3DS Games discussion/Collecting thread

[Megamixer]

So how are you supposed to charge it then? Are we expected to buy adaptors separately?

Yes, you'd have too if you don't have a 3DS or DSiXL. I guess their justification would be it makes the console cheaper for the upgrading consumer if they can still use their old adapter.

Maybe. An AC adaptor just seems like a standard bit of kit that should come as part of any 'bare bones' package.

Interesting that this strategy seems to be targeting existing customers rather than expanding the install base which is what I expected Nintendo to want to be doing. New customers in the casual vein are just going to get confused with things like not having adaptors included. That's if they don't get confused by a revision of a handheld which some still see as a revision of its predecessor...and it uses the XL term also used by an update of a previous console

[Matt_B]

So how are you supposed to charge it then? Are we expected to buy adaptors separately? Also, I'd love to hear a justification for why the US get an adaptor but everywhere else doesn't

Presumably because Nintendo of America is run by people with fully functioning brains.

I suspect that most retailers would offer a bundle including an adaptor in the UK anyway. Nintendo might have lost most of the casual gaming market to smartphones, but you'd think they'd make more of an effort to hang on to what they've got left.

[pratty]

An AC adaptor just seems like a standard bit of kit that should come as part of any 'bare bones' package.

Interesting that this strategy seems to be targeting existing customers rather than expanding the install base which is what I expected Nintendo to want to be doing.

I'm not sure they are just targeting exisitng customers, but they would say that by splitting the AC adapter from system they are thinking of existing customers who don't need the unecessary expense of another AC adapter.

However they'll have to be careful about how they present this decission as it could backfire and come across as an sneaky hidden extra to new customers.

[DreamcastRIP]

3DS XL releaved, no second circle pad...

Is this a bad joke?

EDIT: Apologies. I now see this is legit. Oh dear, oh dear.

[nakamura]

Yes the hordes of incoming shooters for the 3DS are really going to suffer without a right circle pad. It probably should have one however but I wouldn't know where I would want it. I don't use the circle pad for Resi or MGS3 and I wouldn't want to move the buttons down to make way for it.

[ShadowNeku]

I am a little surprised they havent put one on it. Especially since due to the larger size i can only assume the current circle pad attachment will no longer fit.

[Fightersmegamix]

This just seems like an excuse to put the price back up. Early adopters seem to get shatfed, not a good message to send out when your planning a new home console launch.

[Evermore]

I don't think this new 3DS system is the upgrade unit that we were expecting at E3 - ie the one with a new analogue stick; the 1.5 model that the DSi was. The 3DS XL, like the DSi XL before it, is just a choice really - so the customer can have a big or a small unit depending on their own particular needs.

Overall, I felt the latest Nintendo Direct this morning was excellent - made up for the dodgy E3 3DS showing. Some interesting new games like the Inazuno Wii title were surprising too. The DS and 3DS games shown look superb - a new score attack mechanic in New Super Mario Bros. 2 looks brilliant fun in particular. I also got a secret character unlocked in Mario Tennis Open at the end of the presentation - which is a very nice touch! Then there are the two brand new demos on the eShop to play with. A great showing all round then - clearly Nintendo couldn't give two shits about E3 anymore, and will go direct to the customer from now on.

What is interesting too are the two new games revealed in the presentation - Freakyforms Deluxe and Art Academy 3D; both these games are very creative, and they could almost come across as educational software. This could be something Nintendo might push in the future; that the 3DS isn't just a game system, but a creativity tool. Could be part of a new Blue Ocean strategy perhaps?

[Roo]

I can't see myself doing the switch to a 3DS XL either. A smaller model, maybe, but a giant version of the one I've already got (only with the added ability to inadvertantly pull my jeans down everytime I stick it in my pocket), no dice.

That said, I was encouraged by a lot of the other topics discussed. A date for NSMB2, confirmation for Miracle Mask in 2012, info on the sequel to SSB Brawl, a date for a PAL version of Imazuma Eleven Wii, a new version of Art Academy, eShop demos, an eShop sale...I'd consider that Nintendo Direct a bit of a success. Disappointed as everyone else about the news of Animal Crossing's delay until 2013, but that was expected and understandable.

On another note, does anyone else think Nintendo of Europe has hit a bit of a purple patch? We're getting NSMB 2 and the 3DSXL before North America, and dates for games that haven't yet been announced for NA (FreakyForms and Art Academy). Hats off to them. To illustrate how far ahead of the curve they seem to be, one of the NoA Nintendo Direct's main announcements was a big Virtual Console promotion of eight games in four weeks...six of which Europe already has.

[DreamcastRIP]

I am a little surprised they havent put one on it. Especially since due to the larger size i can only assume the current circle pad attachment will no longer fit.

Can't wait for the Circle Pad Pro XL!

That's no moon. It's a current-gen handheld from Nintendo!

This is not the 3DS upgrade you are looking for!

As Obi-Wan Kenobi may or may not have said.

[RetroBob]

I was holding back on a 3DS (despite getting a few games cheap over time!) for whatever they update it too - I imagine this will be be "it" for a while so I'll get one (AND a charger LOL).

Also, WHY didn't they just announce this and the other new games they announced at E3 and get much more coverage?

[Evermore]

The whole charger issue is getting Nintendo a lot of flak online - thing is, if the lack of charger in the box reduces the price of the console, surely thats a good thing for those who are already coming down with chargers in their homes? I have a separate charger for my GBA SP, my Game Boy Micro, my DS Lite and my 3DS. I don't need another one, plus if it makes the console cheaper I'll be happy if I buy one.

The thing is though, are they really going to pass on the saving to the consumer, or enjoy the extra profit they make on the cut in costs it will bring to their value chain? Who knows. I wouldn't want to think of it as a way to get a few extra quid out of cash-strapped consumers in this day and age. It will be confusing to the public, no doubt. But if the lack of charger is taken into account when devising the price of the hardware at retail, I think it is okay - just a little confusing for casual buyers.

I'm going to think about getting one anyway when it comes out next month. I have a birthday (yuck) between now and then and a few quid in a gift voucher right now. I could get a Vita instead though, which I really really want, but there aren't any games out on that yet that I really want to play. Prolly wait to Christmas or next year before investing in what is a stunning handheld - and I love me some handheld gaming

My major concern with the 3DS XL is the screen resolution - if its noticably inferior then I won't invest. We will just have to wait and see on that one - a demo unit in my local HMV might sort that out.

[Nautical Rudie]

I was super excited about the idea of a 3DS XL, but without a second stick it just doesn't seem worth the bother of upgrading. The screen looks nice (and since I looked at those pictures my 3DS seems suddenly titchy) but I'm really surprised they left it off, you'd think that with Vita out now they would make some concession towards competing with two sticks and try to catch some of that audience. Screen looks lovely but there might be issues with resolution, and the battery increase isn't really that significant, I get around 4hrs out of my current model. So I probably won't upgrade, at least for now.

[ALK]

Surly you can get an official charger for dirt cheap on either ebay or CeX? Seems a lot of fuss over nothing (I mean, they're been using the same charger since the DSi right?)

The lack of a 2nd stick makes me wonder if there isnt a lot of developers wanting to take advantage of it. Thinking it's more of a choice for gamers and/or developers then a necessity. With that said, I'm not looking forward to how the Circle Pad Pro XL's going to look. Not just that, but every 3DS add on is now useless to the XL (The Wheel, the Kid Icarus Stand maybe, etc.)

With that said, I'm curious has to how 3DS games and even DS games will look on the thing. Will DS games finally look nicer or even uglier, will 3DS games still look good and not blocky due to the larger screen, and of course, the 3D? Far as I go, I prefer playing my DS games on my XL then my normal DS's, so I am a bit interested. The fact they're launching with a red one this time is even more tempting, so we'll see. We'll see.

*Is a giant sucker for gaming hardware* XD

[Nemesis]

I am a little surprised they havent put one on it. Especially since due to the larger size i can only assume the current circle pad attachment will no longer fit.

Tbh I'm not surprised. The thing with the ordinary DS family is that although the "i" series added some extra functionality & latterly bigger screens, the control set up was consistent throughout. D-pad, facia & shoulder buttons plus touchscreen.

However, Nintendo have set a precedent with their first iteration of the 3DS in that it only had one slide pad. Adding a second one to later models will only fragment the market & cause developer uncertainty. Some people might get a 3DS with an additional slide pad, others won't (or be ticked off at Nintendo that their relatively new 3DS has already been super-ceded.) It is a bit of a no-win situation for Ninty because they have left themselves with little room for manoeuvre.

There wasn't going to be a 3DS lite this time & certainly not one with an extra slide pad. Personally, I am quite glad about that as I can now, in the near future, purchase a 3DS & know a later model won't be adding new improved or additional control methods.