Nintendo's Big-Screen 3DS XL Meets Lukewarm Reception 192
MojoKid writes "Nintendo took the wraps off its new, super-sized 3DS XL handheld on Friday, but reactions have been anything but enthusiastic. The new DS offers a larger set of screens (4.88 inches top / 4.18" bottom), better battery life, and will ship with a copy of New Super Marios 2 but it's launching into a very different market than what the original DS XL faced in 2009. The 3DS XL's battery improvements aren't just icing on the cake — they're seen as remedying a critical problem with the current handheld. It also won't support the second circle pad added by the Circle Pad Pro, which implies Nintendo is ready to kill that peripheral altogether. The other major problem is that a larger screen isn't really what the 3DS needed in order to be more successful."
Re:What the3DS needed... (Score:1, Informative)
It always fascinates me how people dismiss any game/system they don't like as being for younger audiences.
If you've ever spent much time on a mass transit system since the DS came out, you'd notice they were very popular with commuters. Less so now that everyone has a smartphone, but they're still popular.
Also, you might want to pay more attention to how things are selling. 3DS sales started going up after the price drop, then went up even faster once Nintendo started releasing more games for it. So far, it's been selling at a faster pace than the original DS did. The fact that they're bringing a second model to market that's aimed at a niche audience should tell you that it's selling rather well.
Re:Um, New Super Mario? Yes it is "new"! (Score:5, Informative)
I am sure glad they don't make a "Mario: The yearly sequel"
2007 - Super Mario Galaxy
2009 - New Super Mario Bros. Wii
2010 - Super Mario Galaxy 2
2010 - Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition
2011 - Super Mario 3D Land
2012 - New Super Mario Bros. 2
2012 - New Super Mario Bros. U
Re:What the3DS needed... (Score:5, Informative)
and that children is why we invented dosbox
Re:Um, New Super Mario? (Score:2, Informative)
Hipster alert.
Re:Um, New Super Mario? Yes it is "new"! (Score:5, Informative)
And, I think bussdriver meant "Yearly releases" as it is typically used with games like call of duty: there's little to no difference between releases. Super mario galaxy and new super mario bros are completely different games.