Nintendo 3DS

[iprice]

Of course, it wasn't surprising to those of us who saw it coming and knew exactly what would happen from the very start.

Yep. I was a day 1 adoptee (actually -3 as mine arrived a few days early, as did a couple of games). I picked up 6 games at launch and have only bothered properly with the two I mentioned - the others were either mediocre (Pilot Wings - waaaaaay to short), pretty poor (I'm looking at you Ridge Racer) or for my wife (Nintendogs & Cats). Picking up Zelda:OOT, Resi and Mario Land3D has stopped me playing normal DS games on the thing, however. Despite being an Ambassador and downloading the 20 freebie games, I haven't touched them yet.

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

I might pick up the metal gear snakeater game fo my 3ds.I have yet to play anything on it yet.Are downloadable movies available for it yet.In 3d these would be cool.

 

[Jumpman]

I might pick up the metal gear snakeater game fo my 3ds.I have yet to play anything on it yet.Are downloadable movies available for it yet.In 3d these would be cool.

Yeah, I was going to get it as I never played the PS2 version, but I have no plans to get the circle pad pro, and I just don't think I'll enjoy it as I should without it. Then I saw the Metal Gear collection is due out for the Vita this year, and I figure that would be a better value overall, so I think I'll go with that one unless I can get the 3DS version at a good discount.


Chris

 

[iprice]

I'm in two minds about the 3DS Metal Gear too. I can get the HD MG 3game pack for PS3 for less than the cost of the 3DS version, but the 3D may really add to the game, unlike most other 3DS games. Decisions, decisions.


I already have the circle pad (it's actually pretty good, although it does feel heavy/awkward at first but does feel right with Resi).

 

[Jumpman]

Yeah, I'm not against the circle pad pro, but I have a Nyko battery plus on my unit, and I would hate to take it off just to use the CPP. I have Resident Evil, and I enjoy playing it the standard way, like the originals where played. Metal Gear I'm sure would benifit more, as that was designed originally to work with 2 analog sticks.


I'm sure Nindendo will update the 3DS at some point, and add the extra stick/nub. If they don't, I'm hoping Nyko or someone else will make an attachment with a battery built in, so I can have a second analog along with good battery life, until then, I'll just play the waiting game.


Chris

 

[Nintendo]

Twas an awesome show last night!!! A lot of awesome new games~

 

[iprice]

Twas an awesome show last night!!! A lot of awesome new games~

Such as?


I hope there's more mention of Pikmin 3 (or another Pikmin game for any system). I've been waiting years for my next Olimar fix!

 

[Nintendo]

Fire Emblem


Mario Tennis 3D


Kingdom Hearts


New Brain Age Game


Rune Factory 4


AND MORE!!!!!

 

[iprice]

I knew about all of those already (but I'm especially looking forward to Fire Emblem, having played through the last 4 or so games).


That's fewer big games than I was hoping for, but still a fairly strong line-up.

 

[Prometheus]

I'm sure Nindendo will update the 3DS at some point, and add the extra stick/nub. If they don't, I'm hoping Nyko or someone else will make an attachment with a battery built in, so I can have a second analog along with good battery life, until then, I'll just play the waiting game.

I doubt they will - people kept saying that the GBA would be revised to add two extra face-buttons, and the press claimed that the DS would be dropped for a "GBA 2", too, for example. Those were even more persistent claims, and equally illogical*, and those never happened, either.


*With the 3DS, just as with the other two, this would break compatibility, and is at odds with the fact that the Circle Pad Pro is a niche add-on, for a few niche games, and accordingly is only available in small production numbers in very particular niche retail outlets. If it was of any importance, it would be available everywhere. The niche nature of the games and audience for the add-on makes it unlikely that it ever will be.


Also: Yay! Dillon's Rolling Western is out today!

 

[iprice]

I'm not too sure Prometheus.


Adding the extra circle pad would NOT break compatibility at all. It's still 100% compatible with all other 3DS games. Nintendo updated the DS twice with the DS Lite and DS XL. Having the extra control option would be a bonus, not an alteration. Other software won;t have to use it, but if it were available then they could. Now that the device exists, I see no reason for Nintendo not to update the 3DS. Granted future games would still have to run properly on the normal DS, but the add on is free anway (it was with Resi anyway), so not supporting it would be illogical.


Nintendo could also redisign the whole 3DS shell and make the battery larger while they're at it. Battery life could do with a boost.

 

[Prometheus]

Adding the extra circle pad would NOT break compatibility at all. It's still 100% compatible with all other 3DS games. Nintendo updated the DS twice with the DS Lite and DS XL. Having the extra control option would be a bonus, not an alteration. Other software won;t have to use it, but if it were available then they could. Now that the device exists, I see no reason for Nintendo not to update the 3DS. Granted future games would still have to run properly on the normal DS, but the add on is free anway (it was with Resi anyway), so not supporting it would be illogical.

Removing the IR port, which is what the Circle Pad Pro add-on uses to operate, would definitely break compatibility, as other games use it, and to build in those controls and have them accessed in the same fashion would necessitate that. Adding extra controls would break compatibility with Circle Pad Pro games, as having them built-in would mean that they're not accessed in the same way.


I'm not sure why you mention the DS Lite, since it's identical to the original DS hardware-wise, and the DSi and DSi XL were almost identical (there were three revisions, not two), and also did not break compatibility either (almost no games used the slightly "beefier" internals, and the ones that did showed barely any difference when running on the DS or DS Lite, thus making it rather pointless). Moreover, and I see this a lot, I think you've missed the point of why the revisions of the DS existed - look into the "tiers" that disruptive products cater to, that should explain it.


Now the device exists, why go to the expense of messing with something already established? They didn't when people claimed they would with the GBA and the DS, so why would they now?


Adding extra controls and revising the SDK and APIs because a niche group wants to believe it hard enough is just not very likely, as far as I can see.


EDIT: And where would it go, anyway? There's nowhere for it to go without messing up the ergonomics, and if you make it bigger, you lose the point of it being portable and pocketable... Double-capacity batteries (and higher, in the case of the Mugen Power one) are already readily available, so a redesign isn't necessary to get that.

 

[DaMummy]

Also: Yay! Dillon's Rolling Western is out today!

i'd welcome your opinion on this if you puchased it. it's the first eShop game i'm very much interested in

 

[Prometheus]

^ I haven't bought it yet, as I don't have my 3DS with me right now. I'll be grabbing it this evening, though.


I've actually been in a bit of a slump, gaming-wise, after Capcom's recent behaviour - I haven't actually played much of anything for months! It's finally started wearing off over the last day or so, though, and just in time, too. Views will follow once I've gotten the game, for sure.

 

[iprice]

Removing the IR port, which is what the Circle Pad Pro add-on uses to operate, would definitely break compatibility, as other games use it, and to build in those controls and have them accessed in the same fashion would necessitate that. Adding extra controls would break compatibility with Circle Pad Pro games, as having them built-in would mean that they're not accessed in the same way.

Prometheus - you missed the point completely - by redesigning the 3DS with the extra circle pad, you'd still have the IR port and not break any compatibility. You wouldn't lose any other controls either , so you wouldn't break circle pad pro compatibility either. look at the Vita. It still has all the controls from the PSP plus an extra nub. That's what i would expect Nintendo to do with an updated 3DS.

 

[Prometheus]

^ Re-read what you quoted. I certainly haven't missed the point.


As I said in that quote, the Circle Pad Pro controls are accessed via the IR port... But if you build them in, they're now suddenly accessed differently, when software will be looking... where? The IR port... The solution to this is to interface them that way internally, but then you lose the IR port... And adding a different IR port then means that the existing software that uses it probably won't work, either, because that software is wanting the original IR port, not the new one, but that's now gone so that a niche group can have built-in controls from a niche, exclusive-to-certain-retailers add-on, that only a tiny handful of games are ever likely to use.

 

[iprice]

I presume the circle pad pro itself still allows access to the IR port anyway.


Besides, controls for the circle pad is a software issue, not a hardware one. A simple patch would fix any problems with regards to IR if it doesn't already allow through-put.

 

[Prometheus]

Possibly it's a software issue, but that doesn't mean a revised device is likely in any capacity. Unless, that is, you got a Super GBA in November 2002 and were allowed to pay $16 to Nintendo to trade in your original model one, and then picked up a Game Boy Advance 2 when they took the DS off of the market in mid-2005...


Both of these were the GBA's and DS' equivalents to the "revised 3DS" rumour (I'm sure you can see the extreme similarities both in the ridiculousness of the claims, and of gamers' misplaced belief in them), both kept getting reported on by allegedly reputable sources, and both of them were as much bunk as this one is.

 

[Jumpman]

I'm sure Nindendo will update the 3DS at some point, and add the extra stick/nub. If they don't, I'm hoping Nyko or someone else will make an attachment with a battery built in, so I can have a second analog along with good battery life, until then, I'll just play the waiting game.

I doubt they will - people kept saying that the GBA would be revised to add two extra face-buttons, and the press claimed that the DS would be dropped for a "GBA 2", too, for example. Those were even more persistent claims, and equally illogical*, and those never happened, either.


*With the 3DS, just as with the other two, this would break compatibility, and is at odds with the fact that the Circle Pad Pro is a niche add-on, for a few niche games, and accordingly is only available in small production numbers in very particular niche retail outlets. If it was of any importance, it would be available everywhere. The niche nature of the games and audience for the add-on makes it unlikely that it ever will be.


Also: Yay! Dillon's Rolling Western is out today!

Normally I would agree with you P., and I'm not 100% convinced they will ever do it, but unlike other systems in the past, this is already availible in the CPP. When it was rumored that the PSP would get a second analog stick with a second or third revision, I knew that would never happen, as it would have never been possible for the original user base to access the second stick without buying a new unit. I do believe that would have devided that user base and that is why it was never done.


With the 3DS, you already have an attachment that is 100% optional and already at retail, and all games still have to be able to function without the second stick/nub. Currently there is a small amount of games that make use of the CPP. I'm sure more games will add support in the future, but it will always be optional. So I still don't think it's a sure thing, but I'm sure at some point Nintendo will see fit to improve the "sweet spot", or add a bigger screen or add better battery life, so I don't think it is out of the question to add the second nub as an improvement as well considering that it is an "option" and not mandatory for any game.


Chris

 

[iprice]

While we are indeed unlikely to see a revision in the immediate future, I still suspect that we will see one within the life of the 3DS.


Besides, this is not bunk, but mere speculation. Time will tell.