3DS

Yeah, this is huge news.  Nintendo must have a sh!tload of inventory and big holiday projections to meet if they're doing something this drastic, especially in light of how much they're going to give up on the exchange rate.  I think 20 free games for early adopters is a good deal, especially since they're mostly Nintendo classics (let's not forget that Sony only gave us four games for letting us get hacked).  I'm not sure why they need to be restricted from sale to other people, and I hope Nintendo will make them available to everyone later on.  At least this finally confirms that Nintendo is planning on adding GBA games to the virtual console.  The price cut is also significant because it brings the 3DS below the price of the iPod Touch and well below the price of the Vita.  At $170, the 3DS is much easier to recommend to people than at $250.  Now Nintendo just needs to get some games out for it.

Last edited by XLord007 (Jul 28, 2011)

TerraEpon wrote:

As nice as the gesture is, the "won't be available to anyone else" thing is very bothersome.

It seems though that what they've said is that they have 'no plans' to make them available. That does not mean they won't be available and my guess is they will at some point - they're going to say this to get people to buy a 3DS early.

But on the flip side, us early adopters can now carry the official title of "Nintendo 3DS Ambassador."  Score!

Qui-Gon Joe wrote:

So - totally honest question - is it that you didn't read up enough about the system before you bought it?  Or is it that you thought there were a billion super secret games that were going to magically come out of the woodwork in the first six months of the system's life?  Or is Mega Man Legend 3 (a game I'm reasonably certain would have been cancelled after Inafune left no matter what console it was on) really souring the entire 3DS experience for you?

I've never been so wary of a system as with the 3DS. I wouldn't have gotten it, but my DSi shoulder buttons broke down completely, and nothing I've done could restore them. So I thought, maybe DS backwards mode isn't as blurry as people say, maybe the circle pad will actually make playing some games better, maybe there will be a bunch of eShop releases that just haven't been announced yet, in WiiWare and DSiWare style. And it's got all those different features to try out, the AR games seemed fun when I tested them for 5 minutes or so? And surely there will be a trickle of new game announcements? I'll put in the money, get a feel for the system for myself.

You know, give the system a fair chance despite my suspicions. But it hasn't turned out so well. The eShop is a barren wasteland, like the actual retail schedule. The 3D in longer use is worse than I could have anticipated, after testing it briefly and reading several assurances from game journalists and 3DS advocates - "I wear glasses and it works great!" "Played Street Fighter IV for 100 hours and no headache!" - can't believe people actually play SF4 with those clumsy 3DS controls. The AR games, Streetpass, 3D video - most of the features turn out to be worthless.

It's just been a string of disappointments, and this latest just adds to that. Maybe it will turn around, but at this point, the 3DS is pretty bad, and this latest news makes me regret my purchase even more. But now I at least have seen it with my own eyes.

the_miker wrote:

It's not really fair to compare the two situations.  Sony didn't put out a press release asking hackers to kill PSN for a month.  Nintendo did put out a press release and it essentially said "Hey early adopters, thanks for the free 80 bucks, here's a bunch of games you've already played."  At least the Sony offerings were current generation and, you know, original.

I'm going to have to disagree here.  The only reason we got anything free from Sony is because they were under a media shitstorm (and rightfully so).  Sony let 70 MILLION people's data get stolen.  That's much worse than an early price drop. 

Nintendo, on the other hand, doesn't really owe early adopters anything since that's the risk of being an early adopter.  You get to enjoy the product sooner, so you pay more and you deal with kinks.  That's just how it goes.  I think Nintendo is doing the right thing to retain their loyal customers by offering 20 free games, even if we've probably all the played them before.  And you already know how I feel about Sony's selection of free games which were selected more for their ability to advertise their sequels than on their own merits.  Obviously it would be better if both companies gave affected users digital store credits instead of games, but that's costly (third parties would have to be compensated for lost sales) so it doesn't happen.  I think the 3DS was a bit overpriced at $250, but I chose to buy it at the price, and I've been enjoying it for four months, so the free games are just a nice bonus.  I really think the 3DS' problem is not so much the price as the utter lack of software are services.  Nintendo still hasn't fixed that.

the_miker wrote:

Who in their right mind is going to buy a 3DS between now and the 12th?  No one, because 80 bucks for a bunch of old "been there, done that" games is silly.

Actually, I think clever people would do that.  Most major stores like Best Buy have 30-day price matching policies.  You buy now, you get the free games.  On 8/12, you take your receipt back to BBY and get your $80 back.

the_miker wrote:

The price drop could be due to many factors.. 3DS not selling well, third party devs pissed about hardware sales, disappointing software lineup, 3D is too gimmicky, Vita's $250 price, take your pick.

I think lack of sales, too much inventory, retailer disappointment, and third party pressure (look at all the 3DS game delays and cancellations lately) are probably the biggest factors.  I expect the Vita to struggle every bit as much as the 3DS, and the 3DS price drop isn't doing it any favors.  The funny thing about all of this is that it's a direct result of Nintendo's greed.  That's what being #1 does to a company.  Remember how high on itself Sony was when they announced the $600 PS3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOHqG1nc … re=related)?  They went from #1 to #3 and Nintendo went from #3 to #1.  When you're on top, you get cocky, and Nintendo got cocky.  The enthusiast press went nuts for the 3DS at E3 2010, so Nintendo made it a luxury item.  I think that strategy could have worked if the company had better launch titles and launched with a decent digital strategy.  Of course, neither of those things happened and word of mouth began to work against them very quickly.  Nintendo knew the software and services wouldn't be ready by the end of its FY2011 but rushed the system out to compensate for lagging Wii sales.  They should have delayed it until Fall 2011.  I hope they learn something from this.

rein wrote:

XLord007 wrote:

Nintendo, on the other hand, doesn't really owe early adopters anything since that's the risk of being an early adopter.  You get to enjoy the product sooner, so you pay more and you deal with kinks.  That's just how it goes.

Sure, but in this case early adopters paid a 47% premium to have the 3DS five months sooner.  That's beyond the pale.  Nintendo grossly mispriced the 3DS and is now shifting the consequences of that blunder to its most eager customers.  I don't see how that's other than reprehensible.

I'm inclined to agree with XLord here. I can't blame Nintendo or any company for swaying with the market, that's just how it goes. Yes, you can argue that Nintendo got cocky, and they should have waited before releasing the 3DS, but as a consumer, you knew what titles were available, and you knew that it would be some time before more titles would be released. I really do not understand how giving 20 free games to early-adopters is "reprehensible"? There is no law that says Nintendo has to compensate anyone for overpaying for a console. I feel that they are at least trying to do something nice for their costumers, which frankly is more than I can say for Sony.

avatar! wrote:

as a consumer, you knew what titles were available, and you knew that it would be some time before more titles would be released

Well, you can't say that consumers knew or should have known that the resale value would drop so far so fast.

I'm impressed with Nintendo's pragmatism in lowering the price so drastically.  They bet heavily on 3D as the system's selling point and now that that feature's appeal is in question and they can't really challenge Sony on the hardware front they are preemptively attacking them in the other two areas - price and software support (by trying to get as many units out as soon as possible).

If the 3D feature doesn't really take to consumers I don't think there's anything Nintendo can do to make the 3DS match the original DS's success in this post-iPhone market, but this move is them doing about the best they can with what they've got.

Last edited by Adam Corn (Jul 29, 2011)

In a move that will surely go down as one inspiring an enormous amount of fanboy vitriol, Famitsu has revealed that the batshit crazy rumor that Nintendo would release a second analog stick attachment for the 3DS is actually true.

http://www.destructoid.com/2nd-analog-n … 0760.phtml

I have to say, I'm shocked. I can't believe Nintendo would do something this stupid. They're releasing this for an upgraded port of an old Monster Hunter game.  It's not even a new Monster Hunter game.  Announcing this device is paramount to screaming: DON'T BUY THE 3DS BECAUSE THE NEXT VERSION OF IT WILL HAVE TWO ANALOG STICKS. IF YOU BUY ONE NOW YOU ARE A SUCKER.

Damn.

Speaking of the 3DS, I just have to ask this question. Has anyone seen the TV spot where four grown men are on their 3Ds's? (Not so much the Star Fox 3D one but the newer one that isn’t game specific) I'm sorry but I have a really hard time believing this scenario would/could happen in real life.

EPIC FAIL.

Man, Yoshi's Island looks pretty bad compared to the SNES version doesn't it...

Proof that Find Mii / Streetpass Quest is awesome. Wonder if the composer is known...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPRQHYBNVG8 (musical spoiler if you haven't finished part II yet)

Last edited by Sami (Jan 10, 2012)

Jay wrote:

Anyone here using Swapnote/Letterbox? I'm loving the letters.

You certainly are.  I turned my 3DS on last week and I think I had around 30 unread swapnotes from you!  I have no drawing ability whatsoever, so I just use it to receive.

Last edited by XLord007 (Jan 19, 2012)