Rumor: 2D-loving 3DS Coming Next Year

[rembrandtqeinstein]

I'm pretty sure this is going to be the last generation of dedicated portable gaming devices. Smartphones are just getting cheaper and cheaper and the games get better and better.

There really is no need for it just like there isn't any need for a wristwatch.

Exactly.

On the subject, as a former rabid Nintendo fan, I can safely say that Nintendo could fall off the face of the earth tomorrow and I wouldn't shed a tear. They've decided that their target market is fat housewives who will want to use the Wii and its expensive bathroom scale as a home exercise device. Too bad Microsoft's Kinect beats the hell out of it with Dance Central, making it infinitely more appealing to the fat housewife market.

Even more glad I never bought a 3DS. I'll stick with my smartphone, thanks.

This isn't just a nintendo thing. They had the biggest share of the mobile market pre-iphone so they are just the most prominent player. Sony is also in deep w/ the new psp.



Also your nintendo rant is totally off topic. They are just doing the same thing they have done every gen since NES. There are a few spectacular first party games, an assload of craptastical 3rd party games. A few notable 3rd party games, and some real greatness coming from 3rd party devs at the end of the generation.

It was never the system for the game crackhead who spends every day playing games, it always meant for the casual gamer who plays gets a new game every 1 or 2 months, and occasionally plays games with real people sitting together on the couch.

 

[DuelLadyS]

Ugh... Nintendo, Nintendo, you miss the point. The hardware itself is fine. The problem is GAMES. You want us to buy your game system, we need games to play on it. Not just the newest re-hash of Mario and Zelda, but honest-to-goodness new, decent games. You can't count on gimmick medicore junk to sell to the causal market anymore, they get that on their smartphones for free these days.

Stop tinkering with the system and start getting out those dev kits and focusing on your new, or at least long dormant, properties to get us stuff to play. Like Kid Icarus, that's the most interesting first party 3DS game I've seen so far. (Also, pay attention to Operation Rainfall already... it's not a direct relation, but when you tell a big body of fans you can't be trusted to localize the games they want, you can't expect them to shell out for a new system in the hopes that the games they want will come later.)

 

[Something Amyss]

The add on is a problem, I agree. Though, as a response to Sony, it's a good move. The games ought to improve a lot. However, I don't agree that releasing one at all is a problem. It didn't ruin consumer confidence when they released the DS lite, DSi or the DSi large (or whatever it's called). Sure it's soon, but they have financial trouble and a minimum of a year isn't that little time. It only seems like it's a lot because pretty much all 3DSs have been lying dormant for several months.

The thing is, the DS Lite and DSi were both two years successively after one another. We're talking about an announcement that's under a year from launch of new technology that's selling poorly enough Nintendo cut their earnings projection and the price already. It's not just soon, it's different circumstances. We're looking at a different market, a different product with different sales results, AND a sifferent timeframe. The three combined are probably bad.

And that's before you add the hardware changes, which we're agreed on.

It's one thing to offer a new release on an item that has been selling like hotcakes. It's another entirely to offer a new release on one that really isn't.

 

[theultimateend]

Wow, more proof that no one, ever, under any circumstances, should be an early adopter of Nintendo hardware.

I'm feeling that way haha.

I mean I've gotten quite a few hours out of Zelda, but they keep shitting on me it sounds like.

 

[GeorgW]

The add on is a problem, I agree. Though, as a response to Sony, it's a good move. The games ought to improve a lot. However, I don't agree that releasing one at all is a problem. It didn't ruin consumer confidence when they released the DS lite, DSi or the DSi large (or whatever it's called). Sure it's soon, but they have financial trouble and a minimum of a year isn't that little time. It only seems like it's a lot because pretty much all 3DSs have been lying dormant for several months.

The thing is, the DS Lite and DSi were both two years successively after one another. We're talking about an announcement that's under a year from launch of new technology that's selling poorly enough Nintendo cut their earnings projection and the price already. It's not just soon, it's different circumstances. We're looking at a different market, a different product with different sales results, AND a sifferent timeframe. The three combined are probably bad.

And that's before you add the hardware changes, which we're agreed on.

It's one thing to offer a new release on an item that has been selling like hotcakes. It's another entirely to offer a new release on one that really isn't.

It's a different thing, but why is necessarily bad? Why is it worse to add a solution when you're doing badly? Plus, they only specified 2012, plus it's a rumour, so it could very well be 2 years.
Sure there's an understandable necessity to release a new iteration of a popular device, but isn't it just as necessary to do so with a device that isn't doing as expected?

 

[Something Amyss]

It's a different thing, but why is necessarily bad? Why is it worse to add a solution when you're doing badly? Plus, they only specified 2012, plus it's a rumour, so it could very well be 2 years.
Sure there's an understandable necessity to release a new iteration of a popular device, but isn't it just as necessary to do so with a device that isn't doing as expected?

Because it effectively splits the market and shows no confidence. Plus, we're a little far into hypotheticals to now start saying that it's "just a rumour."

 

[AncientYoungSon]

Also your nintendo rant is totally off topic. They are just doing the same thing they have done every gen since NES. There are a few spectacular first party games, an assload of craptastical 3rd party games. A few notable 3rd party games, and some real greatness coming from 3rd party devs at the end of the generation.

It was never the system for the game crackhead who spends every day playing games, it always meant for the casual gamer who plays gets a new game every 1 or 2 months, and occasionally plays games with real people sitting together on the couch.

I agree that Nintendo is just one more handheld manufacturer losing ground to smartphones (boy, the CEO of Nokia must be hopping mad, shouting "See? SEE?! I WAS RIGHT, DAMMIT!!!!"), but the latest move by Nintendo embrace the non-gamer is something new for them.

Also, you can't argue that a system that plays games is not for people who like to play GAMES. The Wii's lackluster lineup was because devs didn't want to work with it because A) Nintendo's dev tools are notoriously bad, B) developers don't want to work on generation-old hardware C) Nintendo has a nasty habit of withholding the knowledge of how to get the most out of their hardware, ensuring their games always look the best. Why would any 3rd party want to develop for that when all of the PS360s' secrets are laid bare?

Also also, every Wii owner I know these days is playing one game: Wii Dust. As a former huge proponent of the Wii, I've unfortunately seen what it became after the novelty of Wii Sports/Wii Fit wore off. :\

 

[GeorgW]

It's a different thing, but why is necessarily bad? Why is it worse to add a solution when you're doing badly? Plus, they only specified 2012, plus it's a rumour, so it could very well be 2 years.
Sure there's an understandable necessity to release a new iteration of a popular device, but isn't it just as necessary to do so with a device that isn't doing as expected?

Because it effectively splits the market and shows no confidence. Plus, we're a little far into hypotheticals to now start saying that it's "just a rumour."

I agree with both your points. I'm still not that bothered by it, but then again I don't have a 3DS yet. It's been fun debating with you!

 

[AncientYoungSon]

I agree with both your points. I'm still not that bothered by it, but then again I don't have a 3DS yet. It's been fun debating with you!

Well, even without having bought a 3DS, I'd be concerned that Nintendo will drop ANOTHER revision in another year...

 

[GeorgW]

I agree with both your points. I'm still not that bothered by it, but then again I don't have a 3DS yet. It's been fun debating with you!

Well, even without having bought a 3DS, I'd be concerned that Nintendo will drop ANOTHER revision in another year...

With Nintendo that's always an option. As long as I'm happy with my purchase (which I wouldn't have been if I'd bought it day one) that's the most important IMO. It's not that important to always have the newest iteration to me. The cost of cell phones would be crazy...

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

I'd say "lol", if it wasn't already obvious this would happen. Not so much the lack of sales, but the fact that they'd release a new version with more features a year down the line that'd p*ss early adopters off. It's really a shame this seems to be becoming the norm in the handheld market at the moment.

 

[McMarbles]

So, we're still treating rumors as gospel truth?

 

[robinkom]

Well... I bought a 3DS at the original price as soon as they announced the Ambassador program... I just looked at it as paying up front for their 20 free games with the $80 that would be cut from the price. So it rounded out to about $4 a game. I'm classic game/console collector so I have a more lenient attitude towards older games and I'm quite happy with getting NES and GBA games on my 3DS. That's 20 more things than it already did. For 3DS games, I only have Ocarina of Time 3D and it's been great rediscovering the game again after almost 13 years.

To all detractors of the 3DS, I say this: The 3D feature is inconsequential and completely optional. When it comes down to it, it's a more powerful system than the DS/DSi, you're looking at basically a high-end Dreamcast in the palm of you hand. And you can copy over all of your DSi Ware from your old DS. The price has been cut so now it's up to Nintendo and the third-parties that are on board to produce some software that'll make it worth buying by the masses.

 

[blarghblarghhhhh]

snip

heres my theory:

nintendo isnt about to release a new handheld after the damage the 3ds has done to there name. However a multi-SKU plan is not out of the question. They can have the 3ds they have now as well as a more affordable SKU with two circle pads but no 3d. I would imagine that taking out the 3d portion of the screen and the components that make it possible would cut off quite a few dollars from production costs.

On the subject of a circle pad add on for the original 3ds. I dont know alot about wireless communications or the overall size of a circle pad but it seems like it might be possible to make one that has a sticky back to it that you just slap on your 3ds and it communicates with the system via wifi. the immediate concern would be the already bad battery life. I however have full faith in nintendo to think outside the box.

What you describe is an entirely different handheld with an entirely different set of games. How would games designed for dual analog support work on the original 3DS? The new handheld would already have all of the buttons the 3DS has PLUS the extra a-stick. The original model wouldn't even be able to emulate it because there would be no extra buttons to work with.

not really. If they do make a circle pad add on they would be equal systems; and im sure you know how much nintendo loves there add-ons. Like I said in my post im not sure if they can make a circle pad add-on, but if they can im sure they will.

also worth noting is that if a game was to use the second analog stick it would be used for camera control ninty nine percent of the time which would easily be replicated with the touch screen.

 

[Epona]

snip

heres my theory:

nintendo isnt about to release a new handheld after the damage the 3ds has done to there name. However a multi-SKU plan is not out of the question. They can have the 3ds they have now as well as a more affordable SKU with two circle pads but no 3d. I would imagine that taking out the 3d portion of the screen and the components that make it possible would cut off quite a few dollars from production costs.

On the subject of a circle pad add on for the original 3ds. I dont know alot about wireless communications or the overall size of a circle pad but it seems like it might be possible to make one that has a sticky back to it that you just slap on your 3ds and it communicates with the system via wifi. the immediate concern would be the already bad battery life. I however have full faith in nintendo to think outside the box.

What you describe is an entirely different handheld with an entirely different set of games. How would games designed for dual analog support work on the original 3DS? The new handheld would already have all of the buttons the 3DS has PLUS the extra a-stick. The original model wouldn't even be able to emulate it because there would be no extra buttons to work with.

not really. If they do make a circle pad add on they would be equal systems; and im sure you know how much nintendo loves there add-ons. Like I said in my post im not sure if they can make a circle pad add-on, but if they can im sure they will.

also worth noting is that if a game was to use the second analog stick it would be used for camera control ninty nine percent of the time which would easily be replicated with the touch screen.

Yeah I guess you're right. I was just reading on another site about the 3DS has a design flaw where the bottom screen scratches the top screen.

http://neogaf.net/forum/showthread.php?t=430287

This system was rushed out the door it seems and is need of a redesign.

 

[Hamster at Dawn]

Nintendo does realise that the 3DS is the successor to the DS, right? It seems odd that they would focus on the 2D when the main reason to buy a 3DS over a regular DS was because it was 3D. If I'm not even going to get to use the 3D effect much then I really have no reason to upgrade.

I'm pretty sure this is going to be the last generation of dedicated portable gaming devices. Smartphones are just getting cheaper and cheaper and the games get better and better.

There really is no need for it just like there isn't any need for a wristwatch.

I love my wristwatch. I agree that it's not necessary these days but the wristwatch will never die!