[quote name='io']Right, but you are all adult gamers and appreciate the depth of most 3DS games compared to tablet/phone games - the original point here is that a
lot of kids are either starting off on iPad/iPhone or moving over to it. I see it all over the place. On my last plane trip I saw tons of those being played and not one 3DS (or Vita but that goes without saying

).
I know the 3DS is selling, and selling well, but Nintendo has definitely lost a significant
percentage of the handheld gaming market to those devices. But I'd also argue that even Sony and MS (and Nintendo on the console side) have also lost a large percentage of their maket to those same devices. And yet, as a whole, the gaming market is much bigger as a result of those devices. So I'm not sure what the overall effect on the big 3 really is.[/QUOTE]
Yep, this is right on the money. I had observed all these kids on mobiles/tablets, but it didn't take until my own kid picked a 3ds over a tablet.
To be honest, I think it goes to a point that has something to do with an earlier post about "kids being born with iPhones": I think kids now are more resourceful consumers than they were when I was a kid. They're thinking about the device and all the ways they use it -- they're just not thinking "I WANT MARIO." The days of one single title selling a system -- at least from a kid's POV -- are likely behind us.
That could be a huge generalization based on my anecdotal experience. I'm just impressed that the first thing my kid pointed out when faced with 3DS vs. Tablet was that she wanted comics, too. She's not dwelling on the kinds of games or quality of games (as a gamer would), she's immediately looking to the other things she wants to do aside from games.
I wouldn't have done that as a kid...and even as an adult, it's hard for me to shake the desire to play the latest Mario/Zelda/Mario Kart even though I know the WIIU isn't for me.