So... what is Nintendo up to with the 3DS? - Page 4

Anyone think during Black Friday that these will sell like hotcakes?

I think Nintendo's whole strategy is geared towards it. That's one of the reasons for the sudden price drop. They want to get decent adoption in time for the holidays. August sales of the 3DS sky-rocketed from July; they sold 235,000 units...185,000 of them AFTER the price-cut. That's a 260% increase from July.

Meanwhile, Ninty is slowly but surely dropping AAA titles, so that by Thanksgiving, they'll have plenty of titles for new adopters.

Zelda 3D - out
StarFox 3D - out
SMT: Devil Survivor O/C - out
Super Mario 3D Land - 11/14
Mario Kart 7 - 12/4
Cave Story 3D - 11/4
Pokemon Rumble - 10/24
Shinobi - 11/15
Doctor Lautrec - 9/30
Tetris Axis - 10/2


That's a fairly decent lineup, really. Will it guarantee success? Maybe not...but I suspect the 3DS will do much better than some folks are expecting.

The DS had a pretty slow start too, didn't it? I distinctly remember people thinking it was destined to fail, crushed by the PSP. Hell, even Nintendo didn't seem that confident about it, initially giving some bullcrap about it being "the third pillar" along with the GC and GBA. Obviously the market's changed a lot, but I think the 3DS will do fine in the end, if not not nearly the success of the DS. A new Mario and Mario Kart alone in two months' time would be enough incentive for a lot of people.

The DS did come out of the gate slowly. You're correct regarding the '3rd pillar' concept, I think Nintendo was giving themselves an out in case the DS line/name didn't catch on.

I think the dual-screen novelty was a contributing factor in the original DS's success, a novelty that's no longer in effect with the 3Ds. I think 3Ds will do fine as well, but likely not DS numbers. As much as some don't want to admit, IOS/Android will be a big factor going forward and I think the Vita will make some noise as well. A Nintendo machine is the only place you'll find Mario and Zelda though, as long as those properties remain viable Nintendo will always be 'in the game.'

Actually, it was the touch-screen that was the real selling point. The dual-screens was nice and all, but that wasn't what really intrigued people, IMHO. Folks forget that the DS was released before the iPhone and was the first mass device to feature a responsive touch-screen like that.

There's no question that the Android and iOS markets are a competitor, now. But I also think that Nintendo understands that (as does Sony, to a lesser extent). The games that will really seal the deal are the experiences a phone game can't deliver or can't deliver as well as the portables. I think another factor is that the 3DS is not tied to a service, has reverse-compatability with the best-selling console in the last decade and is much more durable than the average phone.

I have yet to see a game with the depth of a Zelda or Shin Megami Tensei on an iPhone game. I doubt we'll see something to rival Uncharted of the Vita on the android platform (though the appearance of Minecraft on Android will be VERY interesting). The announcement of stuff like Monster Hunter 3G and Monster Hunter 4 are cementing the DS position in Japan, which in turn will lead to more development.

The 3DS isn't likely to fail...but it is unlikely to reach anything like the success of the original DS. That ship has sailed. The market has changed since 2004 and competition is much stiffer, now.

Did anyone else get a test notification from the eShop, by the way?

I actually never much liked the touch screen and the games that rely on it.

It's been a minor positive in a few games I've played over the years for things like your map or to manage your inventory (Such as Ocarina of Time for the 3DS. And in a few 3D platformers like Super Mario 64, it comes in handy with the lack of dual analog control for controlling your camera view with your right thumb.

But for control purposes, other than Intellivision Lives and some downloadable Game & Watch releases (The lower screen is perfect for both), I've never cared for it for control and tend to stick with the d-pad (And now, analog stick) releases.

The DS was pefect for Intellivision Lives to handle the functions of the keypad on the original controller.





The biggest benefit from my perspective for the dual screen design is it's a built in screen protector when you close it up when you're not using it...

I did. Never heard what that was all about, though.

Is this a port of the GameCube game or the multiplayer mode from Link to the Past for the GBA?

Does it have online play?

Gba

Does a free, Nintendo-made downloadable release on a Nintendo handheld have online play? Let's just say that your first guess is probably the correct one.

I don't think the touch screen was any more intriguing, or a selling point, than the dual screen. That opened up a whole new can of worms in terms of gameplay mechanics. Really they worked in tandem gameplay-wise, so I'm not sure you can separate them or rate one over the other in terms of importance or selling points. For all purposes, they could have made a single screen with a touch interface( which obviously would have made for a different experience). The dual-screen was what set it apart from previous hand-held consoles, especially from an aesthetic standpoint.

I realize it was pretty opimistic. But with things like the Zelda DS entires having online play (At least I think Phantom Hourglass did), several big Nintendo releases like Mario Kart Wii incorporating it, and the lack of online play being a common fault cited with the GameCube game, I was keeping my fingers crossed that a rerelease of a multiplayer focused game on a new Nintendo platform would.

At least I'll be able to play it again. Enjoyed linking up the GBA game with a friend in the back of lecture halls in college years ago and enjoyed it. Wouldn't mind playing it again now that it has a single player (He died in a car crash in early 2009). Never did get the special things unlocked for Link to the Past via Four Swords. He always outperformed me so I didn't get to unlock the special dungeon or do the new fetch quest they added in.

I wonder if they'll strip out the original mode from Link to the Past when they release that GBA game later this year (I think it's generally believed that it's one of the 5 yet to be announced GBA games for the Ambassador program). Or how they're going to handle link cable games like that and Mario Kart Super Circuit (I hope we'll be able to still do local multiplayer on these GBA rereleases).

Hey, the 4 Swords remake is available for download now! Everyone give it a try. By yourself. Away from the Internet.

Downloaded, haven't played it, yet. Need to download it to the other DSes in the house, so can play with my wife and/or kids.

It's a pretty short game, but hey, it's free, and I'm positive I missed a ton of hidden stuff in the levels, I don't think I found all four rupee shards a single time.

Probably better with friends but none of my friends near me have a DSi or 3DS.

It does kind of make me curious about the GameCube one which I skipped though. Does that one have a single-player too? I always thought it was multiplayer only and you needed a ton of GBAs and cables for it. Looks like it's only $20 on eBay too.

I had the GC version. It did have a single-player mode but I never got too far into it because I found it terribly boring. The level design just isn't much fun without the frantic rupee-stealing and backstabbing/cooperating ebb and flow of multiplayer. I mean, cooperating with yourself isn't exactly a compelling mechanic, and I don't see any motivation for going after rupees when there's no competition for them. But if you enjoyed the GBA/DS single-player you'd probably enjoy the GC one even more. I think you're in charge of four Links at all times, and there's a bit more of a puzzle mechanic in being able to arrange your Links in several different formations.

it's nowhere near as fun as that. it's like trying to do that with someone asleep on top of you

Four Swords Adventures was fun on the GameCube. Never played it with other players, but the single player mode was a good time.

It's takes much of its inspiration from Link to the Past in the gameplay and graphics department, with some modern particle effects and such tossed in to give it some graphical polish. The biggest change is it's broken up into levels and there's a heavy emphasis on puzzle solving.

I think if you enjoy 2D Zelda's, especially if you have any fond memories of Link to the Past, you'd have to enjoy this.

Here is a video of the first level, which basically serves as a tutorial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xKCa82A8fk

I take back what I said about Four Swords being short. Yes, there are only 3 main levels before Vaati's Palace, but then after you beat Vaati each level has alternate stages to get the Golden Key.

Also after you beat Vaati, there's the Realm of Memories (which is awesome), and the Hero's Cave (hard as hell).

"Ice White"-colored 3DS just announced in Japan. It looks pretty sweet, but am I the only one who thinks all the non-black 3DS models would look much better if the the top half wasn't always still black?

Amazon has apparently ceased selling 3D3 consoles directly, but still available through 3rd party retailers. Anyone got the scoop on this one?

"Amazon has apparently ceased selling 3D3 consoles directly, but still available through 3rd party retailers. Anyone got the scoop on this one?"

Yeah, it's happened before when they ran out of stock. It's not like they've just decided to stop selling it.

Go back to posts #7 and 9 of this very thread... This isn't new, nor is it news. Don't pretend like it means something.

You seriously need to lighten up. I wasn't trying to be facetious or stirring up trouble. Don't pretend like you own the board, or know it all. Since, according to this, you don't:



http://blogsure.info/amazon-com-with...3ds-from-sale/


Amazon.com withdraws Nintendo 3DS from sale
by blogsure | posted: October 10, 2011 0 comment

American online retailer Amazon.com has confirmed that it has discontinued the sale of new Nintendo handheld console the 3DS.

A statement on the 3DS page of the Amazon website states that they have received complaints from customers regarding the product.

However, they are still allowing the sale of the item between customers on their marketplace.The UK version of the website appears to be running the 3DS page as normal.

The statement on the page reads: “While this item is available from other marketplace sellers on this page, it is not currently offered by Amazon.com because customers have told us there may be something wrong with our inventory of the item, the way we are shipping it, or the way it’s described here. (Thanks for the tip!) We’re working to fix the problem as quickly as possible.”

The console has been on sale from Amazon since its release in March, and had a few problems upon its launch.

Early complaints included worries about scratching on the top screen caused by the lower screen, and speculation suggests that this is a part of the problem facing Amazon now.

The UK branch of the retailer had its own issues in March with complaints of late deliveries from their buyers.

And of course, just after launch The Sun famously ran an article decrying the 3DS as being returned in its thousands due to the device causing headaches and nausea (no more so than the content of the newspaper, though – ed).




Since I'm sure you'll have another condescending retort, kindly address me via PM as opposed to potentially derailing the thread.

http://consumerist.com/2011/07/amazo...s-for-now.html

Here, a proper article.

So a couple of people called up Amazon saying "Hey, you shipped it to me in too small of a box so it got crushed!". Amazon looked at their inventory system, toggle a few switches, and put the thing back on sale.

So yes, I was wrong that it was out of stock. It was simply some other small Amazon problem.

Again, don't pretend like one retailer not selling the thing for 12 hours actually means something.

Regardless of which article you consider 'proper', you were wrong. Instead of just admitting that your initial reply was unnecessary and let it be, you seek to continue the snarky remarks like it's a personal matter ( no doubt you're already crafting another argumentative comment in your mind as you read this). I initially asked the question because I was looking into ordering one, and was wondering if anyone here had heard anything about the matter, not that I need to explain myself to you.

Again, don't pretend like you own the board.

I gave up on the 3DS 2 days of use.

#1. 3D effect is crap, you need to hold perfectly still in about a 5 degree sweet spot (mind you this is impossible for human to do for more than 5 seconds.)
#2. Display resolution blows
#3. Remake most if not all N64 games in 3D (Yeah I'm not stupid not gonna buy)

Please bring the price down to $99 and have original games Like a new Zelda game not the N64 remake. Or more games like Resident Evil.

Where is the Metal Gear Soild Game??

Basically I saved myself $250 a few months ago not going back.