 64? Didn't like it then, don't feel like paying $40 for it now. Mario Kart, and Super Mario 3D need to be AAA quality. Nintendo should even consider a holiday bundle with a 3DS & one of those games for $175.
 
Pac-Man and Galaga dimensions also has only one save file, and you cannot erase it at all. Just letting you all know.

http://www.gametab.com/news/3760175/



[quote name='nbballard']1st, let me say that I wasn't suggesting that as an alternative to the current course of action. I was saying that now that the new price point has been established, Nintendo might want to consider not supporting the DSi.

I understand that the market has been split by the iphone and the App store pricing model, but I don't think that's the problem. According to vgcharts- they sold 120,000 DS units in the past month. That's 50,000 more than the 3DS. That's 170,000 consumers in the last month that don't have a problem with the nintendo price model. Now, assuming that you can't get a DS lite anymore (out of production) and all those units are DSi or DSiXL, then those customers aren't getting any alternative functionality out of those units (like GBA compatibility). The DSi starts at $150, and the DSiXL is $169.

If you take those off the market, people are going to naturally gravitate to the 3DS once Nintendo has made the 3DS the only method of entry into that library. They might not get all of the existing players to upgrade their systems over with that method, but increasing sales of the 3DS by almost 200% might be worth it.

I guess at the end of the day they have to weigh in the profit margin of a DSi purchase and lifetime attach rate this late in the systems life for DS games against selling 3DS at a loss and the lifetime attach rate for DS and 3DS games.[/QUOTE]

I have to agree with this. They might be able to move systems but what are the attachment rates for the games? If the games are $40 and do not deliver enough content to justify that $40 then are people going to buy more of them?? Are they going to buy them brand new, or will they wait for price drops on games, which will inevitably happen. They might buy the system and one game, decide its not worth it, and then sell it. More people might move to used games, which everyone seems to be hating on used games right now. I fully support the purchase and sale of used games. I personally blow through a lot of DS games and once I finish playing it just feels like the game is done and its time to sell it and move to the next game. I don't think there are too many DS games that are actually worth $30 and over to purchase new (pokemon main series games are the rare exceptions). Its easy to buy DS games for $5-15 on ebay as well which means the resale value on them is pretty low. Some casual gamers are satisfied to buy the system and one super mario game and they just don't buy any more, much like what happened with Wii and Wii Sports.

The iPod touch and smartphones honestly aren't bad tools for gaming at all. Some games have control issues but some games like geometry wars are very comfortable to play with a touch screen since you do not have to jam your fingers on buttons which means you can play longer without your fingers hurting. Point and click adventure games work extremely well. There are only 2 buttons on geometry wars so its hard to miss where your fingers are supposed to go. I have mentioned it on this forum before but Its also better if you put a small piece of clear contact paper or the window cling stuff over the buttons so you can feel where they are, this has worked well for me. Really surprised that no one has made a smartphone with a small d-pad and 2 action buttons other than the Xperia play.

I would still rather pay $5-20 for a full gaming experience, which is normally what I pay for a game when I buy used on ebay. If I somehow get forced into paying $60 for a game then I would rather pay 0.99 for the iOS game. It may not be as good but there isn't any game out there right now that I can think of that is worth $60 to me. I can also sell the game when I am done, recouping some of the money.
 
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Yes, but we get the upgraded versions for free as well. And the eShop has a place where you can quickly update things you've bought in the menu.

Basically, multiplayer and manuals are missing. They probably have reprogram those things, which takes time.
 
[quote name='Chris in Cali']"History has shown that when consumers decide they don't want a system right out of the gate, it's really hard to ever change their mind."

I read that at IGN, and that's what worries me most for the 3DS. How long is the lifespan on this thing gonna be? I bought into HD DVD, and I never wanna do that again with a product. Have it last a year or two then boom, bye-bye content.[/quote]
The article brings up N64 and Gamecube; both that had lifespans of 5+ years. Neither had backwards compatibility like the 3DS has.

Nintendo really needs to advertise HARD this holiday, and PUT OUT SOME DAMN GAMES!!! Maybe even throw in some incentives to 3rd party developers to make quality titles for the system because apparently they're all pushing their games back until the attach rate is higher.
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The higher the sales, the more the 3rd parties will develop. The price drop should help out sales, especially with Nintendo having 7 first party titles out by end of year (Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Kid Icarus, Star Fox, Paper Mario, and Pilotwings).
 
Once Mario and Icarus hit, I think the system will get some steam. The only killer title they have right now is Zelda- which a lot of people have played too many times to rationalize the purchase.
 
[quote name='lordopus99']The article brings up N64 and Gamecube; both that had lifespans of 5+ years. Neither had backwards compatibility like the 3DS has.


The higher the sales, the more the 3rd parties will develop. The price drop should help out sales, especially with Nintendo having 7 first party titles out by end of year (Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Kid Icarus, Star Fox, Paper Mario, and Pilotwings).[/QUOTE]You forgot a few Nintendo titles, but only only Mario and Mario Kart will get strong sales anyhow (and zelda to a lesser extent)
Star Fox and Icarus will bomb.

Paper Mario by end of year? I wish!
 
[quote name='nbballard']Once Mario and Icarus hit, I think the system will get some steam. The only killer title they have right now is Zelda- which a lot of people have played too many times to rationalize the purchase.[/QUOTE]

Well 2 Mario games are hitting this fall. I think Mario Kart should hit first, but I also worry that having both hit so close to each other is kinda troublesome, especially with Kid Icarus supposedly coming after Super Mario. I think it'll get pushed though. It'll still be good for the 3DS though.
 
[quote name='lordopus99']The article brings up N64 and Gamecube; both that had lifespans of 5+ years. Neither had backwards compatibility like the 3DS has[/QUOTE]

They may have have had official lifespans of 5+ years, but realistically with both consoles, after the second or third Holiday, it was only Nintendo and a few Third Parties left releasing a handful of games per year.
 
So the initial $249 price of the 3DS was a real turn off for me, however the lower $169 price point and the promise of upcoming Mario games really has me considering getting a console now. I really want the lower price and to get the free games that are coming to folks who have connected to the eShop prior to the price drop. My logic wouldn't be wrong in thinking that I could go to BestBuy and purchase a console prior to August 12 and then connect to the eShop so I get my Ambassador status and then return after the price drop but before the return and exchange period is over and activate price protection and then receive my $80 back?
 
[quote name='spmahn']They may have have had official lifespans of 5+ years, but realistically with both consoles, after the second or third Holiday, it was only Nintendo and a few Third Parties left releasing a handful of games per year.[/QUOTE]


Another thing to consider is that the 3DS has no competition now until the Vita is released. The N64 dropped in 6 months, but the PS1 dropped $100 5 months before the N64 was released. Thus, most people thought of the PS1 as a value and the N64 as overpriced. PS1 also flaunted their CD format lowering games while most N64 games stayed at $50. With the Gamecube, the PS2 and xbox both dropped $100 a unit when the Gamecube dropped $50. So it was less of an aggressive move than an attempt to hold marketshare and still then came off looking like the cheap option.

With no competition, the 3DS will be fine with this price drop. Most people thought it came out at too much $ just like the PS3. The difference is, when the PS3 finally came down in price they had too much competition. $170 is only $20 more than the original DS price and is actually the same price the DSi XL is today. They fixed a problem with the price. Now they just need to fix the problem with a lack of games.

The IGN article is just sensationalism, since they get paid to get people talking about the systems. In video games, price drops are expected at regular intervals and most consumers respond favorably to price drops. Look at the PS2 for example, it sold like 90% of it's sales after a price drop. And it's initial price drop while not within 6 months of it's product life, was within six months of having competition. And the result was PS2 took over the market and owned the xbox and gamecube for the duration of it's life. So $80 was more than expected and sooner than expected. I think that's just going to push consumers to get more excited about the product. What's not to like, less money on video games is great.
 
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[quote name='xbox_mole']So the initial $249 price of the 3DS was a real turn off for me, however the lower $169 price point and the promise of upcoming Mario games really has me considering getting a console now. I really want the lower price and to get the free games that are coming to folks who have connected to the eShop prior to the price drop. My logic wouldn't be wrong in thinking that I could go to BestBuy and purchase a console prior to August 12 and then connect to the eShop so I get my Ambassador status and then return after the price drop but before the return and exchange period is over and activate price protection and then receive my $80 back?[/QUOTE]

I don't think that's wrong, but I'd double check your information just to be safe.
 
[quote name='xbox_mole']So the initial $249 price of the 3DS was a real turn off for me, however the lower $169 price point and the promise of upcoming Mario games really has me considering getting a console now. I really want the lower price and to get the free games that are coming to folks who have connected to the eShop prior to the price drop. My logic wouldn't be wrong in thinking that I could go to BestBuy and purchase a console prior to August 12 and then connect to the eShop so I get my Ambassador status and then return after the price drop but before the return and exchange period is over and activate price protection and then receive my $80 back?[/QUOTE]

Normally, I would cry "Oh, youre a bad person to try to do that", but as a Nintendo fanboy I realize that I want as many of these to sell as possible, so try it if you want. However, Im sure Best Buy is catching wind of this and might do something about it.
 
I'm sure the smart retailers are pulling the systems off the shelf as soon as the price change is within their adjustment period.

Might have to do a store pick-up via website to get around smart managers.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']Well 2 Mario games are hitting this fall. I think Mario Kart should hit first, but I also worry that having both hit so close to each other is kinda troublesome, especially with Kid Icarus supposedly coming after Super Mario. I think it'll get pushed though. It'll still be good for the 3DS though.[/QUOTE]

It shouldn't be a problem. Mario Kart DS was a top selling DS game for years. Both will be selling for years
 
[quote name='xbox_mole']So the initial $249 price of the 3DS was a real turn off for me, however the lower $169 price point and the promise of upcoming Mario games really has me considering getting a console now. I really want the lower price and to get the free games that are coming to folks who have connected to the eShop prior to the price drop. My logic wouldn't be wrong in thinking that I could go to BestBuy and purchase a console prior to August 12 and then connect to the eShop so I get my Ambassador status and then return after the price drop but before the return and exchange period is over and activate price protection and then receive my $80 back?[/QUOTE]

I went into Best Buy yesterday to pick up a system for my brother, then get a price adjustment on the 12th. The cashier started to ring it up, then told me to wait to purchase it until tomorrow or after because the system will drop in price to $169, which of course I already knew. He said they have a 14 day price adjustment policy on the system so to ensure I got money back, hold off. I was actually shocked that the employees were aware of the drop and also tried to save me some money. I guess Ill go back today or tomorrow and pick it up.
 
That is super dope if retailers are just dropping the price and thusly allowing the 20 games automatically. Might as well eat the loss up front and start moving inventory.
 
[quote name='cochesecochese']That is super dope if retailers are just dropping the price and thusly allowing the 20 games automatically. Might as well eat the loss up front and start moving inventory.[/QUOTE]

Are retailers actually paying the price for this? It was my understanding that with an official price drop, Nintendo pays the price for remaining merchandise. So Nintendo would be getting $80 less dollars and giving 20 downloadable games to the consumer. Maybe a small retailer won't get the price protection, but otherwise like the post above said, Best Buy and retailers would just pull the product and wait until they could sell the 3DS at a price without a loss.
 
Cannot wait for the holidays. There's really nothing other than OoT that I need now, but with Kid Icarus, Mario, and Mario Kart coming this winter I will not be regretting this purchase.

Also, has anyone else noticed their eyes "adjust" to the 3d? Yesterday I played OoT for the first time and had the 3D slider set at ~ 1/3 of the way up, anything higher was blurry / ghosting. Today, I was able to ramp it all the way up and had no issues, almost like my eyes "learned" how to see it right.
 
[quote name='smallsharkbigbite']Are retailers actually paying the price for this? It was my understanding that with an official price drop, Nintendo pays the price for remaining merchandise. So Nintendo would be getting $80 less dollars and giving 20 downloadable games to the consumer. Maybe a small retailer won't get the price protection, but otherwise like the post above said, Best Buy and retailers would just pull the product and wait until they could sell the 3DS at a price without a loss.[/QUOTE]

I don't know why any retailer would pull a product when people may want to buy it. The majority of consumers probably do NOT activate price protection policies because they have to make another trip to the store. The majority of us on this board would go back, given the name of this site. ;-) I think it would be foolish for a retailer to pull product that they might be able to sell at full price if I have people in the store and they want to buy it right now.
 
[quote name='62t']It shouldn't be a problem. Mario Kart DS was a top selling DS game for years. Both will be selling for years[/QUOTE]

I still think it'd be smart to put out Mario Kart 7 before Super Mario.

Why?
- Black Friday Sale: Red Flare Special Edition 3DS with Mario Kart 7 included!
 
The gamecube may have dropped $50 but Nintendo also had quite a few offers going at the time. I remember you got a free game with a Gamecube at one point, and it was a $50 game not junk. I think at one point you got to choose from a few different titles too. There was also one for a short time where you got a free gameboy player with purchase of a gamecube, needless to say I went for that bundle and bought it for myself. Ended up getting the gamecube, gameboy player and a free preview disc. Wasn't a bad deal at all.
 
iPhones and Android phones are the real competition for Vita, not Nintendo.

I think Nintendo has positioned themselves with an effective gimmick (the 3d functionality) to sell units. It's something that (most, nearly all) smart phones area incapable of. Vita does some unique things too, but the gimmicks don't "pop" the same way that the 3d functionality does.

In my opinion, both Nintendo and Sony's handheld market share will be greatly decreased this generation and it has nothing to do with the actions of either company.
 
Another note to add, the 3-D gimmick is quickly dying in the eyes of the public. Hollywood pushed it hard and they pushed it fast, and burned out consumers quicker than anticipated.

I've worked at the movie theater for 9 years now and have seen the current 3-D push almost since it began. When it first hit, it was mostly children's movies, families enjoyed it, and the technology was far superior to the anaglyph 3-D people were used to in the recent past.

At first, it was a huge hit. When a new movie would get released in both 2-D and 3-D, anywhere from 70 to 90 percent of all tickets sold were for the 3-D version. Then the flood gates opened. Movies that had no business being in 3-D were converted because greedy Hollywood execs saw dollar signs, since 3-D tickets are more expensive than their 2-D counterparts. So, we get crap like Clash of the Titans 3-D, Cats and Dogs 3-D, G-Force 3-D, Airbender 3-D, the list goes on and on.

Finally, this year, the bubble burst, and the market tanked. Instead of 70 to 90 percent of tickets being sold for the 3-D version, the trend reversed. People instead chose to wait an hour or two for a later showing, just so they could avoid having to see it in 3-D. Thor, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Captain America, the story was all the same. This time, only 30 to 40 percent of tickets sold were for the 3-D version, and it's dropping, fast. When 3-D first started, we would on occasion show movies only in 3-D and not even bother with the 2-D version. This summer, for most movies we had an equal number of both, maybe 2 screens of Harry Potter in 2-D and 2 in 3-D for example.

Sales of 3-D TVs are in the toilet, for numerous reasons. People don't want to sit in their home wearing those silly expensive glasses for one. There's only a limited amount of in home 3-D content for two, and as I said previously, the 3-D fad is dying. This is not the technology of the future people were initially touting it as. It's a fad, a gimmick, and a novelty, and will go the way of the silly picture in picture technology we had in the 90's.

My experience with my 3DS so far, and the experience of most others I have talked to is the same. The 3-D looks neat, at first, but quickly causes headaches and becomes a distraction, so you turn it off. I played Zelda in 3D for maybe the first hour or so, but the game quickly progresses to the point where it requires precise attacks and movements which are difficult to preform accurately with the 3-D on.

So while the 3-D is an interesting novelty, it's in no way going to be a long term selling point or marketing strategy for Nintendo.
 
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