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I want a 3DS. Really badly, in fact. Of all the shiny new tech toys I desperately want to fiddle with at the moment, Nintendo's eye-popping portable is very nearly at the top of the list. I mean, the 3D effect looks stunning, and the brittle dam on my gushing nostalgia practically explodes at the mere mention of 3D updates to Metal Gear Solid 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Call me weak, but the thing's a day-one purchase for me, and I'll be drooling all over the packaging during the drive back home.
It's a damn shame, however, that such a neat little machine's being born into a world that's already passed it by. Sad to say, the game's changed. New players have entered the arena, and Nintendo's not even on equal footing – let alone prepared to trade blows and come out on top. But hell, I almost can't blame Nintendo for its current predicament.
After all, half the human race developed a near-symbiotic relationship with online-centic, always connected cell phones in – what – a couple years? They bring us information in seconds, keep our schedules for us, connect us to 24/7 social networking, (usually) function as alarm clocks, and – of course – give us access to hundreds of thousands of games. But it goes further than that.
Platforms like iPhone and Android have picked up Nintendo's “games for everyone” mantra – the very thing the original Nintendo DS was founded on – and spread it far and wide through ease of access and simple, intuitive interfaces. Unfortunately for Nintendo, recent studies -- which found that gamers now prefer to have smartphones in their pockets over DSes or PSPs -- are already raining on the console-maker's parade.
The bottom line? There's a reason these devices are in our pockets at all times. They do it all. More importantly, though, they do it well. So – aside from a nifty 3D effect (that I'm sure phones will start aping in a matter of months) – what does the 3DS have to offer? Unfortunately, a fittingly shortsighted online plan is the first thing that springs to mind. And this comes from the company whose president recently declared Apple “the enemy of the future.”
To Nintendo's credit, the 3DS looks to be a giant step up from the Wii's haphazard mess of an online service, but it's still amateur hour stuff compared to the App Stores we've been using for years. Let's start with the obvious: Nintendo can't even decide when its damn eShop is launching. It definitely won't be installed on the 3DS when you first buy it, but beyond that, the console maker can't get its story straight. Will there be a day-one firmware update? Or will gamers have to wait an indefinite amount of time? Will it vary from region-to-region? As of now, the whole thing's a mess and, at the very least, shows that Nintendo's not taking its online service seriously enough.
Even discounting that, however, the eShop's still not up to snuff. While it'll carry downloadable games, screenshots, trailers, and the like, Nintendo's made it clear that retail games – its main push – will stay at retail. No downloads for major titles – just stacks-upon-stacks of easily misplaced cartridges. Again, it's an obvious indicator that online's just a sideshow to Nintendo. The main event, sadly, is elsewhere.
Now, at this point, you might be saying that Nintendo's turned its nose up at online in the past and, you know, won an entire console war with startling ease, but that was then and this is now. Portable devices play a far different (and much more pervasive) role in our lives than current-gen gaming consoles, and expectations change accordingly.
At the end of the day, the 3DS is simply a couple steps behind. It lacks the convenience and elegance of the portables we've grown accustomed to having dominate our lives, and while that won't kill Nintendo's latest attempt at handheld dominance, it will put a stop to Nintendo's reign as king of the handheld market. I don't think the 3DS will flop per se, but here's hoping Nintendo's got one hell of a follow-up act planned for the Wii, because its next go-to breadwinner's already looking ready for retirement.
Comments are closed on this article
bling581
January 25, 2011 at 11:35am
The cell phone gaming experience is hardly comparable to a hand held such as a DS or PSP. I'm sure there are a large number of people who just want something decent to play that would choose a cell phone over a handheld just because it's more convenient. However, when comparing the quality of gameplay you receive from a cell phone doesn't even come close to a stand alone hand held system.
To begin, the controls are bad. Most games offer either a virtual joystick or touching the screen to move. Some games aren't easy to play using the touch screen and the joysticks lack precision. Most cell phone games I've played lack the depth and storyline that handhelds do. A lot of the games I've tried are easily beaten within several hours to a few days of gaming. Game titles, there are a lot of specific titles I enjoy playing that aren't offered on my cell. Battery life, I'm lucky if my phone lasts a few hours of gaming. One problem I have on my phone is a lot of high quality games are subject to periods of video lag, one thing that doesn't happen on handhelds.
Again, if you're looking strictly at convenience then cell phones win big, but there's many reasons why hand helds will be superior to a gamer.
nealtse
January 25, 2011 at 11:04am
Downloadable content is a nice idea, too bad the DSiWare store is mostly full of boring crap. I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo stepped up that kind of content access for the 3DS. As for losing cartridges, you could try a ds flash card www.dscardworld.com for your game collection. Still a dedicated gaming device means that you're only draining the battery on one thing rather then a device you'll need to make phone calls or listen to music on. But even if battery life is no longer a concern, there's still the form factor, one hand device as opposed to two hand device. I'd rather game with two hands comfortably.
LatiosXT
January 25, 2011 at 10:17am
Mr. Nayson, I would like to give you one argument that still makes Nintendo's handheld relevant: Pokemon. Despite the image of it being targeted to children (in Japan at least, around the age 10 group), I find more people who are my age (early 20s) who play it regularly than I find children.. which means that it's still pretty big.
But on the flip side, the 3DS seems to be a step back or a standstill as far s Nintendo's innovation goes.
LatiosXT
January 25, 2011 at 10:17am
Mr. Nayson, I would like to give you one argument that still makes Nintendo's handheld relevant: Pokemon. Despite the image of it being targeted to children (in Japan at least, around the age 10 group), I find more people who are my age (early 20s) who play it regularly than I find children.. which means that it's still pretty big.
But on the flip side, the 3DS seems to be a step back or a standstill as far s Nintendo's innovation goes.
Dexter243
January 24, 2011 at 8:51pm
yep my sisters grandbaby has a ipod tuch and she is 2.5 and playes a bunch of kids lerning games on it and thay decided to buy her that after they found out she can turn on mommies iphone and start up the game she liks and play it and this is at (2.5) years old and you do not go from ipod tuch and then start playing a glunky 3DS
Dwood15
January 24, 2011 at 8:05pm
I think you forget that you aren't their target audience, fyi. Heck, Nintendo should have lost ages ago with that mentality against flash games.
While I do think that Nintendo didn't have to even have 3d (personally I find it pointless) I still think they're missing the beat with ANY app store at all. TBH They should have ignored online stores entirely with anything but the wii, and focused on what they could do as a company to help kids with organizing their games.
Dwood15
January 24, 2011 at 8:04pm
I think you forget that you aren't their target audience, fyi. Heck, Nintendo should have lost ages ago with that mentality against flash games.
While I do think that Nintendo didn't have to even have 3d (personally I find it pointless) I still think they're missing the beat with ANY app store at all. TBH They should have ignored online stores entirely with anything but the wii, and focused on what they could do as a company to help kids with organizing their games.
arosadler
January 24, 2011 at 7:38pm
I think they know who their target audience is. I just wish they would embrace downloading major titles. I hate thinking about all the DS and Gameboy cartridges that my daughter misplaced over the years. Having everything in one tidy package makes much more sense for mobile devices.
darthtigger
January 24, 2011 at 6:00pm
Yep. You definately missed the mark. I'm not getting my 6 or 4 year olds an iphone or android. But a new DS is another story. Nintendo is not a day late and a dollar short. They simply know their target audiance. Don't quit your day job there spud.....
Vahn16
January 24, 2011 at 7:51pm
Nintendo's target audience definitely used to be little kids, but that was back in the days when it was a mid-sized company struggling to eke out a "me-too" existence against bigger competitors like Microsoft and Sony. Then Nintendo decided to expand its audience to, you know, everyone. The "non-gamers" of the world. That's why both Wii and DS ran circles around the competition. Those same non-gamers are now flocking to iDevices, Androids, and other smartphones.
Point being, kids are still part of the equation for a bigger bottom line, but they're certainly not all of it. Nintendo knows that, but they haven't quite committed as much as they need to. Instead, the 3DS represents this weird half-way point between all-purpose machine and Fisher's Price's My First Game Console. In a world where other devices are already mastering one side of the formula, I'm not sure a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none approach is enough.
cpuking2010
January 24, 2011 at 4:39pm
Yeah, it's to little to late; because parents are rushing out the doors to buy their kids smartphones with expensive data plans (SARCASM). YOU forget children ARE NINTENDO'S TARGET AUDIENCE.
sallystudios
January 25, 2011 at 2:33am
Parents are buying their kids mp3 players and iPod touches now
Adromeda
January 24, 2011 at 3:37pm
In my opinion, I prefer dedicated gaming devices to All-In-One devices that can somewhat play games. I own an iPod touch, and yes, the graphics are excellent to todays standards, but there is always a problem with controls, and the games themselves. There are very few "in depth" games in the app store, or in any app store in general. I like Fruit Ninja sure, and Angry Birds, but playing a full fledged New Super Mario Bros or LOZ game to me, is a guaranteed winner.
I really think Nintendo should consider putting their games online for purchase from an eStore, but there is that great feeling of swapping out one game for your favorite game. It also signifies your purchase. Regardless -
it can be inconvenient.
All in All, I'm going to get the 3DS (Heck Ya!) the day it comes out and be salivating over it the entire way home to ^_^, I just hope Nintendos App store adds their retail games at somepoint.
P.S. I'm hoping the 3ds and next gen console handhelds find their nich and kick the other competetors ass(es). I <3 physical buttons.
whiskeymcclinton
January 24, 2011 at 2:27pm
What would you buy for your 10 year old child?
Would you buy an iPhone/Android/Win phone 7 device, plus a $50/month contract, ...or just get them the latest Gameboy (3DS)?
Daddy & Mommy get handed Blackberries from work, the teenager/20 something gets the iPhone, and the little ones get a handheld gaming system. Either you're the breadwinner, or have disposable income to spend, or you're a young dependant. Not true in all cases, but it fits the 80-20 rule.
n0b0dykn0ws
January 24, 2011 at 2:56pm
iPod touches. Both of my nieces (one is 7 and one is 9) have one and play all kinds of games on it.
I hate the damned things, but they sell like hotcakes and kids are addicted to them.
n0b0dykn0ws
Nimrod
January 24, 2011 at 5:18pm
Thats great for them. I hate to say it bro but there arnt any kids out there just dieing to play the latest RELEASE FOR A NO NAME GAME ON THE iANYTHING.
