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Nintendo Portables (Games) Games

Nintendo 3DS To Be Released In February/March 131

Posted by Soulskill from the now-with-more-dimensions dept.
angry tapir writes "Nintendo's 3DS, the first portable game device with 3D graphic technology, will go on sale in Japan on Feb. 26 next year. The 3DS will cost ¥25,000 (US$298), Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's president, told a packed news conference in Chiba, Japan. It will launch in Europe, Australia and the US in March." Nintendo also detailed a number of games that will launch at or near the same time, and they said the online shop would get some improvements
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Nintendo 3DS To Be Released In February/March More

Nintendo 3DS To Be Released In February/March

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  • How many people will drop the estimated 300$ that is being possible?

  • Not first. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by pecosdave ( 536896 ) * on Thursday September 30, 2010 @12:34AM (#33743964) Homepage Journal

    The Virtual Boy was portable.

    Also a friend of mine had a game that looked like a pair of binoculars far older than the Virtual Boy. It had a passive back light, meaning it was best played outside or under a lamp. It was from the late 70's or early 80's, it was akin to an LCD game though it was 3D.

    • Hmm... portable in the broadest sense of the term, perhaps. Can't imagine getting in a quick game of toleroboxer [virtual-boy.org] while on the bus.

    • i came to post about virtual boy, and the lie in the headline too... i had a virtual boy... it actually came out mid-90s and was made by nintendo.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by MikeFM ( 12491 )

      I dunno. The VB was hard to use even if you were sitting still. The little stand thing on it was a horrible idea. I'd have rather it just strapped to my head even if it needed a counter balance. I have my doubts about the 3DS. For $300 you can get an iTouch which has apps that are overall on par, or better, than most DS games, are far cheaper, and you get a lot more functionality. I'm not sure a lot of people are itching for 3D. I'm barely interested in 3D HDTV and for mobile gaming I'm not sure it even rat

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by pecosdave ( 536896 ) *

        I hate to say this, because Nintendo is awesome even if I am getting mildly annoyed at all their gimmicky stuff that is popular with the kiddies. (must be a sign of getting old)

        I think Sony would be better off adopting Android than Nintendo.

        Hear me out of course:

        Sony tries to appeal to adults more than Nintendo does, even though Nintendo captures both and Sony is sort of floundering at the moment. I just see the whole Android interface working better for Sony, especially after using both a DSi and a PSP.

      • Nintendo seem to be rabidly against open source software [slashdot.org] on their consoles, so the chances of their adopting Android are practically zero.

        • Though I'm sure Nintendo is anti-open source given their stance on many issues I understand why Nintendo reacted as they did in this case. The GPL is being violated and they didn't want to be forced to release source code used in that game that might reveal other trade secrets they're trying to keep to themselves. Of course they had to pull the game.

          I would love to see the console manufacturers open up a bit more, but from a business perspective you really can't fault them in this case.

      • For $300 you can get an iTouch which has apps that are overall on par, or better, than most DS games, are far cheaper, and you get a lot more functionality.

        Lots of gamers hate using touch screens exclusively while gaming. Some games touch screens suit, others they do not.

        Until the next iThing has a d-pad or an analog joystick and a bunch of buttons, for gaming it's not in the same league.

        • I hate using the touch interface on the DS.

          I like playing New Super Mario Bros which only requires me to touch to get the extra inventory item, no stylus needed. I like playing Mario Kart which only uses that screen to make my own custom decal, totally optional. I like playing the Final Fantasy remakes which unfortunately require it for the moden inserted mini games, which fortunately are optional.

          As long as they keep producing game that don't require me to grab the stylus I'll keep buying and playing the

    • I had one of those. Stereoscopic coloured LCD (fixed red and green), oddly shaped, like a D, but tapering to a point. Very cool immersive space shooter experience, given the year.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      a game that looked like a pair of binoculars

      Sounds like Tomy's "Tomytronic" [google.co.uk] games. Those things are pretty great actually ... especially the tank one. The 3D effect is decent and I used to play them for hours without the fatigue that the virtual boy apparently suffered from.

      • Thank you!

        You have no idea how hard I looked for a picture of one of those things to share in the parent post but my search terms turned up everything but.

        I was starting to think my buddy had one of those ultra-rare fly by night things that was awesome but nobody knew about.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re:3DS screen on cell phone? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Rolman ( 120909 ) on Thursday September 30, 2010 @02:03AM (#33744390)

      As someone who played quite some time with the 3DS last june, I can say that I started to despise the now obsolete 2D display on my phone. And that, without taking the 3D camera into account.

      The 3D effect is almost flawless. The "3D slider" which helps you adjust the degree of the effect, makes it perfectly usable for just about anyone.

      I think it's pretty safe to say we're going to see news of a phone with 3D display soon after the 3DS launch.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by sqrt(2) ( 786011 )

        Other than being cool what does it add? What advantage does it provide over the 2D screen? Is it really just more pleasurable to use and that's it? I guess that's as good of a reason as any to want it but I have a hard time believing it's going to be all that impressive.

        • Phones are all about being cool! You can phone with most of them, so why did you get a new one in the last 10 years? All those other gimmicks are just cool and not at all useful right? Besides, if the tech is available, I'm sure applications will follow soon.

        • Other than being cool what does it add?

          The flying games were easier to navigate through. Having that bit of depth really helped there. I also think it's a little easier to draw your eye to what it is you're supposed to be looking at.

          It's also worth noting that it's a very big graphical upgrade and they're also implementing a Virtual Console for the system. I'm sold on those two bits alone.

      • Re: (Score:1, Funny)

        by aliquis ( 678370 )

        And then Apple will implement it and everyone will be like "WTF OMG APPLE LIKE TOTALLY INVENTED 3D!"

      • Call me a pessimist, but I am not sure if it really is that great especally since the display used does not have any head tracking whatsoever, which means if you want 3d you have your head in a certain focus point relative to the display, while it looks neat as a gimmic, I can imagine it being a major pain in the long run.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

          Call me a pessimist, but I am not sure if it really is that great especally since the display used does not have any head tracking whatsoever, which means if you want 3d you have your head in a certain focus point relative to the display, while it looks neat as a gimmic, I can imagine it being a major pain in the long run.

          This isn't too bad for a portable system because you would tend to move the device so your eyes are in the sweet spot anyways (the screens are so small that you wouldn't want to move it to

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by marsu_k ( 701360 )

      Actually, some weeks ago I participated in a study about "mobile 3D TV". The study was conducted by researchers at the local technical university, but sponsored by Nokia. The display technology they used was actually quite impressing - they said that it is "similiar, but better than 3DS", but as they didn't provide any technical details and as I've never seen a 3DS in person, I'm unable to judge the validity of that comment. But the results were in my opinion better than with 3D movies, it wasn't as "layere

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by aliquis ( 678370 )

        Movies?

        It could turn your mobile phone into a more interesting device for viewing them.

        Under normal circumstances it's just "the same but at a much smaller screen."

        Not too exciting :)

        That is as far as the same technology couldn't be used at a reasonable cost at a normal sized TV screen. Then it would just be the same but smaller again :D

        If I've understood it right the Nokia Siemens Network stuff is about being able to bridge your TV-shows from the TV to your phone and such. Haven't read up about it, don't r

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by DrXym ( 126579 )
      I expect it will not be long before smart phones get 3D displays. Sharp has been touting them recently at smaller sizes which suggests they're after that market. I have no issue with the concept of a 3D display as long as it toggles back to a decent 2D display and doesn't affect the screen in high sunlight and so on. A phone which expects users to exactly hold it in the horizontal at a fixed distance to see the effect is going to suck unless it has a decent display for the 99% of other times when 3D is not

  • I can see this going to $250 in the USA, but the price still seems high. Is this the first time that Nintendo has priced a portable higher than a console equivalent?

    Of course, I suppose the term "equivalent" is a bit shakey. It's easy to draw a comparison between the DS and the N64, but not so much with the 3DS.

  • Three hundred dollars? I mean, yeah, I'm sure a good number of hardcore gamers will spring for it, but I can't imagine the masses are going to be too thrilled at that price point. Even if it ends up releasing at $249.99 in the States, that's still a big chunk of change for a handheld. That's the same price as the PSP was at launch, and... well, it wasn't exactly the resounding success that Nintendo is used to from its handheld systems. I'm sure they've done their market research and everything and decided

    • Well, it's around the same price point as a iPod touch, and I'm guessing that Nintendo views that as it's real competitor. Still, I agree that the price seems high.

    • It's $300 only because your economy sucks. Improve your economy (and thus your exchange rate) by that time, and you'll get a better deal.

  • Where are you?

    All those who said that sterescopic 3d is inherently a bad thing, that it's not "real", that it's offensive to you somehow, are you going to say the same about this? Or is it great because it's nintendo?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Cinder6 ( 894572 )

      While I'm not looking forward to the 3DS, I will say that the one 3D video game I played (Motorstorm, at a store) looked way better than any 3D movie I have ever seen. Still wouldn't want it as my only option, though.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Nursie ( 632944 )

        Well, I'm not much of a mobile gaming fan, except when on the plane, so I won't be queuing up for a 3ds at launch either.

        The only 3D games I've played so far are Super Stardust HD, which looks pretty, and Wipeout Fusion Advance Super Mega Ultra 3D Remix Awesome Edition. Or whatever it's called. That looks really pretty. It's a shame I'm just so damned bad at it!

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Osgeld ( 1900440 )

      its not great cause its 3D and Nintendo, but they will sell a ton to (privileged) children (like my niece who treats her 200 some odd $ dsi like it was a used paper towel and will probably never know the value of a buck) and fanboi's who still wear their "legend of zelda" pajamas at age 32

      others will look at Nintendo 3d doo hicky and say "see! 3D is a seller" further pushing the market into something that a good amount of people just don't care about, even though this thing amounts to those cheesy cards the

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Andy Dodd ( 701 )

      Can you say:

      Virtual Boy?

      Bet the Virtual Boy 2 will be as much of a failure as the original. It was difficult to use and gave people headaches.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by aliquis ( 678370 )

      Or is it great because it's nintendo?

      You mean the opposite?

      The DS was crap and no-one would want to move around and play silly child games in low-def on the Wii.

      Still they owned all (not only of their generation but of ALL generations ;D)

      So surely the 3D display will be crap and a gimmick.

      And the leaders of Nintendo and their stock holders will still be very happy with their new crappy game gimmick.

    • All those who said that sterescopic 3d is inherently a bad thing, that it's not "real", that it's offensive to you somehow, are you going to say the same about this? Or is it great because it's nintendo?

      Are you going to erect another strawman so you can then knock it down in a show of your Extreme Manliness and Great Insightfulness?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Nursie ( 632944 )

        Nah, I ran out of steam there. It was a serious thing though - any discussion on here involving 3D tv seems to attract the "oh no, never, it sucks so hard it blows" crowd, I was wondering if they had an opinion on the 3DS. Clearly not!

  • Been waiting for this upgrade for ages. This Tennis game is _terrible_.

  • Just waiting for Chris Hecker to say that this handheld is just three DSes duct-taped together.

  • Despite my innate skepticism towards Nintendo, I'm fairly interested in the 3DS. It feels like we saw a big jump forward in handheld technology a few years ago, with the original DS and the PSP, but that we've not seen anything since then except for a succession of "lites" and other assorted rehashes (including the dismal PSP Go). The 3DS looks as though it should be capable of pushing the technical limits of handheld gaming beyond the PSP, so yes, I'm interested. The likely price-tag doesn't put me off too

    • I assume it will be the same as with the DS and the Wii, the first years lineup will be strong with first party support and to some degree second party support, the second year will shine with second party support, after that 3-4 decent games per year which will be drowned in hundreds of shovelware games per year.

      • after that 3-4 decent games per year which will be drowned in hundreds of shovelware games per year.

        Just be glad it's a closed platform, unlike the semi-open iOS and Android platforms that have thousands of shovelware games per year.

        • Well you have made a point, on iOS and on Android especially in the games section you have about a dozend decent games (depending on your taste) the rest is absolute distasteful shovelware.
          I guess this is because the revenue on shovelware on those platforms is still enough to cash in, thats what you get when you try to cover the casual games market.
          But at least you can find the gems, on the DS and Wii it is to some degree that bad that stores do not host anything anymore except for the shovelware kiddie stu

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by aliquis ( 678370 )

      Isn't the DSi locked for usability only? As in not getting the wrong language applications on your DSi?

      Kinda stupid if you _WANT_ them but whatever. Care to inform us? I don't own a DSi.

      • The DSi locking is for download titles only. In itself, it's not tremendously painful (and not as bad as the inability to transfer downloaded content from one DS to another, though allegedly the 3DS will fix this), but given that Nintendo are now the only one of the big three console developers to absolutely insist on region locking for games on their platform, it had a kind of "thin end of the wedge" feel.

        And why does it matter? As I say in my original post, for me, the whole point of portable consoles is

  • This is a disappointment. The only game I want is Metal Gear, and it won't be out at launch. So I won't be buying 3DS at launch. I'll probably get it when Metal Gear comes out. It would be nice if it had a couple of first rate RPGs instead of Zelda, which I would describe as action/adventure/puzzle.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Daetrin ( 576516 )
      Well like Metal Gear it won't be a launch game, and i don't know if it's the type of RPG you care about or not, but Class of Heroes is getting ported to 3DS. [1up.com]

      As well as being an interesting (albeit divisive) RPG itself, the indication that PSP games will be getting ported to 3DS in general is very good news. I'm hoping to see a port of Jeanne d'Arc myself, and maybe the re-translated FF Tactics.
  • And I thought the PSP was expensive. How do they keep their prices so low and still make a profit?

  • I'd like to know if it has proper hibernation support. When you closed the screen, the current DS went into what could be best described as "sleep". Whilst it was quick to come out of, the battery life was shorter than when the device was off and if the power went, you lost everything before your last save.

    Implementing a version of hibernate would increase the wake up time of the device - but in return mean that the battery life remains unaffected when it's off and even if the battery died, you could still

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by VickiM ( 920888 )
      I'm pretty casual myself, and only have to plug in my DS Lite once a week, if that. And, if it gets to the point where it takes as long to get the DS loaded from hibernation as it would have taken to save my game and then load it properly, I'm not sure I see the point.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tepples ( 727027 )

        if it gets to the point where it takes as long to get the DS loaded from hibernation as it would have taken to save my game and then load it properly, I'm not sure I see the point.

        Are you including the time to find the appropriate in-game token to allow saving (a typewriter ribbon, a Star Coin, etc.)?

    • I'd like to know if it has proper hibernation support. When you closed the screen, the current DS went into what could be best described as "sleep". Whilst it was quick to come out of, the battery life was shorter than when the device was off and if the power went, you lost everything before your last save.

      Sure, but... come on... suspended, the DS has a battery life measured in *days*. How hard is it, really, to find an outlet during that time?

      Meanwhile, to do as you propose, you'd suddenly need a large ch

      • Sure, but... come on... suspended, the DS has a battery life measured in *days*. How hard is it, really, to find an outlet during that time?

        Well, as a casual gamer it can easily be days before it gets picked up again. The advantage of hibernation is that it wouldn't matter how long you left it. Plus, how on earth did you get days? I can barely manage 24 hours on sleep before the battery is gone :(

        Meanwhile, to do as you propose, you'd suddenly need a large chunk of solid-state storage on the thing, which wo

  • Oh baby oh baby oh baby oh baby oh baby!

    I want one!

  • re: Gimmick (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Rydia ( 556444 ) on Thursday September 30, 2010 @08:12AM (#33745956)

    In response to the multitude of comments referring to 3D as a gimmick, maybe you should take a step back and realize that pretty much everything about a video game is a "gimmick." Nothing about a video game serves a useful purpose. 3D presentation? gimmick, 2D worked fine. HD graphics? Gimmick, plenty of game showed that SD could give us pretty games.

    Everything about video games is a gimmick. I think what you're aiming for is "I'm not interested in this." That's fine, but not a basis for a value judgment.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by xtracto ( 837672 )

      In general all new technology is a gimmick until someone finds a way to use if effectively.

      3D will be a gimmick unless someone comes with a good design that exploit its potential. Similary to how the Wii controllers can feel "gimmicky" for a lot of games, except the (very few) ones in which their capabilities are used properly

    • Every time Nintendo attempts to drive forward with a new implementation a whole big group of people dog-pile into the room trying to be the first to shout 'gimmick!' They shouldn't be taken seriously as they don't even engage their brains yet before posting their criticism. Here are a few non-verbatim quotes of I've seen before:

      - "The DS's use of a stylus is a gimmick. They should do something non-gimmicky like building in an eye-tracker."

      - "Nobody can use two screens at once."

      - "Well, it looks like Nintendo invented the 'remote control!'. Sony had one years ago!" .....(This was written before the dippy found out about the motion controls.)

      - "Can you say: Virtual Boy? Bet the Virtual Boy 2 will be as much of a failure as the original. It was difficult to use and gave people headaches." ......(This is actually in this thread.)

      - "Nintendo is doomed. Their business prospects look dismal because Sony created the Move controller."

      Sometimes I think Nintendo harvests energy from people shouting 'gimmick' and uses it to power their R&D division.

      • people don't remember it's a gimmick. Take the extreme amounts of blood in Mortal Kombat. That was *extremely* gimmicky when it came out. It's just people were too busy thinking 'Whoaaaa bloood' or 'Omg video games should be banned!'

      • Sometimes I think Nintendo harvests energy from people shouting 'gimmick' and uses it to power their R&D division.

        I wouldn't be too surprised; it's at least a renewable energy source. ;)

        In all seriousness, I think they might actually do something similar -- Nintendo has long focused on gaining and maintaining a lead in the industry by being disruptive, and seeing how many people are upset can be one way of gauging how disruptive you're being. This fellow [50webs.com] has written quite a bit about Nintendo's disrupt

  • I will be purchasing this entirely to play the new Professor Layton game...now that looks awesome! I love those games on the DS and the trailer released for the 3DS one makes the purchase of the system worth it just for that.

  • Re-releasing old gameboy games is pretty useless now. Not only has the entire gameboy catalog (at the very least, 99.9% of it) been released online, but you can download/rip and play them all with little fuss on an emulator with almost 100% accuracy to the original experience. Heck, even there were Gameboy emulators for the DS! Not only that, but they're only offering old GB games, no Gameboy Advance games? What a rip-off; not only will the games be tainted with DRM, but the product and effort to make it is

  • I was very interested in the 3DS when it was announced, but I'm not going to pay the early adopter tax on this one. Sure I might pick up a few interesting games if they look like they won't last long on store shelves (Konami's notorious for limiting Castlevania runs for example), but I won't pick up the system until it's in the $150 - $180 range. The cost of the screen will go down after the first year and that alone will drive the system price down. I'm not paying PS3/360 prices for this system, sorry N

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