Nintendo Unveils the 3DS

[toonarmy]

Thought the following article was interesting. Apparently handheld gaming is far from struggling, as some people like to suggest. Forbes should maybe rethink its latest article about the impending death of the 3DS and Vita. First year stats for the 3DS:

--The 3DS has sold 4.5 million units, compared to the original DS's 2.3 million.
--With a library of over 100 physical titles, the 3DS has sold 9 million games; the DS sold 5 million with 58 titles.
--The eShop, which wasn't available in the DS's first year, has over 500 games available. Nintendo wouldn't provide sales statistics, but did mention that on average a consumer downloads five games or programs.
--In terms of general revenue, including software and accessories, the 3DS has generated $1.2 billion; the DS managed $540 million in its first year.

http://ds.ign.com/articles/122/1220076p1.html

[toonarmy]

Looks like the 3DS XL is official. $199.99 on August 19th. Nuts that it won't ship with a power adapter outside of North America. Who the f*** ships a handheld system without an adapter? A 4gb sd card will be included with the unit and the screen is 90% larger than on the current 3DS. Since the XL still does not have a second stick, I wonder if Nintendo will release a Circle Pad Pro XL? Even though not many games utilize the CPP, the games that do use it are very good ones.

[wco81]

How long will that price hold up.

Charge by USB? Do they include that cable?

[Rodster]

Hopefully they'll release a white 3DS XL and like wco eluded to how the hell do you charge the battery on that sucker?

[Rodster]

Does anyone know if these things are region locked? Cause i'm tempted to order a white one from Play Asia.

[Feanor]

They are region locked, unfortunately.

[Rodster]

I finally took the plunge and bought the Midnight Purple @ Lockerz.com for $142.79 new and Kid Icarus for $30.79

I was going to wait for the 3DS XL but got turned off on the quality issues where EVERY review said it felt cheap and that Nintendo cut corners.

[Feanor]

I don't know what reviews you read but everything I've read says the quality of the 3DS XL is a big improvement over the original.

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9111491

[toonarmy]

Yeah, all the reviews I've read are saying the XL is a good step up. Bigger screens, not as much smudging, better battery life, more comfortable to hold, yadda yadda. I have read a couple reviews that say the form factor looks cheaper than the regular 3DS, but I have seen nothing but good things about the actual build quality.

[Rodster]

Yeah that's what I read. It mentioned the 3DS XL looked cheaper than the original 3DS. One reviewer mentioned that parts of the XL felt like they were a little loose. I'll probably get it once it's released.

I just received my midnight purple 3DS and I find myself turning down as much as possible until I get used to the 3D effect. Kid Icarus looks pretty cool. It's the only game I got until they start a 3DS sale.

[toonarmy]

Being a sucker for handhelds, I picked up a blue XL. The screen seems so massive compared to the original 3DS. The unit itself feels very solid and well-made. Speakers are about the same as the 3DS speakers. The blacks are noticeably darker on the 3DS XL and the display is brighter. My ambassador games look fantastic, as do the several 3DS cart-based games I played. Other than obvious upgrade of the larger screen, the aspect of the XL I like the most is the feel. The d-pad is a ton easier on my hands, and the system feels like a more natural fit than the original 3DS. It's overall an excellent machine.

[Rodster]

Since i'm also a sucker for handheld consoles I just ordered one (blue/black) from Amazon. I'm surprised they started selling them since they quit selling the 3DS because of excessive returns. It should be in stock within 3 weeks. Hopefully my (NCAA 13 and GT5) trade ins and $15 promo credit from Madden can be applied to this order.

[sportdan30]

Picked up the 3DS XL a few weeks back when Target had this on sale for $180. Gotta say I'm quite impressed so far. Nintendo recently had a deal going on if you bought Luigi's Mansion 2, you were able to download one of four select games. I chose Super Mario 3D Land. Both games are extremely enjoyable (SM3D being my favorite) and fun to pick up and play.

Never having played a RPG game before, I demo'd Fire Emblem and that game absolutely sucked me in. Thinking of picking up this game very soon. Reviews have been stellar.

With Donkey Kong Returns slated for a May 24th release and Animal Crossing coming out in June, Nintendo is cranking out some great titles. Wish that could be said for the Wii U.

[sportdan30]

Picked up Animal Crossing today and my daughter is in heaven....and I'm just a bit jealous!

[sportdan30]

Gotta admit Animal Crossing is my most played game right now. Whenever somebody in the house sets the 3DS down, someone grabs it. This game is just so relaxing and fun to play.

[Bakes]

Have twins that are turning 6 and the current plan is to get them each a ds. Is it worth the extra $$ to get them the 3ds over the 2ds? I've never owned or really played with either system. Is the dsi an option? I assume that won't player newer games though?

[fanatic]

Hey Bakes...

My only question about the 3DS, is whether the age recommendation for the 3D effect, is nothing before 7 years (could be 6). Otherwise, it's a great system - especially the 3DSXL, which gives you a lot more real estate. Mind you, to save a few bucks, the regular 3DS will save you about $30-$40 each.

The 2DS is a good option because of the price, lack of 3D (could be a good thing with kids) and the fact that you can play the current generation (and last of course) of DS games.

The DSi is the older generation handheld, so you would miss out on everything new (although the old library is still Huge, and 6 year olds would probably be happy with it I would think).

All great systems - just a matter of price/3D/games I think!

[Bakes]

Thanks fanatic. I think I might go with the 2ds. From what I've read it is pretty durable and my kids won't give a darn about the missing 3d. I am a little bummed though as it looks like I missed picking up the 3ds XL for $150 on sale at Walmart a few days ago. Would have been nice for dad to test out once in awhile. I'm sure I'll be "borrowing" their 2ds from time to time anyway.

[Rodster]

Wise choice going with the 2DS as the 3DS XL has poor build quality. The upper screen wobbles a bit, the analog nub after awhile begins to physically stick and the larger screen doesn't look as good as the original 3DS screen. The 3D effect is not what it's cracked up to be either. Some people develop headaches after 15-30 mins with it on and you have to move it around to get a sweet spot so the 3D effect looks right.

[Bakes]

Ordered the 2ds. $99 shipped at Shoprite of all places.

[sportdan30]

Picked up the "new" 3DS XL the other day. Why? I'm sucker for new electronics and I'm getting a little burned out on the consoles. I like having a game system to play in bed or on the couch. And I suppose I need my Nintendo fix. Plus, I had some birthday money that I couldn't decide on what to buy.

In any case, so far I'm extremely impressed with this handheld. The 3D is much more stable than ever before. It loads significantly faster than the previous 3DS. Yeah, graphically it's not on par of course with the Vita, but it has such an excellent variety of games. It would have been nice if Nintendo would have included a charger, as I had to run out last night and get one for $10 from Game Stop.

I purchased Mario Golf (it's challenging and fun at the same time) and Kirby Triple Deluxe (a game for my daughter) and they are both excellent, but the real winner is Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. I love the top down camera view, the gameplay is fast and responsive, the story is decent, and the exploration is really really fun. This may go down as my favorite handheld game ever.

I registered all my games, including some Wii U games, and I have enough Club Nintendo coin to purchase Mario 3D Land, which is a game I was going back and forth on whether to purchase or not.

[wco81]

Nintendo is going to develop and release mobile games:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015- ... rt-devices


So make a bluetooth controller and sell it with a download code for one of the games. Then support Airplay on iPad and Apple TV and you have both a mobile and console game in one.


Now would they still continue to put out new handhelds if their mobile games sell well. Main problem is mobile games which are more than a couple of bucks don't sell well at all.