Nintendo GOing Forward.

[Shifty Geezer]

Yep. It's too confusing to have a marginal improvement. Ordinarily you get year numbers or iterations. If it's a new product, have a new name. If it's the same product (iPad running iPad apps), either use a unique, derivative name (iPad Air) or simple number.

DS and DSi made sense, as did 2DS and 3DSXL. New 3DS isn't a really a working name. There's a sweet in the UK called the New Refresher because it was labelled 'new' when it was released some 30 years ago and then they couldn't remove the 'new' label because there was already another sweet with the name Refresher. It's a sweet who's name is derided.

And another observation. If you want to sell it on eBay and list it as New 3DS when it's used, you'll presumably be in violation of their listing policy.

 

[I.S.T.]

I wonder if this will be like the DSi where almost nothing of note took advantage of the new features...

 

[Wynix]

And another observation. If you want to sell it on eBay and list it as New 3DS when it's used, you'll presumably be in violation of their listing policy.

 

[orangpelupa]

lol like the "New IPAD"

btw nintendo cant really get away with "new" like ipad. because new ipad games still works but not new 3ds games.

 

[Globalisateur]

Well I think those 2 new 3DSs are great! I think I am gonna buy one of those (if only to compare the screen and 3D effect to my favorite 3DS, the ambassador model).

- Second analog stick, well kind of, enough for moving the camera which is perfect and mandatory for Monster Hunter
- Better CPU, more memory, perfect for quicker menus, OS and Social Internet stuff (Internet, Mii etc.)
- Better 3D (you noticed that they didn't ditch the 3D, they even improved it!)
- Better autonomy, well duh, that was also mandatory.

But the really most important, also the most underlooked:

- Better positionning of start / select / power on buttons (well I don't know where they put the power on button but at least they removed it from where the start/select should have always being from the start). Those buttons on current models, even on the XL model, are really awfully, terribly located and/or have bad shape.

Great job Nintendo! I can see many japanese Monster hunter players buying one of those only for the second stick and improved battery life!

 

[zed]

This is no longer the case where competition comes from mobile devices that offer far better all-round functionality

BS until phones have proper input Dpad/sticks buttons then they are not as functional as handhelds for 'most' games

The again phones gets good stuff that uses its input methods (touch/tilt) like
rolly bolly (tm)
shoottifrutti (tm)

 

[Shifty Geezer]

BS until phones have proper input Dpad/sticks buttons then they are not as functional as handhelds for 'most' games

Read here.

 

[function]

Take that home consoles BOOM 256 MB ram.

Nintendo are dropping bombs and swinging fists in the bleeding edge console space.

Spoiler

Tempted.

 

[zed]

But a lot of Nintendo's old handheld audience seems to be happily satisfied with the gaming limitations of mobile.

How do you conclude this?

biggest nintendo IP ---- possible to control well with mobile

mariokart - maybe
supersmash bros - no
mario - no
zelda - no
pokemon - perhaps (Ive never played it, but I think its not arcadish)
donkey kong - no
brainage - yes
kirby - no

So in the whole apart from brainage (which I believe did show the largest dropoff in sales for any game in history) their IP's arent really suitable for touch unless they rework the core gameplay mechanics

btw I've been reading about mobile games marketting today, did you know the game with the hifgest revenue in the world last year for IOS/android was 'puzzle and dragons'. Downloaded 30million times in japan (population 120million) unbelievable

 

[shredenvain]

The New 3DS design looks cool, but I am just as confused as to why the hell they do a half ass tech upgrade with more Ram and higher Cpu clock. The name will definitely make your local Gamestop clerks job much harder. : ) I am not sure why they would do this.

 

[Wynix]

The New 3DS design looks cool, but I am just as confused as to why the hell they do a half ass tech upgrade with more Ram and higher Cpu clock. The name will definitely make your local Gamestop clerks job much harder. : ) I am not sure why they would do this.

They wanted to let everyone know that they have learned nothing from the Wii-U.

 

[shredenvain]

You know in my opinion Nintendo had a great idea with the Wii and it's controllers.
It brought in people that never played games and older casual gamers that gave up on game consoles when the controllers started get extremely complicated for them. They sold a ton of Wiis by reaching an untapped market. They also turned there backs on more serious gamers by not offering them anything new or more advanced graphically which has basically put them on a path of being one gen behind graphically compared to the competition. In my opinion the next home console they release should be the most powerful console on the market to please the real gamers and go back to the Wii nunchuck and Wiimote for controls. Of course they should update the controllers tech. This way they can cast their net on the widest market possible. The original wiimote was great for fps games when done right and even 3rd person action games like skyward sword. Casual gamers would play because of the ease of interface and if the graphics look great they might actually get interested in great graphics and gameplay. They shouldnt release the new system until 2015 or 16. Sorry my post is kinda off topic it was just on my mind.

 

[zed]

The New 3DS design looks cool, but I am just as confused as to why the hell they do a half ass tech upgrade with more Ram and higher Cpu clock. The name will definitely make your local Gamestop clerks job much harder. : ) I am not sure why they would do this.

Im guessing its to stop the rot of the 3ds sales slide for a while and its a year or so to early for the 4ds. what did 3ds ship last year? ~12 million or so, this year it will prolly be similar, if they didnt release this it would be ~8 million
in 18 months time they can release the 4ds (ninfone with actual game controls)

 

[Shifty Geezer]

How do you conclude this?

Just because someone used to buy/play Mario or Tertris, doesn't mean their gaming itch isn't satisfied by the offerings on mobile. You list the game people bought on 3DS. Was Flappy Bird for free available on 3DS? Or Angry Birds? No, so you can't compare what people are happy to play with what was sold. If Flappy Bird was available for 3DS for free, perhaps it would have been the most played game on the platform. The mistake is believing everyone who bought a Nintendo handheld did it to play Mario and Kirby instead of 'to play something', and so the software doesn't tell the story.

Now look at Nintendo's ever dwindling handheld sales. Why are they selling less then they used to? Is there competition? Gosh, yes there is. There are mobile devices. Every kid has a smart phone now which plays games. Ah, but it doesn't play real games like Mario Kart and Zelda and Kirby. Therefore, these kids are also going to buy a Nintendo handheld, because they want those sorts of games. Except that's not happening, and these same kids are playing 'repeatedly press the screen to get a larger score', of their own volition. I know plenty of people playing Bejewelled/Candy Crush and Minecraft and all sorts of other mobile titles where once they would have played Mario on DS.

Ergo, the conclusion, a lot of Nintendo's former audience who were people looking for entertainment on the go and finding it in thumbpad controlled Nintendo games are finding the mobile entertainments just as satisfying so have no need of a Nintendo handheld in addition to their smartphone/tablet. The job of 'keeping me entertained' is, for a lot of people, satisfied by the content on mobile (regardless what our opinion of said games might be!), but the smart device adds a lot more functionality to that core function where 3DS doesn't.

 

[zed]

You misunderstand me shifty. What I'm talking about is Nintendo's main franchises are chiefly arcade games which are not suited to mobile input. Sure Nintendo can put Mario Bros on a phone but to be successful you would have to change the gameplay mechanic to Mario cuts the rope. Or Kirby's candy crush or flappy Zelda or whatever the current fad is.

 

[Cjail]

Nintendo of Europe Lays Off 320 People.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

You misunderstand me shifty.

I don't think I am.

What I'm talking about is Nintendo's main franchises are chiefly arcade games which are not suited to mobile input.

Yes, but it doesn't matter, because Nintendo's previous audience are happy to play other games. They don't need tight arcade controls. People who played Mario and Zelda on DS did so not because they wanted to play Mario and Zelda, but because they wanted to play something. Now they can play Cut the Rope etc., they can play something on mobile and don't need a Nintendo handheld.

For Nintendo's core fans, a small subset of their hardware market, mobile will not be enough, but for their wider audience, mobile offers something to play and a whole lot more besides.

Sure Nintendo can put Mario Bros on a phone but to be successful you would have to change the gameplay mechanic to Mario cuts the rope. Or Kirby's candy crush or flappy Zelda or whatever the current fad is.

I'll continue to argue against this. There are definitely possibilities for Nintendo-style creative input that'll work with touch input. They wouldn't have to dumb down their games to tap-fests and puzzlers. The game I'm working on at the moment was designed for controller as an arcade game. I implemented touch buttons on mobile which I feel work, but some test subjects weren't comfortable. At first I was somewhat pissed that the mobile audience can't/won't accommodate a little learning to get a new game experience, but then I added a touch-interface. The core game is intact, it plays fundamentally the same way although with a different feel, and it works. The only thing you can't rely on with mobile input is low-latency, so super-accurate timing is a no-no for games. For everything else, there's a suitable solution that preserves the game vision. Oh, and mobile also has that annoying obscuring of the game screen, but if the mobile market is okay with that, so be it. Go where the money is!

 

[Entropy]

Something which I feel is a hindrance to understanding the market role of mobile gaming in this forum is perpetuating the myth that mobile gaming = shallow tapfests. It simply isn't true, by a long shot, and says more about the ignorance about mobile gaming on a console forum than anything else. The fact of the matter is that mobile gaming spans the entire spectrum from the incredibly accessible and simplistic, to online MMOs, to the most vibrant strategy gaming platform for certain (non-MOBA) genres, to arcade titles, to all kinds of indie titles that would never been produced if it wasn't for the easy global publishing, and of course multi platform ports from console and PC space. It's a hotbed of creativity at all levels except the AAA, thousand head projects. (Yet.)

Any argument or reasoning about market trajectories that is based on the implicit assumption that mobile gaming revolves exclusively around Angry Birds or similar titles is sufficiently flawed at its core to be useless.

 

[Grall]

Nintendo of Europe Lays Off 320 People.

What were these people originally doing that won't need doing from here on out? ...Nothing? Hired just to sit around all day long twiddling their thumbs? Unlikely.

Is Nintendo perhaps just shutting down regional Nintendo HQ and moving business elsewhere - say, NoA?

 

[Deleted member 13524]

Something which I feel is a hindrance to understanding the market role of mobile gaming in this forum is perpetuating the myth that mobile gaming = shallow tapfests. It simply isn't true, by a long shot, and says more about the ignorance about mobile gaming on a console forum than anything else. The fact of the matter is that mobile gaming spans the entire spectrum from the incredibly accessible and simplistic, to online MMOs, to the most vibrant strategy gaming platform for certain (non-MOBA) genres, to arcade titles, to all kinds of indie titles that would never been produced if it wasn't for the easy global publishing, and of course multi platform ports from console and PC space. It's a hotbed of creativity at all levels except the AAA, thousand head projects. (Yet.)

Any argument or reasoning about market trajectories that is based on the implicit assumption that mobile gaming revolves exclusively around Angry Birds or similar titles is sufficiently flawed at its core to be useless.

To add to that, the most popular mobile game ever is - and has always been for the past 18 years - Pokemon.
That's a full blown RPG. It's not a tapfest.