The Nintendo 3DS Gets Disassembled, Pictured

[adamboy64]

The massive success of the DS proves that devoted handhelds are profitable. Very profitable.

 

[jestern]

[citation][nom]cknobman[/nom]High cost, low battery life, and 3Dfactored on top of a growing army of smartphones which are now universal media and game playersI think Nintendo has failed to shift its strategy to coincide with industry/market changes and the 3DS will fail accordingly.Im a parent of 3 boys ages 10 - 13 and they all could give a rats rear about a dedicated mobile gaming system like the PSP or Nintendo DS. In fact they have a Nintendo DS and have not touched it in over a year. I asked them this xmas if they were interested in games for it or maybe a PSP and they all very confidently said "No we want a smartphone!!" (no they did not get a smartphone, too young). Out of my boys friends no one wants a dedicated handheld game system anymore they all say they want iphones or androids. Why waste so much money on a dedicated handheld when you can get a smartphone that does so many more things and plays games? At least Sony seems to be trying to adapt with the upcoming release of their PSP phone.Get a clue Nintendo![/citation]

Personally I'm not very interested in gaming on a smartphone. The lack of tactile buttons really diminishes the quality of gameplaying on a touchscreen device and severly limits the types of games you can play.

Nor am I interested in the cellphone aspects. Paying a couple hundred dollars for something and then to keep on paying monthly charges for two years to keep the thing operational so I can have 100's of minutes of mundane conversations or limited & capped internet access..bleh..no thanks.

I *am* interested in the multimedia aspects however. With the inclusion of an FM radio, easily used Volume/Track/Hold buttons and more decent audio decoding chips, these things could pretty much be Super DAPs/PMPs (Digital Audio Players & Portable Media Players for the non-tech inclined). Two things which most DAPs/PMPs don't have which give me reason to drool are the built-in GPS and digital camera/video functions. The Samsung Android Galaxy Player comes to mind (Why are they delaying bringing this to the US I don't know...it'd sell very well I think). The Ipod Touches are sleek, but lacking in a few areas (No GPS, no FM radio, no Bluetooth 3.0, locked into iTunes, etc.

As to handheld gaming...Not sure about anyone else, but I'm kinda near saturated with the games I've played and/or plan on playing with my handheld. I'm more interested in a small portable device (as you seem to say) that will do (entertainment-wise) what the most media-centric devices can do (digital camera & phone, wifi inet, radio, video, audio, e-books, etc.), but be ultraportable, adaptable and open to personalization and user-made general applications as most computers are. Gaming as a whole for me is becoming stale and needs more diversification.

 

[kinggraves]

[citation][nom]cknobman[/nom]@stopmeranting@bonezyIm am just saying what I have experienced with my own kids and other kids I know.Have either of you downloaded any games for a smartphone other than crap like angry birds or connect the dots or some other trivial game? Sure there are tons of those but there are also feature rich games. I have many games like racing simulators, rpg's, flight simulators, fighting games, etc..... which are quite extensive and actually offer more than a handheld counterpart. In fact if you have an emulator for your phone you can play any game you want. Sure the physical controls need to be there which is why I pointed out the Sony gaming phone coming out. My kids want needs hundreds of teaser games because they have no attention, in fact they have a xbox 360 which they play for hours (until I make them get off) and when I let them play with my phone they will play a game like Need for Speed for quite a while.Point is that the market is shifting and Nintendo is making a gamble on 3D (which is a niche market in itself) and parents dont want to spend huge bucks on a handheld gaming device like that for kids, especially when they dont really have much interest in it.Windows 7 phones already integrate xbox live games from a console straight to the phone so you can play at home and on the go plus build your achievements. Now you get a mobile gaming device that serves 1000's purposes instead of 1 so where is the value in coughing up $200-$300 for dedicated handheld that is betting on a niche technology?[/citation]

I'm not bashing on your children but kids are not savvy customers. They'll want whatever's cool at the time. Before it was DS, now it's smartphones. If 3DSs are "in" then they'll want that too.

The majority of people who naysay the 3DS haven't even seen it in action yet. People are going to see it in action and they're going to want it. Kids especially are going to want it once they see it. Are they still going to be playing it next year? Perhaps not, but Nintendo made their sale. Personally though I still say they would've been able to compete with smartphones with full downloadable games. People don't play smartphones because it's fun and entertaining, they do it because it's cheap and easy.

 

[osxsier]

I think this conversation is bringing up valid points across the board. Each person is unique and has their own set features that is ideal to them.

Saying that, I do own an iPhone and a PSP. There are certain games that I love playing on my iPhone. But sometimes the lack of tactile buttons is very annoying. So I only game occasionally on my phone. Usually as I am laying down getting ready for bed.

Dedicated systems are not going away anytime soon. Like others have pointed out, smartphones are very costly and most parents wont be purchasing these for their kids long term.

The 3DS will get a hard look from me as well as the PSP2. I still love gaming on my PC. Cant wait for Star Wars Old Republic. Still playing WoW here and there. Umm, love playing Madden 2011 on my PS3. Basically, I almost feel saturated with the games I already have. But I will be buying Marvel vs Capcom 3.

My point is, there are many options for many people. And depending on what you want to spend, each product can fill the niche in your life.

 

[adamboy64]

Even though I guess one would say I'm more of a Nintendo fan - I want the PSP2 to do really well. I really hope it does. Can't let Nintendo have their own way all the time. So I'm looking forward to the PSP2.

 

[Nexus52085]

[citation][nom]kinggraves[/nom]I'm not bashing on your children but kids are not savvy customers. They'll want whatever's cool at the time. Before it was DS, now it's smartphones. If 3DSs are "in" then they'll want that too.The majority of people who naysay the 3DS haven't even seen it in action yet. People are going to see it in action and they're going to want it. Kids especially are going to want it once they see it. Are they still going to be playing it next year? Perhaps not, but Nintendo made their sale. Personally though I still say they would've been able to compete with smartphones with full downloadable games. People don't play smartphones because it's fun and entertaining, they do it because it's cheap and easy.[/citation]
Well said. I know that's part of the reason I play games on my iPhone. However, that's the only reason. It's important to realize that this is the reason Nintendo has won out over the PSP. Sony tried to bring console gaming experience to the handheld market, and the problem is that a handheld gaming experience is just different than a console gaming experience. Nintendo has recognized this and has marketed their products accordingly.
However, it seems as if this thread has already branded the 3DS as a one-trick-pony, and that assumption is simply false. Anyone who thinks that the only thing this handheld can do is 3D and improved graphics is simply misinformed. It has a 3D camera in it, will support 3D movie playback, augmented reality, tag mode(transference of information when a fellow 3DS owner walks by), I could go on and on. These sort of things will allow for features that current smart phones CANNOT do. Augmented reality alone will allow for people to point the outward facing cameras at buildings(for example) and find out information about them without having to go into a web browser and google search it. These features will eventually trickle down to the smartphone market, but currently, this feature set is exclusive to the 3DS. To anyone who has been ignorant of these facts, GET A CLUE!

 

[Nexus52085]

sorry, should have proofread my post. I should have said "I know that's the reason I like to play games on my iPhone."

 

[mayankleoboy1]

anyone lese thinks this is for kids?

 

[rooket]

In this aweful economy we are in, and with the approach of the 2nd housing market crash coming...

I placed my preorder for the 3DS yesterday :3 Eb said the price and release date hasn't been announced yet but they have people put a $50 deposit down. Fully refundable if you change your mind. Fair enough..

 

[eddieroolz]

Eh the Chinese, good for nothing but leaks...