Nintendo slashing 3DS price to $170 in August

[digitard]

I bought mine a few days before they price drop because Walmart discounted it early. Got in on the Ambassador's program, and was psyched.

Bought it mainly because they have a bunch of stuff slated for the next 12 months I'm interested in (right now it's pretty much just OoT and SF4) so I figured why not?

So far so good, but I did have a "crap" moment.

I activated mine the day before the cut off, got the notification of the AP and was psyched. Was playing it the next few days, and on Saturday night the thing just shuts off. I was in the middle of a game of SF4, and it powers down completely. Won't turn back on. I was at 3/4 charge so it wasn't that, but I tossed it on the charger just for shits and giggles. Still wont power on in the morning! I ended up getting it swapped, but that changed my S/N w/ Nintendo so now I'm waiting to hear back on an email if they'll reactivate my AP again since technically I did buy it in time (okay, so I didn't mention I got it discounted!).

Pretty cool system though. I'm looking forward to the new Mario game, Mario Kart, hopefully another Mario Party game (my wife LOVES MP DS), and a bunch of other games slated for September and beyond.

 

[Ancalagon44]

I dont think the 3DS has enough games for me to consider buying it. I'll probably wait for the 3DS Lite or XL or 3DSi or whatever its going to be called.

 

[purbeast0]

is mario kart or super mario even out for 3DS? the commercial I saw for it last night on TV advertising the new price really suggested they both were out already.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Two of my biggest reservations before getting the system were:

1. price (alleviated largely by price drop)

and

2. battery life (~4 hours when playing 3DS titles)

the good news on the latter is that battery life is only that low when playing the 3DS games, the battery life is much better for playing regular DS games or downloads

for those who want more play time between power outlets, battery extenders dont have to be prohibitively bulky or expensive:
http://gear.ign.com/articles/117/1172056p1.html
http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Power...ef=pd_sim_vg_2
http://www.nyko.com/products/product-detail/?name=Charge+Base+for+3DS

is mario kart or super mario even out for 3DS? the commercial I saw for it last night on TV advertising the new price really suggested they both were out already.

November - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_3DS

December - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Kart_7

source - http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/ufJwtz6UjAK6na5ik_zpgGhHkXL3qDso

Star Fox 64™ 3D arrives on Sept. 9, followed by Super Mario™ 3D Land in November, Mario Kart™ 7 in December and Kid Icarus™: Uprising during the holiday season.

that's pretty much my planned lineup acquisition anyway

 

[Schfifty Five]

is mario kart or super mario even out for 3DS? the commercial I saw for it last night on TV advertising the new price really suggested they both were out already.

Amazon shows both as pre-order with no set date. It's common for commercials to use unreleased games to show what will be coming in the future.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Rumor going around that Nintendo is redesigning the 3DS already, possibly to pull focus away from 3D.

Also supposed to be looking to do a $10 add-on secondary joystick. I would guess it'll be like those suction ones for smartphones, which I've heard good things about, but I think it'll be too awkward on the 3DS due to the placement.

 

[Sulaco]

Rumor going around that Nintendo is redesigning the 3DS already, possibly to pull focus away from 3D.

How awkwardly funny would that be if true? Especially since they used it in the name of the machine.

Nintendo: "The 3DS...just think of it like the DS 2!"

 

[BD2003]

Rumor going around that Nintendo is redesigning the 3DS already, possibly to pull focus away from 3D.

Also supposed to be looking to do a $10 add-on secondary joystick. I would guess it'll be like those suction ones for smartphones, which I've heard good things about, but I think it'll be too awkward on the 3DS due to the placement.

There's also a rumor going around that Tupac is still alive.

 

[mmntech]

Rumor going around that Nintendo is redesigning the 3DS already, possibly to pull focus away from 3D.

Wouldn't that just be a PSP?

A hardware redesign is jumping the gun me thinks. The only issue with it is battery life. Even then, it's not much worse than it's two current competitors. It's comparable to the original PSP. I'm willing to bet the GPU is the big power sucker. The PICA200 is still using the 65nm process in an era where everything is 45nm or smaller. A die shrink would fix some issues in this regard.

 

[ViRGE]

Wouldn't that just be a PSP?

A hardware redesign is jumping the gun me thinks. The only issue with it is battery life. Even then, it's not much worse than it's two current competitors. It's comparable to the original PSP. I'm willing to bet the GPU is the big power sucker. The PICA200 is still using the 65nm process in an era where everything is 45nm or smaller. A die shrink would fix some issues in this regard.

The GPU along with the screen. The polarized screen requires a stronger backlight to make up for the fact that each eye is getting 50% of the brightness. If they ditched 3D, they could use a less power hungry backlight to drive a traditional LCD panel.

 

[Monster_Munch]

A hardware redesign is jumping the gun me thinks. The only issue with it is battery life.

The lack of a second analog pad is a pretty bad flaw in my opinion. It will make FPS games and many third person games much harder to play.

 

[mmntech]

The GPU along with the screen. The polarized screen requires a stronger backlight to make up for the fact that each eye is getting 50% of the brightness. If they ditched 3D, they could use a less power hungry backlight to drive a traditional LCD panel.

Are they using traditional backlighting or LED?

The lack of a second analog pad is a pretty bad flaw in my opinion. It will make FPS games and many third person games much harder to play.

Yes and no. Certainly it would help. Sony learned that lesson. FPS can be done with a single stick though. Goldeneye proved that. Nintendo knows how to do it with one stick. The problem is there are more than a million 3DS systems out in the wild with just one stick. That equals a lot of pissed off gamers if they redesigned the system that drastically.

 

[ViRGE]

Are they using traditional backlighting or LED?

I don't think anyone has said it's LED, so it's probably not.

 

[darkswordsman17]

There's also a rumor going around that Tupac is still alive.

Ok...?

Go read just about any gaming or tech blog and you'll likely find it if you want more info.

Wouldn't that just be a PSP?

A hardware redesign is jumping the gun me thinks. The only issue with it is battery life. Even then, it's not much worse than it's two current competitors. It's comparable to the original PSP. I'm willing to bet the GPU is the big power sucker. The PICA200 is still using the 65nm process in an era where everything is 45nm or smaller. A die shrink would fix some issues in this regard.

I don't think they're removing the 3D screen, they're just not going to emphasize 3D as much (and maybe just go to an on/off instead of the slider). I wouldn't be surprised if they did changeup the SoC some (either shrink or maybe use a different SoC that's already been shrunk as long as its powerful enough to run games from the original chip which shouldn't be too hard to do).

I could see a few other changes that would be significant, like dropping the second screen altogether and just going with a single large touchscreen. Not sure how likely that is either as it'd make DS games a mess on it. It could be a possibility though.

I believe Samsung or one of the panel makers was supposed to show off a new 3D smartphone display that was a significant step up over what's out so far.

I wonder if they might not go for a more grown-up design, ditch the two tone color and plastic too.

A second joystick would be a big deal, as I think it would help a lot in making it suitable for Wii U games (where instead of buying extra controllers you'd use a revised 3DS with it).

I guess we'll see. It seems like Nintendo went into full on panic mode already, which I think is a bit much. I do think the 3DS could have been better (price alone was a big part, which they already fixed), but I don't think its quite time to freak out. Just focus on getting games on it.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

A second joystick would be a big deal, as I think it would help a lot in making it suitable for Wii U games (where instead of buying extra controllers you'd use a revised 3DS with it).

I guess we'll see. It seems like Nintendo went into full on panic mode already, which I think is a bit much. I do think the 3DS could have been better (price alone was a big part, which they already fixed), but I don't think its quite time to freak out. Just focus on getting games on it.

don't think the Wii U will work that way

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U_Controller#Association_with_other_controllers

At launch, only one Wii U controller can be used at a time on a console. However, the Wii U will also support standard Wii Remotes, and the newer Wii Remote Plus, Wii Nunchuks, Wii Balance Board and Vitality sensor.

 

[darkswordsman17]

don't think the Wii U will work that way

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U_Controller#Association_with_other_controllers

I know about that, but Nintendo recognized the backlash about only one Wii U controller per system, so maybe they'd be willing to consider going this route.

Honestly, I'm actually surprised they didn't just do that from the get go, an improved DS would have been perfect for the controller of the Wii U (which looks too bulky to me personally).

Pairing it with the 3DS would have been good and a great way to get started on 3D too (no need for a 3D capable TV, no need for glasses, and the lower resolution would allow them room to make the framerate smooth while offering good graphics).

If they'd sold the 3DS with dual sticks at $200 from the get go, I think that they'd find plenty of buyers for the Wii U (using the 3DS as the controller, so when you buy a Wii U you get the Wii U main station and a 3DS) for $299, as it'd look like good value (you're getting something more powerful than the current consoles for an extra $100 or look at it as getting a free portable game system when buying a home console). Seems like at that price they'd be doing well profit margin-wise too (since they wouldn't need the separate production of the Wii U specific controller and probably would have saved money in R&D). I would guess it would only bolster their game sales too (as then everyone with a Wii U would be able to play DS and 3DS games).

 

[Tom]

Wouldn't that just be a PSP?

A hardware redesign is jumping the gun me thinks. The only issue with it is battery life. Even then, it's not much worse than it's two current competitors. It's comparable to the original PSP. I'm willing to bet the GPU is the big power sucker. The PICA200 is still using the 65nm process in an era where everything is 45nm or smaller. A die shrink would fix some issues in this regard.

LOL at comparo to PSP.

Hand a PSP to a modern day consumer and watch as they try to use the touchscreen..

 

[SandEagle]

i regret buying this thing. i am tired of zelda after only 2 hours of play. i really think i am too old for video games now

 

[Locut0s]

i regret buying this thing. i am tired of zelda after only 2 hours of play. i really think i am too old for video games now

Maybe so. I'd forgive you for being tired of the System after 2 hours of play with the mini games. But not Zelda. Still stands out as one of the shining gems of gaming history. I don't regret buying the system at full price way back when they first released it.

 

[SandEagle]

Maybe so. I'd forgive you for being tired of the System after 2 hours of play with the mini games. But not Zelda. Still stands out as one of the shining gems of gaming history. I don't regret buying the system at full price way back when they first released it.

i played the hell out of it back in the n64 days. i think the 3d in this game is just too much for me. i start seeing double after only a few minutes and end up just playing with 3d turned off. like someone said, its sad that the best game out is a 14 yr old remake. and now starfox remake coming up? pass. guess ill just wait for super mario 3d land to come out. OoT is going up for sale soon

 

[Locut0s]

i played the hell out of it back in the n64 days. i think the 3d in this game is just too much for me. i start seeing double after only a few minutes and end up just playing with 3d turned off. like someone said, its sad that the best game out is a 14 yr old remake. and now starfox remake coming up? pass. guess ill just wait for super mario 3d land to come out. OoT is going up for sale soon

Hmm I didn't have any problem with the 3D. I know some have complained but so far no issues for me, even with long play sessions. In fact I've gotten to the point where I prefer the 3D on. It's a subtle difference and isn't a game changer but it's worth it IMO. Too bad to hear you didn't enjoy it Yeah I'm looking forward to Mario 3D as well.

 

[mmntech]

For those in the Ambassador program, the NES games surfaced early. Grab em now. Gotta go into the store, account info, downloaded, then you can "redownload" them. GBA titles not up yet though.

The list for those who don't know...
-Legend of Zelda
-Legend of Zelda II: The Adventures of Link
-Super Mario Bros.
-Yoshi
-Metroid
-NES Open Tournament Golf
-Donkey Kong Jr.
-Wrecking Crew
-Ice Climber
-Balloon Fight

 

[Locut0s]

For those in the Ambassador program, the NES games surfaced early. Grab em now. Gotta go into the store, account info, downloaded, then you can "redownload" them. GBA titles not up yet though.

The list for those who don't know...
-Legend of Zelda
-Legend of Zelda II: The Adventures of Link
-Super Mario Bros.
-Yoshi
-Metroid
-NES Open Tournament Golf
-Donkey Kong Jr.
-Wrecking Crew
-Ice Climber
-Balloon Fight

Nice. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[SandEagle]

got em all. zelda II is one of my fav all time games....glad they added that

 

[lupi]

damn, left town early on the 1st for vacation and checked but didn't see any message on the machine about how to get them so left without doing a d/l.