Nintendo 3DS

[Caine]

The 3DS is going to fail miserably. Another indication that 3D is strongly overrated.


In fact, what attracted my interest in the original DS was the fact that many games weren't even 3D in terms of gameplay/rendering (let alone the display). I think 3D displays are a fad which offer little beside a gimmick which entertains for a short while and then stops to add anything of interest.

 

[gadgetoid]

Yes, you own Apple products.

It's funny, because you're right.


If Microsoft released a handheld, I'd be all over it like bukkake on a pornstar.


Nintendo have pretty much sailed the failboat, and I never really liked the PSP; not least of all because of the trainwreck of a direction it went in. The Vita is going to be obsolete before it even launches.


What we need is something new... but the portable gaming market has always been a pretty poor prospect at best. These days it seems nothing but a bad idea... developers just need to start seeing tablets and smartphones for what they are, and produced polished, feature complete games for them rather than watered-down-tat.


Cooking Mama could have been awesome on the iPhone, if they hadn't made it a shitty, watered-down, content-starved, trojan horse of micro-payment bullshit. To say nothing of the Zelda/Mario franchises!

 

[SavageMind]

My wife got a 3DS and brought it back 3 days later. Lucky for her she got it on post. It gave her a headache to play it. She's sticking with her Iphone for games...lol.

 

[Lethargy]

I had a go on Starfox in my local Game - have to admit the 3D effect was much better than I was expecting. Only played for 5 minutes though - my eyes were starting to go funny (I had the 3D slider on max).


That new add-on they've just released with the additional analogue nub smacks of desperation to me. Sales must be pretty bad.

 

[Nintendo]

My wife got a 3DS and brought it back 3 days later. Lucky for her she got it on post. It gave her a headache to play it. She's sticking with her Iphone for games...lol.

3D off switch.

 

[SavageMind]

Thank you CPT Hindsight. The only reason she bought it was for the 3D. So if it gives her a headache........ :blink: Geez.

 

[Nintendo]

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or your wife.


I have 3D off most of the time now.

 

[SavageMind]

It's ok...lol. She was really mad about it effecting her like that. I think she returned it more out of anger than the headaches. Funny really she's waiting on the iphone5 I guess. :blink:

 

[DaMummy]

just so you people know, my eyes were hurting and bugging out for first 2 weeks as well, it takes a little to get used to, give it some time, now my eyes are perfectly fine with it and im always on max 3d and can easily dry out a battery playing it in one sitting without hurting eyes or head. eyes obviously arent used to this new thing, of course theyre gonna act out about it, returning it after 3 days was the dumb part, not the turning 3d off

 

[Jourdy288]

Since Nintendo is no longer untouchable/unbeatable/invincible in the handheld stakes...I think it's time for M$ to release a dedicated portable console (with buttons)

Nice idea, but they're going to try to market their WP7 as that handheld. Regrettably, they think that can work.

 

[WizardStan]

The 3DS is going to fail miserably. Another indication that 3D is strongly overrated.

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo was well on its way to being in the black by now with respect to the 3DS, even with the price drop. They've sold a lot more consoles than people give them credit for, and the software is about as mature now as it was for the DS. Remember when the DS first came out all those years ago and everyone complained how touch screen gaming was a fad and highly overrated? If you don't then either your memory has been tainted or you just weren't paying attention then the way you are now. Prometheus has an amusing link she's tossed around a few times which shows the 3DS is actually doing better after the same time since release than the original DS did.

 

[Prometheus]

^ Whilst you're right about the sales figures of the equivalent time, you misremember slightly. My link is this, from around the same time in the DS' lifespan as we are at with the 3DS now.


Read it and see the parallels, both in article and comments - the gist of it is that the "press" has not changed, and nor has the willingness of gamers to believe silliness without doing their research first.


History just keeps repeating, and those who do not learn from it are doomed to repeat it once again.

 

[Caine]

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo was well on its way to being in the black by now with respect to the 3DS, even with the price drop. They've sold a lot more consoles than people give them credit for, and the software is about as mature now as it was for the DS.

You might be right. I haven't actually checked.

Remember when the DS first came out all those years ago and everyone complained how touch screen gaming was a fad and highly overrated?

Yes I do, I didn't agree with them at the time. The touchscreen was a great idea and enabled new genres and new sorts of gameplay. The 3D however, is not. In fact, if I remember correctly, all games are obliged to have a non-3D mode. An obligation which will get in the way of gameplay innovation. 3D display, like 3D rendering, is irrelevant. Only if the gameplay is influenced, it becomes more interesting (my opinion). I have yet to see good examples of this for the 3DS (though admittedly, I don't follow the DS developments that accurately anymore).


Movies suffer from the same problem, aside from obvious gimmicks, there are no scene compositions made which cannot be shown on 2D displays. Hence the 3D is bland, boring and useless.

 

[Prometheus]

^ Check out Star Fox 64 3D. It is, in my view, what should be a go-to reference game for all 3DS developers. The 3D makes a genuine difference to it (it's all the more noticeable if you played the terrible N64 version), yet it's not negatively impacted by turning it off, either. It gets that aspect very, very right.


If I may just change track for a moment, though, I have a bit of a request for assistance from us Mega Fans...


Later today, the first of the Game Boy Mega Man games, Mega Man - Dr. Wily's Revenge, will be released on the 3DS' Virtual Console service in Europe and Australia. It's been rated by the ESRB as well, and will likely show up in North America at some point within the next few weeks.


I would like to ask that anyone who is interested in the game or in the series as a whole please consider picking this one up.


The reason I ask this is because those in charge at Capcom Japan keep insisting that Mega Man is unpopular outside of Japan. They judge this by not making or releasing any Mega Man games, and then finding that they then don't have any sales for the non-existent Mega Man games.


They have refused to give the chance to prove financial viability with the "MegaMan Legends 3: Prototype Version" prologue-game, so right now this is the only opportunity there is.


Again, if you like the series or would like a taster of it with one of its shorter installments, please give this one some thought. Thankyou.

 

[Blue Protoman]

Only if we don't have to buy Resident Evil: Mercenaries.

 

[Prometheus]

Hahaha. You don't. :lol:

 

[Caine]

^ Check out Star Fox 64 3D. It is, in my view, what should be a go-to reference game for all 3DS developers. The 3D makes a genuine difference to it (it's all the more noticeable if you played the terrible N64 version), yet it's not negatively impacted by turning it off, either. It gets that aspect very, very right.

One big problem with the 3DS is that you cannot easily check it out without owning one. It's so annoying to actually have to visit the shops to check stuff out. I understand it's hard to put into words how it makes a difference, but if the game is just as good by having it off then it's just a good game (3D or not). What info does the 3D provide that the 2D view does not? Is gameplay affected in any way or is it just the extra visual depth gimmick?

 

[Prometheus]

^ The gameplay is affected. I'll cite the example where I noticed it the most.


In the N64 original, you frequently had to mash the shoulder-buttons in areas of heavy fire or with lots of ships, in order to barrel-roll *just in case* you get hit (this is especially important in Expert Mode, where not getting hit really counts). This is of course the same with the 3DS' depth-slider off in the remake. However, with it on, your natural instincts just do their work (at which point I reacted with shock, since I was so used to the N64 version), meaning that you can focus on better scores and such, because you're not cramping up your hands with endless rolling.

 

[Caine]

However, with it on, your natural instincts just do their work (at which point I reacted with shock, since I was so used to the N64 version), meaning that you can focus on better scores and such, because you're not cramping up your hands with endless rolling.

That sounds quite interesting. So essentially, your subconscious collision detection works better, I did not expect that.


I'll have to give it a spin when I visit my friends with a 3DS.

 

[Blue Protoman]

Hahaha. You don't. :lol:

Good, now I just have to get a 3DS. Let me know when they release a dual-nub version.