The Nintendo 3Ds

[Reo]

There could always be slide-pad to aim, ABXY to move, and R to shoot like on the Dreamcast.

 

[God Ginrai]

The camera is being moved by tilting the 3GS. Could be groundbreaking if done properly whilst using the physical controls to move the character.

Nope, that won't work for playing FPS at all. You can make games with this control scheme but definitely not a proper FPS.

Metal Gear Solid is not an FPS. For a Third person game like MGS, such a method for moving the camera could indeed be groundbreaking.

@Evil Star: While the touchscreen is not quite as comfortable for FPS camera control as an analog stick, it is actually a lot more precise. Have you ever played an FPS on the DS? It works really well, especially with a proper thumb stylus. If they wanted to have really good FPS control, they'd better add a mouse, though. Dual analog was always kind of a crutch.

I realize that it is very accurate, but I hated that setup. For me, it felt so uncomfortable. I didn't get Metroid Prime Hunters, because I tried every control scheme on the demo and could not find one that I enjoyed.

-God Ginrai

 

[OrR]

The camera is being moved by tilting the 3GS. Could be groundbreaking if done properly whilst using the physical controls to move the character.

Nope, that won't work for playing FPS at all. You can make games with this control scheme but definitely not a proper FPS.

Metal Gear Solid is not an FPS. For a Third person game like MGS, such a method for moving the camera could indeed be groundbreaking.

Groundbreaking? More like annoying and gimmicky... What could be fun this way is an augmented reality game like this: http://toyspring.com/arcade/ There are probably a few more creative ideas to be had with this. However, in an epic action adventure game, you simply don't want to control the game camera by moving the device around all the time. Especially since you have to hold it somewhat steady for the 3D effect to work.

 

[God Ginrai]

The camera is being moved by tilting the 3GS. Could be groundbreaking if done properly whilst using the physical controls to move the character.

Nope, that won't work for playing FPS at all. You can make games with this control scheme but definitely not a proper FPS.

Metal Gear Solid is not an FPS. For a Third person game like MGS, such a method for moving the camera could indeed be groundbreaking.

Groundbreaking? More like annoying and gimmicky... What could be fun this way is an augmented reality game like this: http://toyspring.com/arcade/ There are probably a few more creative ideas to be had with this. However, in an epic action adventure game, you simply don't want to control the game camera by moving the device around all the time. Especially since you have to hold it somewhat steady for the 3D effect to work.

x68000 said "if done properly". A stealth game like MGS should allow you to "see" only so much extra to keep the difficulty of the game. I think that a camera that can give you a minimal amount of extra visibility determined by a tilt could be quite successful.

-God Ginrai

 

[1magus]

I believe some games will use the touch screen as a second nub, at least I hope.
I have no idea what Sony is thinking by not getting a second PSP underway unless they are hoping to out show Nintendo at Tokyo Game Show, or possibly they are waiting to know the full specs on the 3DS since not everything has been revealed.

 

[migo]

I'd think it's the latter. Now that the 3DS has been revealed, unless Sony is completely retarded they'll release the PSP2 with dual analog. PSPGo design, tilt controls and capacitive touch screen, they might be able to steal back the market the iPod touch stole from them. Glasses free 3D would also be in line with releasing 3D for the PSP and 3D Blu-Ray movies.

 

[OrR]

No matter what they do, it'll be impossible to out show the 3DS. What are you going to do? Dual analog? Meh. Higher res screen and more graphics power? Nobody cares. While the 3DS isn't perfect, it's so far ahead of the game that the only option Sony has is to more or less clone it. Even then, people will prefer the original. Look at the list of 3DS games! You simply cannot beat that. I think Sony should just give up handheld gaming...

 

[craigix]

No matter what they do, it'll be impossible to out show the 3DS. What are you going to do? Dual analog? Meh. Higher res screen and more graphics power? Nobody cares. While the 3DS isn't perfect, it's so far ahead of the game that the only option Sony has is to more or less clone it. Even then, people will prefer the original. Look at the list of 3DS games! You simply cannot beat that. I think Sony should just give up handheld gaming...

I agree. It is totally Apples and Nintendos market for now.

 

[Jourdy288]

No matter what they do, it'll be impossible to out show the 3DS. What are you going to do? Dual analog? Meh. Higher res screen and more graphics power? Nobody cares. While the 3DS isn't perfect, it's so far ahead of the game that the only option Sony has is to more or less clone it. Even then, people will prefer the original. Look at the list of 3DS games! You simply cannot beat that. I think Sony should just give up handheld gaming...

I agree. It is totally Apples and Nintendos market for now.

Hmm, I wonder what the other two (Micro$oft and Sony) will try to do...
I can't wait for Sony to start supporting homebrew (sarcasm)!
Although, it's not uncommon for a desperate, tight shut company to do that.

 

[craigix]

Oh I've thought about that, that might be their only choice, make the PSP2 an open machine. But we all know it won't be REALLY open. They will just do an Apple style open. So not open at all.

Sony is too big to ever make a genuinely open system.

 

[Goity]

Craig, you've been saying this stuff ever since Sony sued you. It's understandable you feel this way, but it's clear you have a bias as a result of this.

As for the 3DS? It looks awesome, but the hardware is clearly incredibly weak, and many of the games on show aren't in development yet; case in point the KH game, which doesn't even have a developer attached to it yet.

To be honest, MGS: Peace Walker coming out tomorrow on PSP looks better than anything at the show this year.

 

[Sphinxter]

The camera is being moved by tilting the 3GS. Could be groundbreaking if done properly whilst using the physical controls to move the character.

Except your head must stay in the same position in relation to the device to see a parallax 3d effect so I'd have to doubt that.

 

[matzesu]

Mey poor Wallet: 6 Launchtitle i want
- Mario Kart
- Paper Mario
- Pilot Wings
- Zelda OOT
- Kid Icarus
- Saints Row

I hope there is a Bundle whit a blue 3DS Unit whit Kid Icarus for about 200€, so that i only need to pay 400€ at the begining... B)

 

[Exophase]

As for the 3DS? It looks awesome, but the hardware is clearly incredibly weak

Incredibly weak compared to what? It at least looks stronger than PSP.

 

[Goity]

As for the 3DS? It looks awesome, but the hardware is clearly incredibly weak

Incredibly weak compared to what? It at least looks stronger than PSP.

Yes, it looks like it may be, from some tech demos, slightly stronger than the PSP.

A console from 2004.

A six years old console.

 

[Exophase]

Yes, it looks like it may be, from some tech demos, slightly stronger than the PSP.

A console from 2004.

A six years old console.

You can't judge it from some demos and no information; a platform will never show its strongest utilization before release. Go compare it to launch graphics from PSP instead. Just having shaders makes it much more versatile than PSP.

I ask again, incredibly weak graphics compared to what? Apple platforms that are otherwise pretty awful for gaming? The speculated PSP2 that Sony has said nothing about, and for all we know might not ever even be happening? Do you know that in those last 6 years handheld 3D technology hasn't moved forward nearly as much as desktop 3D graphics have? Or that the user base isn't going to care about where it "should" be for its time frame and are probably going to think the graphics actually look pretty good.

Nintendo could have done a lot worse with the visuals on this platform. They possibly could have done better too, but at what cost? It's a big improvement over the DS, which was a very successful platform, and that's what's important.

 

[Goity]

The shaders are of course a massive boon, but the fact remains that the hardware looks clearly below the power of even what's inside the Pandora, or the Tegra chip that the 3DS was purported to be using. Compared to the rumours and hype for the 3DS of "better than Wii" and all that jazz, the 3DS looks to be pretty unimpressive.

I'm not saying it won't be better than Apple's consoles for gaming (it'll crush them), but from a hardware perspective it's incredibly uninspiring, even for Nintendo.

Plus, as for early demos? Nintendo hardware as of late hasn't really shown much improvement in terms of graphics from one software generation to the next, and I doubt it'll be any different this generation. Mario 64 is still one of the best looking games on DS, after all.

 

[Exophase]

The shaders are of course a massive boon, but the fact remains that the hardware looks clearly below the power of even what's inside the Pandora, or the Tegra chip that the 3DS was purported to be using. Compared to the rumours and hype for the 3DS of "better than Wii" and all that jazz, the 3DS looks to be pretty unimpressive.

I'm not saying it won't be better than Apple's consoles for gaming (it'll crush them), but from a hardware perspective it's incredibly uninspiring, even for Nintendo.

I don't see what looks clearly below SGX535 so far. It's a very difficult comparison when you have a first party that barely seems to be trying graphically and third parties that are pushing much stronger. Bear in mind, this is rendering 2x what we're seeing to produce the 3D effect.

I'm really amazed people had these expectations for Nintendo. They've never released a cutting edge handheld, never even close, even from the original Gameboy. They've always had a stronger emphasis on battery life and cost. If you ask me, 3DS's hardware bump is consistent with the previous handhelds - which IMO is good, because they could have pulled a Wii and presented something only barely better than DS.

I still think more concrete specs and game shots should be waited for, at any rate. I think the MGS and Splinter Cell shots look very good.

Plus, as for early demos? Nintendo hardware as of late hasn't really shown much improvement in terms of graphics from one software generation to the next, and I doubt it'll be any different this generation. Mario 64 is still one of the best looking games on DS, after all.

Wii is basically Gamecube hardware with a clock bump, developers didn't have anything new to learn, so that invalidates it from this comparison (and no, 3DS isn't just a clock bumped DS). As for DS, I disagree entirely, I think that there have been much better looking games than Mario 64. 3DS probably has more room to grow.

 

[Alpha2]

The 3DS doesnt look any better than current gen PSP to me. Sure it's impossible to compare with out a game being directly ported from one to the other but some of the best games for the PSP are astoundingly good looking and none of the video or screen shots I've seen so far look significantly better. I dont really think the end consumer is really going to nit pick over the possibility of a couple of extra shadows one way or the other as long as they look similar, making the 3D aspect the only real trump card. As for a PSP2, sony said nothing about it at their press conference so E3 will end without a single word about it. Instead they're clearly focusing on ways to stem the piracy tide and provide better games and marketing (regardless of what some might say about the "Marcus Campaign", it's certainly better than painting graphetti on private property or whatever else they've done in the past) to boost the system's sales.

Sony's strategy has always been to ring the last dollar out of a device before going to a next generation of hardware and even then they're squeezing blood from a stone already on the PS2. The fact that the 3DS has nothing over the current PSP aside from the touch screen and a 3D gimick means well frankly, that really nothing has changed. Nintendo will still sell 5 million on launchday as they've always done and the PSP will maintain a second position in a two horse race. It's not really necessary for Sony to do anything as long as they can sell games and a few thousand systems. This has always been the nintendo strategy, where even if they're not in first place, as long as they dont spend more than they make, then the console is still successful. They know they're never going to over take Nintendo's handheld market, no one ever has or will, not even the iphone. Sony has one more card to play in regards to piracy this year, if it works (requiring second hand owners to buy keys for online content) it might generate more actual sales, if it doesnt they may consider a new PSP next year or to coincide with whenever they finally cancel the PS2.

 

[migo]

No matter what they do, it'll be impossible to out show the 3DS. What are you going to do? Dual analog? Meh. Higher res screen and more graphics power? Nobody cares. While the 3DS isn't perfect, it's so far ahead of the game that the only option Sony has is to more or less clone it. Even then, people will prefer the original. Look at the list of 3DS games! You simply cannot beat that. I think Sony should just give up handheld gaming...

Sony is too stubborn to ever give up. They're still selling Betamax tapes. Dual analog WILL get people who want to play PS2 games properly on the go. Of course that's a small market, but it's enough for them to stay in the game. They won't outshow the 3DS, nobody's ever beaten Nintendo in the handheld market, and that isn't likely to change, but there's still a market for Sony.

I agree. It is totally Apples and Nintendos market for now.

Yeah, the iPod touch came from nowhere and was beating the PSP before anyone knew what happened. The difference is Nintendo planned it and Apple hit it by accident.

Hmm, I wonder what the other two (Micro$oft and Sony) will try to do...
I can't wait for Sony to start supporting homebrew (sarcasm)!
Although, it's not uncommon for a desperate, tight shut company to do that.

I doubt that'll happen. Other OS on Linux was removed, I'm sure, to close up potential security holes (IIRC, 1.80 allowed RSX access form Linux), and PS2 BC for the same reason.

I would be entirely unsurprised if the PSP2 doesn't have PSP backwards compatibility (even by download), so there aren't any legacy holes for modding.

Microsoft will be taking on Apple, Windows Phone 7 vs iOS 4, Zune HD2 vs iPod touch 4G. It has an interesting advantage of being able to learn from Apple's mistakes, and they've beat them out a few times by copying and improving, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the Zune HD2 running some Xbox and Xbox360 titles. Sony, well, who knows what they'll do. The PSP was just another GameGear - they tried competing with the GBA/DS the same way Sega competed with the GameBoy, and lost for the same reason. If they try the same thing, they'll lose again. I really don't know if Sony has it in them to come up with something new and creative in a good way, rather than just new and creative in a proprietary way.

The camera is being moved by tilting the 3GS. Could be groundbreaking if done properly whilst using the physical controls to move the character.

Except your head must stay in the same position in relation to the device to see a parallax 3d effect so I'd have to doubt that.

Not necessarily, you might have to train yourself to work with it, like with those magic eye posters, but it's doable. If you wear pinhole glasses at first you see a grid, but you can get your eyes to focus to the point that you can't tell you're wearing them anymore. I wouldn't be surprised to see the same happening with tilting.

As for the 3DS? It looks awesome, but the hardware is clearly incredibly weak

Incredibly weak compared to what? It at least looks stronger than PSP.

Yes, it looks like it may be, from some tech demos, slightly stronger than the PSP.

A console from 2004.

A six years old console.

LMFAO! Some people still haven't learned. Since 1989 people have been thinking like this, and since 1989 Nintendo has been slaughtering the competition with weaker graphics. You'd think by now people would have figured out that high end graphics is not the way to beat Nintendo.

Portable gaming is particularly appealing for kids, and for parents who want to buy for their kids. Nintendo products are sturdy and unlikely to break - something Sony and Apple can't say. The folding design protects the screens, and lower end graphics allows them to pump the battery life for full day usage (or full weekend under some conditions) along with some other features. I had some ESL students who made a FPS video using toy guns and a digital camera, and it was pretty sweet. I can't wait to see what they pull off with a 3D camera. Nintendo really makes devices that kids actually want to play, and that parents feel comfortable about buying for them. Not a single competitor except for SNK has really seen that (as a kid I wanted nothing more than fighting games, and with NGPC SNK vs Capcopm, Samurai Showdown, KoF R-2, etc all on the go, with an analog stick is just incredibly sweet, it was also cheap, pocketable, sturdy and had good battery life.) To see someone actually come even close to beating Nintendo they'll have to make something for the same market.