Was the 3DS rushed into production?

[Nismology]

I think it was a horrendous marketing decision on Nintendo's behalf to announce and release the 3DS when they did. It's launch line up was pretty weak to say the least, and only now are we beginning to see the really good games coming out for it: Super Mario 3D World, Paper mario, Kid Icarus, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing (don't really know what animal crossing is, but it seems to have a huge fanbase), etc.

If they'd waited until they could release these games as launch titles and released the 3DS this Christmas season alongside the Vita's Japan release, with the second circle pad incorporated into the unit itself instead of releasing the worst console add on fail since the Sega 32x, I think it would enjoy much, much better sales.

As the situation is now, I can see many 3DS owners trading in their barely used Nintendo handheld for a shiny new PS Vita, simply for the far superior launch library.

Do you think Nintendo should have waited? Do you think it wouldn't have made much difference?

 

[rawrrzombie]

i think Nintendo really thought that was the best they could do with 3D alone. now they see the vita and all top dogs at the big N are like WTF did we just do.

3ds graphics is comparable to the ps2 i think or Wii while the vita is a tuned down ps3. 3DS tech isn't as good as the vita. when they saw those two sticks they just had to do it because people really wanted that in a handheld. and the vita not even out yet has a huge library while the 3ds didn't/doesn't.

They just thought 3D is the big thing right now let sell it with that as our emphasis. Sony thought out listened to both devs and fans and that's why i think the vita will sell better overall. i really love Nintendo is just they need to be a bit smarter when releasing new tech

 

[Nismology]

To be honest, i think they should have ditched the whole DS dual screen concept and gone back to the game boy series, with a single screen and much better graphics, maybe a GBA 2. Of course the whole 3D thing was dumb:

3D + low resolution small screen = fail
3D + tilt control = fail
battery life + 3D = fail
3D + games it's not needed in = fail
3D + small children = death (apparently)

 

[Master Jay]

How are you supposed to use tilt control when the moment you move your head or the system the 3D goes screwy? No common sense for Nintendo

 

[Luuk.vanRiel]

Sony is doing the right thing, they didn't announce it before there was a huge developer base on board and the system was that far developed to be shown at conferences and even played on by gamers. Nintendo just rushed it so they could release it before Sony announced their console and get a lot of day one sales by fanboys and naive gamers. They should have waited for a good launchlibrary. When Vita comes out with its tremendous amount of quality titles the 3DS won't see any increase in sales when their great games arrive. Because most gamers still prefer Call of Duty and other Core games with dual analog while the touchscreen and pad + motion sensing and cameras will take over the casual market. I think Nintendo don't stand a change this generation of handhelds.

 

[AndresNova]

I think it was a horrendous marketing decision on Nintendo's behalf to announce and release the 3DS when they did. It's launch line up was pretty weak to say the least, and only now are we beginning to see the really good games coming out for it: Super Mario 3D World, Paper mario, Kid Icarus, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing (don't really know what animal crossing is, but it seems to have a huge fanbase), etc.

If they'd waited until they could release these games as launch titles and released the 3DS this Christmas season alongside the Vita's Japan release, with the second circle pad incorporated into the unit itself instead of releasing the worst console add on fail since the Sega 32x, I think it would enjoy much, much better sales.

As the situation is now, I can see many 3DS owners trading in their barely used Nintendo handheld for a shiny new PS Vita, simply for the far superior launch library.

Do you think Nintendo should have waited? Do you think it wouldn't have made much difference?

Funny part is that you mention only first party titles and more importantly where is the third party games???!! A big weakness on nintendo especially when they said they were going to improve on that.

 

[DeathMoJo]

Funny part is that you mention only first party titles and more importantly where is the third party games???!! A big weakness on nintendo especially when they said they were going to improve on that.

One big thing a lot of developers/publishers are trying to do is save money, so if a Vita game can be ported over for PS3 or even Xbox 360 easily then they can reach a bigger fan base and save money. Makes it a lot more attractive for 3rd parties to make games for Vita.

Any game designed for the 3DS has to be revamped to accommodate the dual screens and possibly the 3d. Now with the optional 2nd stick it adds some conflict if the developer should or should not support it rather than just knowing they have 1 or 2 sticks from the start. Its no so much a limitation but people don't want to feel they are missing something by not having the 2nd stick.

 

[Luuk.vanRiel]

One big thing a lot of developers/publishers are trying to do is save money, so if a Vita game can be ported over for PS3 or even Xbox 360 easily then they can reach a bigger fan base and save money. Makes it a lot more attractive for 3rd parties to make games for Vita.

Any game designed for the 3DS has to be revamped to accommodate the dual screens and possibly the 3d. Now with the optional 2nd stick it adds some conflict if the developer should or should not support it rather than just knowing they have 1 or 2 sticks from the start. Its no so much a limitation but people don't want to feel they are missing something by not having the 2nd stick.

Yeah, they said porting seems to be really easy on Vita. They ported a lost planet demo from ps3 to vita withing a week (as said at the announcement of the Vita)

 

[Moh]

Nindogs vs psdogs?
Hell of a party!!

 

[Mikaru]

The thing that strikes me the most is that Nintendo isn't even trying to market is as the next generation in handheld gaming. Whenever I look for 3DS games (I do own one) they're just sitting next to the normal DS games and I can barely make out the difference. Imagine how a casual person must feel. Nintendo's doing so many things wrong when Sony's doing so many things right.

3D vs. OLED - 3D is fun, but not essential. Can hurt eyes, cause dizzyness and eyestrain. Bad for little children. Nintendo also opted for a low resolution screen, making most games look like souped up PSP titles.

Vita's OLED is just beautiful (according to each and every journalist/person that has seen it) and high-res, providing next-generation graphics we won't see for a long time on a handheld device.

Online - Friendcodes vs account-based PSN. You can't even send messages right now on 3DS. How are you going to make friends and add the people you play with online? It's ridiculous. The e-Shop is also pretty bland, not very user friendly and they don't even provide game demos. Not to mention it's very slow.

PS Vita has cross-game voice/text chat, account-based friendslist, trophies, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, etc. You do the math.

Hardware - Sometimes, the 3DS gets compared to the Wii when the PS Vita gets compared to the PS3. Yet, when most people are comparing system to system, the 3DS often gets compared to PSP (which dates all the way back to 2004). The 3DS is a more powerful machine, yet it still fails to impress people that played the best looking PSP games.

PS Vita launch-games look better than Xbox 360/PS3 launch-games, so who knows what the future holds (in my opinion, the future will be bloody fantastic for us Vita fans).

Marketing - Nintendo's trying to sell 3D. But it's really not happening, at all. When the system first launched, they got on the news, but not in a positive way. Various news-channels reported on the supposed headaches, eyestrains and dizzyness the 3D can cause and how it could affect a child's sight. Parents were scared and suddenly weren't interested in Nintendo's latest handheld. Ofcourse, the price didn't help either; people were obviously not expecting a toy company (because that's what Nintendo is to the masses) to release a handheld device for $250. Gamers know the hardware wasn't worth the $250, because it's old and comparable to the PSP. The price has been lowered, but so far it's still not doing the numbers Nintendo wants it to. To add to that, people think it's just another DS, but with a new screen and it looks like Nintendo just hired a couple of monkeys to run their PR this time around. They thought they could sell on name alone, like Apple does.

Sony asked developers and fans; what do you want? You want a handheld with two analog sticks, the best looking portable screen you've ever seen, connectivity with your PS3, a never-before-seen feature for a handheld gaming device (rear touch) and the best online gaming platform ever made for a handheld? Well sure. You want it for the same price as Nintendo's overpriced 3DS? Alright, here you go, you can call it the PS Vita. It's all yours! Now Nintendo lowered their price but they're still scared of Sony; they should be. It's the better handheld in every possible way.

Did Nintendo rush the 3DS? Yes, and it will give them a run for their money this generation. Will the Vita outsell 3DS? Only time will tell. No one can underestimate the power of PokéMon and now Monster Hunter, but I'm sure every person in his/her right mind (so, Nintendo fanboys not included) knows the PS Vita is the better platform this time. It has better controls and more possibilities, an amazing online platform and the graphical prowess to run all of it as smooth as butter.

Sony, I salute you. You are the kings of the videogame industry and you know what we, true gamers and enthusiasts, want in our gaming machines. Now please, tell me a release-date so I can start the countdown.

 

[rawrrzombie]

Only time will tell. No one can underestimate the power of PokéMon and now Monster Hunter.

you kinda forgot Zelda, Mario Kid Icarus, Star fox, and Kingdom Hearts. those are the only reason i would get a 3ds

 

[Nismology]

@Mikaru, nicely put and very well written actually

Sometime in the future, when/if Nintendo release their next handheld, I'll probably pick up a 3DS for a low price. There are some good looking first party games coming out for it. I'm especially interested in Paper Mario, one of my favourite N64 titles. That reminds me, i really need to hunt down a Paper Mario cartridge again.

 

[Mikaru]

you kinda forgot Zelda, Mario Kid Icarus, Star fox, and Kingdom Hearts. those are the only reason i would get a 3ds

Those aren't system sellers to the mass (casual) market though. Well, Mario (Kart) is, but the rest really only appeals to gamers.

 

[Legend]

With the 3DS Nintendo saw that the DS sales were declining, same with Wii, and they wanted to recapture the market they had, and the hardcore market at the same time. Wii U and 3DS both meant for casual gamers being marketed for hardcore, that is their problem at the moment.

 

[Mikaru]

You know what's also funny? In the Netherlands, the DSi XL has exactly the same price as the 3DS. But to kids, the DSi XL looks better because it's bigger and has cool colors (yellow). Seriously Nintendo, what are you thinking?

 

[Legend]

Same in the US. Also if they want to sell more 3DS, cancel production of all normal DS.

 

[thehunter01]

You know what's also funny? In the Netherlands, the DSi XL has exactly the same price as the 3DS. But to kids, the DSi XL looks better because it's bigger and has cool colors (yellow). Seriously Nintendo, what are you thinking?

I asked recently ( yesterday ) a friend of mine if he woudl buy a nintendo handheld which one he would buy.

- he checked out the different models
- noticed that he could choose between a DS lite small one cheap, a dsi a bit bigger one and cost a bit more, a ds with 3D but a small screen that cost more and a dsi xl big screens.
- he checked out prices saw that the dsi xl and 3ds costed about the same

i asked him which one he would buy. he said the big screen one. 3D i wont use i jsut try it for 3 times and be done with it. i rather have big screens.

The fun part about it is, that he though that any DS games even 3DS games where playable on the dsi xl also, as it was a DS right? the 3DS has a 2D mode for games to run in 2D because of other people not having a DS with a 3D screen. So that makes sense not?

lol, people have absolute no idea.

They just think that instead of a bigger screen they builded a smaller one with 3D. that simple plays DS games just as all the others.

 

[Mikaru]

Haha yeah, it's so bad the more you think about it. I'm so glad Sony didn't use PSP packaging for PS Vita, but something entirely new. Sure it looks like Blu Ray on first sight, but the boxes are smaller and therefor show distinguishable differences. Again, something Sony thought about and Nintendo obviously didn't.

 

[Luuk.vanRiel]

I think sony is one of these companys that learns from it mistakes, they are really taking every critic seriously and try to deliver an device that appeals hardcore and casual gamers and that will also be marketed that way. The online fuctionalities that grow every month with new features being added, plus the unmatched controlls (back touch pad combined with front touchscreen, wich are both multitouch instead of an old technology used on 3DS) will make it all very appealing to casuals. The dual analog joysticks plus the advanced graphical solutions will make it the ultimate handheld for core gamers.

 

[AndresNova]

I think sony is one of these companys that learns from it mistakes, they are really taking every critic seriously and try to deliver an device that appeals hardcore and casual gamers and that will also be marketed that way. The online fuctionalities that grow every month with new features being added, plus the unmatched controlls (back touch pad combined with front touchscreen, wich are both multitouch instead of an old technology used on 3DS) will make it all very appealing to casuals. The dual analog joysticks plus the advanced graphical solutions will make it the ultimate handheld for core gamers.

Yup exactly!! I have a 3DS too and to be honest... i Don't even use it that much. It feels like whatever.