Nintendo 3DS huge price cut!

[Shinji Kazuya]

From 25,000 yen to 15,000 yen in Japan.

From $249.99 to $169.99 in the USA.

Source -> http://www.siliconera.com/2011/07/28/nintendo-cuts-3ds-price-in-japan-new-handheld-will-be-the-same-price-as-a-dsi/

[Jade DaBain]

I had a feeling the 3DS would end up heading for the bargain bin someday. I didnt expect it to happen so soon....

[Shinji Kazuya]

INDEED!

I'm happy though. I'm waiting for November / December to get Tales of the Abyss and with this price cut I'll spend less. :wacko:

[Jade DaBain]

INDEED!

I'm happy though. I'm waiting for November / December to get Tales of the Abyss and with this price cut I'll spend less. :wacko:

Im waiting for the Vita. The 3DS is actually last on my want list. The Wii-U comes before that.

[Akaimizu]

Yep. Announcing a price cut not long after the first rung of videogame releases for the system. True, they want to undercut the Vita, but that was real quick. On the other hand, at least they are offering a number of DL games to those who already purchased the system. A whole 20 of them. Of course, one would think they may need a bigger SD Ram card to hold them all. And by choosing games not yet released in their enhanced form, at least people aren't set up with free games of which that exact version they already bought.

[Shinji Kazuya]

The PS Vita is nice but a bit too expensive for me. I'll wait till it lowers a bit or if some awsome game I'll get attached to comes out. Like those games that alone sell consoles.

[Jade DaBain]

Yep. Announcing a price cut not long after the first rung of videogame releases for the system. True, they want to undercut the Vita, but that was real quick. On the other hand, at least they are offering a number of DL games to those who already purchased the system. A whole 20 of them. Of course, one would think they may need a bigger SD Ram card to hold them all.

Ya. The system isnt doing too well, even though the Nintendo fanboys and fangirls are trying to deny it and bash at anyone who says otherwise.


The PS Vita is nice but a bit too expensive for me. I'll wait till it lowers a bit or if some awsome game I'll get attached to comes out. Like those games that alone sell consoles.

From the launch list I got from GameStop (Ya, I know, poor choice of places to ask), I saw a pretty good amount of games available at launch that I would want to get. More then the 3DS had for its launch.

[Shinji Kazuya]

Hmmmm, not for me. The only ones that attract me a bit are Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Project Gravity. I'll get a PS Vita but not right at the start. I only got a PSP six months ago too. :wacko:

[Sexy_Raine]

Damn, I feel bad for those who waited in line on its release to get it. They must be pretty mad on those Nintendo forums :P

Imagine if those same guys have bought MVC3 too. I don't think I could bare being screwed twice like that. I'd smash my system into pieces. Thankfully I usually wait before I buy something.

For the PS Vita, I plan to pay full price but that all depends on the games. The only thing that truly interests me on the 3DS is that new Mario game. so even with the 3DS price drop, Vita is still a higher priority.

Goes to show that new games drive sales and the not previous popularity of the original DS. If Nintendo doesn't want that to happen to the Wii U, they better put the effort to get a good software line up that will give people a reason to buy a new console early.

[darkante]

Lol, i should had waited perhaps buying mine.
Seems some compensation is in order.

[Delete]

Damn, I feel bad for those who waited in line on its release to get it. They must be pretty mad on those Nintendo forums :P

Imagine if those same guys have bought MVC3 too. I don't think I could bare being screwed twice like that. I'd smash my system into pieces. Thankfully, I usually wait before I buy something.



Got 2 for my girl a while back for her kids, and I have MVC3.....so I guess I got screwed in every direction.

[Taijutsu-Joshua]

Got 2 for my girl a while back for her kids, and I have MVC3.....so I guess I got screwed in every direction.

Ouch...

[Outrider]

Lol, i should had waited perhaps buying mine.
Seems some compensation is in order.

I think that's what the 20 free virtual console games are for.

Is anybody surprised by this? Nintendo launched the system for way more than they should have and we knew they didn't want to go into the holidays with the 3DS available at the same price as the Vita.

Still, the fact that it was an $80 price drop instead of a $50 caught me off-guard. I think we might be seeing a 3DS Lite (or whatever) by the holiday season for ~$200 (probably with some free software to try and pump up the value of it.)

[CupOfCoffee]

Er... I do want a 3DS, but this reeks of desperation. It's no secret it's been a flop compared to the original DS, but I didn't think they'd abandon their guns so fast and slash the price so dramatically. I sort of feel like buying one now will give them permission to abandon it completely six months down the line. :/

[Leviathan]

Sold. August 12th is just but a stone's throw away.

[Weeaboolits]

Imagine if those same guys have bought MVC3 too. I don't think I could bare being screwed twice like that. I'd smash my system into pieces. Thankfully, I usually wait before I buy something. I fall into that group.

I'm never buying anything at launch ever again.

No games, design defects and then they cut the price in half while there's still no games.

[Shinji Kazuya]

^ This, pretty much. Never bought a console at launch. The closest I was at buying at console at launch was three months or around that. It was the Wii by the way.

[Powder Keg]

Although $249 was too high a price, that big of a drop is still pretty aggressive. The Easter holiday (and since, obviously) was a pretty good indication that it wasn't doing so well.


EDIT:

Also
http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2638429&postcount=4

Nailed it! Although it was even earlier than I predicted.

[Outrider]

I fall into that group.

I'm never buying anything at launch ever again.

No games, design defects and then they cut the price in half while there's still no games.

Heh. I just saw the Halo Reach Legendary Edition for $50 today. I picked it up at launch for $150.

That's the price you pay for getting something right at launch. Ah well, it's only money.

[Firocket1690]

its not aggressive, its desperation.
They barely got by the 1mil mark, if at all (I havn't kept up)
DS phat retailed at $149 on day 1.

Edit: A quick google search says otherwise. DS Phat reached 1mil in 4 weeks, 3DS reached 1 mil in 13 weeks.
As of first fiscal quarter (March 2011), they've sold about 3.5 mil.

[Taijutsu-Joshua]

Well, all I gotta do is wait for the 12th to come around.


its not aggressive, its desperation.
They barely got by the 1mil mark, if at all (I havn't kept up)
DS phat retailed at $149 on day 1.

Edit: A quick google search says otherwise. DS Phat reached 1mil in 4 weeks, 3DS reached 1 mil in 13 weeks.
As of first fiscal quarter (March 2011), they've sold about 3.5 mil.

Maybe they think that reducing the price of the system sooner will give them better statistics like the DS Phat.

[Sord]

I'm still unsure if I want a 3DS, some great games on it, but at the same time I owned a DS lite and only bothered to buy 2 games for it: The World Ends With You, which is admittedly a fantastic game, and Kirby Super Star Ultra.

I probably won't buy Vita until after a Monster Hunter game comes out on it. Though a Ratchet & Clank always helps with that to (and since both are so likely as to be affirmative, I suppose it's just a matter of time.) Using the touch panel for attacks in monster hunter would be nice. Swipe to left or right to swing a sword either way, up and down for different special moves probably. Aiming a bow or gun should become easy if we can quickly move through a cross-haired mode and normal camera view. Could get more complex to, like moving a finger in a circle motion to launch the spinning hammer attack when charged. Putting the touch panel in the back just sounds smart to me in so many ways.

[Taijutsu-Joshua]

I'm still unsure if I want a 3DS, some great games on it, but at the same time I owned a DS lite and only bothered to buy 2 games for it: The World Ends With You, which is admittedly a fantastic game, and Kirby Super Star Ultra.

I probably won't buy Vita until after a Monster Hunter game comes out on it. Though a Ratchet & Clank always helps with that to (and since both are so likely as to be affirmative, I suppose it's just a matter of time.) Using the touch panel for attacks in monster hunter would be nice. Swipe to left or right to swing a sword either way, up and down for different special moves probably. Aiming a bow or gun should become easy if we can quickly move through a cross-haired mode and normal camera view. Putting the touch panel in the back just sounds smart to me in so many ways.

I STILL haven't finished TWEWY yet...

[ARASHIKAGE]

Woohoo!

[Sord]

I STILL haven't finished TWEWY yet...

Beating the extra content story after the main one is such a punch in the face. The final boss, ouph. Then again, just about every boss in that game felt like a sucker punch to the face in difficulty when I fought them for the first time. The main difference that set it apart from other RPGs is that I actually liked the gameplay enough that I didn't mind the grinding.

Oh man, if they released a second TWEWY for 3DS, that would drastically raise the priority of getting that system for me. Though I honestly would hope for more of a spiritual successor than a straight sequel. The characters and story were good, but I would just rather it be left concluded and a whole entirely new story and world written with similar game mechanics.

[Fullmetal Muffinman]

Cant wait for the 20 eshop games

[Mike]

From this Sankei (http://sankei.jp.msn.com/economy/news/110729/biz11072910120004-n1.htm) article, it sounds like the price drop is to try to pull Nintendo out of the 37,700,000,000 yen red stain the 3DS left on the company's books. I think that's about 377 million dollars, probably more, with the exchange rate.

[NoiseHERO]

At this point if you buy a DS just grab a good flash kart...

Theres a lot of shovelware on that thing, but a LOT of good games.

Flashcarts save you from having to gamble. 8D

Everythings 3DS now anyway.

[Sord]

At this point if you buy a DS just grab a good flash kart...

Theres a lot of shovelware on that thing, but a LOT of good games.

Flashcarts save you from having to gamble. 8D

Everythings 3DS now anyway.

I've considered getting one on several occasions, but always decided against it, because, well, there aren't a whole lot of games I even want to try on the DS to begin with. Mine has a tiny library because I just didn't care for its games, not because of money or anything. If I did get a cart, I'd probably use it more for playing games I would have to otherwise import.

[Monochrome]

Great.. I had finally convinced myself I didn't need any more handhelds and could live without the 3DS. Then this happens.

Well, good on Nintendo for doing what they needed to do to stay competitive with this thing.

[Jade DaBain]

From this Sankei (http://sankei.jp.msn.com/economy/news/110729/biz11072910120004-n1.htm) article, it sounds like the price drop is to try to pull Nintendo out of the 37,700,000,000 yen red stain the 3DS left on the company's books. I think that's about 377 million dollars, probably more, with the exchange rate.

Ouch! Nintendo is really in debt, right? I am hoping that they just go the way that Sega did. Go third party. It would be a wise move for them as they will still be alive and making games and it will be good for them as they can have there games on multiple systems, which means more money in there pockets.


At this point if you buy a DS just grab a good flash kart...

Theres a lot of shovelware on that thing, but a LOT of good games.

Flashcarts save you from having to gamble. 8D

Everythings 3DS now anyway.

True. Both the DS and the Wii are packed with shovelware. I also suggest a flash cart as well as modding your Wii, either hard or soft. I say that because that way, you can see if the game is good before you decide to buy it. If you hate it, just delete it. By the way, the 3DS is starting to get shovelware as well. I read that some future releases are 3D Babies, 3D Puppies, and some Imagine games. Not a good sign.

[joefro]

I'm actually a really big fan of those GBA games that they're offering for free, so I'm not too upset about the price cut. Of course, I am a little upset, because I definitely would have waited had I known that the system would receive such a deep cut so early on. However, twenty free old school games is enough to pacify me. (I can't wait to get back in WareWare and Yoshi's Island)

[Jade DaBain]

I'm actually a really big fan of those GBA games that they're offering for free, so I'm not too upset about the price cut. Of course, I am a little upset, because I definitely would have waited had I known that the system would receive such a deep cut so early on. However, twenty free old school games is enough to pacify me. (I can't wait to get back in WareWare and Yoshi's Island)

Didnt the price cut sort of worry you though? I mean, if they did that, what can happen next? From what I have been seeing, it looks like Nintendo isnt doing too good. If you bought a new system from them and then all of a sudden, they close down or go third party, you just ended up with a giant paperweight that can play about 10-20 games or so.

[Majarra]

Jade, Nintendo is a multi-billion dollar company. It's going too take more than this to shut them down.

[Jade DaBain]

Jade, Nintendo is a multi-billion dollar company. It's going too take more than this to shut them down.

That may be true. There have been times though that a "multi billion" company closed there doors. I cant think of any at the moment, but it does happen.

[Dragwind]

I'm glad I didn't buy a 3DS right away. I'm definitely going to get one now though :-o

[Powder Keg]

That may be true. There have been times though that a "multi billion" company closed there doors. I cant think of any at the moment, but it does happen.

They're swimming in an Ocean of money since the success of the DS and Wii. This is a minor dent, and with the cut they're pretty much guaranteed to have an insane holiday for software & accessories.

[Jade DaBain]

They're swimming in an Ocean of money since the success of the DS and Wii. This is a minor dent, and with the cut they're pretty much guaranteed to have an insane holiday for software & accessories.

Ya. I guess the price cut will help in having parents or people with not a lot of money buy a system and a few games. The 20 free games will help too.

[Shinji Kazuya]

I'm glad I didn't buy a 3DS right away. I'm definitely going to get one now though :-o

My thoughts exactly. I had already planned to get one in December when stuff get discounts together with Tales of the Abyss.
Now I'll be able to spend even less.

[Jade DaBain]

Im still going to wait for the Vita.

[toshmil]

Jade, Nintendo is a multi-billion dollar company. It's going too take more than this to shut them down.

HAHAHA too true fellow, well lets hope so anyway!!;)

[Jade DaBain]

I wouldnt mind Nintendo going third party like Sega though.

[Palle]

People who know me know I have no interest in Nintendo hardware. Still, when reading Isabel Reynolds' piece in the Globe and Mail, I came across the passage:

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata took a 50 per cent pay cut, and other executives took 20-30 per cent cuts to take responsibility for the poor performance.

I put everything down, faced West, and golfclapped.

[Jade DaBain]

People who know me know I have no interest in Nintendo hardware. Still, when reading Isabel Reynolds' piece in the Globe and Mail, I came across the passage:


I put everything down, faced West, and golfclapped.

I agree. That was a very noble thing he did. He didnt think of his pockets.

[Akaimizu]

I already have the 3DS, it would've been nice to have waited to get this deal, but the 20 free games are pretty nice, and a very convenient way to enjoy them. A few of the revamped upgraded classics were stuff I already had in mind to buy, so not paying for them, along with 17 others, is a good gesture.

As far as money, we already know Nintendo had been rolling in dough for a while. Their previous investments and risks paid off in dividends. This loss is notable and worthy of a company decision, but definitely not putting them in any kind of dire situation. Ignoring it, however, would eventually put them there so acting quickly is a bold but smart move. Heck, I wish the old Commodore company could've moved like that back when they were riding on top after the success of the C64. They were just busy mis-managing themselves.

The true thing for Nintendo is to get those 3rd parties in the game. Sure, they release good 1st party titles, and though they're getting long in the tooth, they technically have the strongest first-party lineup. But these days, a lot of sales are driven by strong 3rd party stuff. The 3DS is a nice experiment on top of being able to play that vast library of backward compatible NDS games, and I do enjoy owning the technology; it's just that things are a bit wierd when your first major push to put 3rd parties in the forefront, and they don't come through. Yet they seemed to come in numbers, for the portables, when you just pump out the 1st party stuff anyway. Talk about a strange reversal.

Alas, they're paying the price for releasing the console too early. As others so accurately pointed out. A PS3 moment. It's when the same plan that worked for the PS2 doesn't work because the economy and environment has changed. People now want the games first, before grabbing a system, not the promise of games anymore. The economy alone changed that climate.

But I'll also say, the fact that people on the top actually gracefully take some sort of loss of pay from such decisions instead of making all the *underlings* pay for them, while getting the biggest bonus in the world says many things about their business in comparison to so many out west here. A place where being on top means having no responsibility for your actions.

[Jade DaBain]

I remember back when Nintendo used to be the choice for games and the system. It was back in the 80s and 90s with the NES and SNES. Back during the Nintendo VS Sega wars. Everyone used to have a NES or SNES. Some had a Genesis during the SNES days. Back then, Nintendo used a sneaky but somewhat evil strategy that game companies making games on a Nintendo system couldnt make games on another system. Thats why Nintendo was so popular back then. They had basically the 3rd party companies cornered.

[Taijutsu-Joshua]

Beating the extra content story after the main one is such a punch in the face. The final boss, ouph. Then again, just about every boss in that game felt like a sucker punch to the face in difficulty when I fought them for the first time. The main difference that set it apart from other RPGs is that I actually liked the gameplay enough that I didn't mind the grinding.

Oh man, if they released a second TWEWY for 3DS, that would drastically raise the priority of getting that system for me. Though I honestly would hope for more of a spiritual successor than a straight sequel. The characters and story were good, but I would just rather it be left concluded and a whole entirely new story and world written with similar game mechanics.

Yeah, the gameplay's pretty fun, but I remember getting so pissed because I was adjusting to dual screen fighting, and the NekuxShiki style, and then the small ass/Antag Joshua comes over, and I'm like "I was JUST getting the hang of this!"

BTW, I did hear about Nomura from Square-Enix talking about a TWEWY sequel because it was WAY popular in the West than Japan. Plus, we got a better title...

"It's a Wonderful World?" It makes me wanna say "Of Disney." lol


Beating the extra content story after the main one is such a punch in the face. The final boss, ouph. Then again, just about every boss in that game felt like a sucker punch to the face in difficulty when I fought them for the first time. The main difference that set it apart from other RPGs is that I actually liked the gameplay enough that I didn't mind the grinding.

Oh man, if they released a second TWEWY for 3DS, that would drastically raise the priority of getting that system for me. Though I honestly would hope for more of a spiritual successor than a straight sequel. The characters and story were good, but I would just rather it be left concluded and a whole entirely new story and world written with similar game mechanics.

Same with the Infamous Series, because we know the milking's gonna start. I'd rather they end Cole's story there, dead or alive.

[Outrider]

The true thing for Nintendo is to get those 3rd parties in the game. Sure, they release good 1st party titles, and though they're getting long in the tooth, they technically have the strongest first-party lineup.

Well, if we're being entirely honest, the 3DS didn't even have a strong first-party lineup.

Those games are coming, but when the two biggest Nintendo games since launch are both ports, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence in potential buyers.

[Akaimizu]

Back then, Nintendo used a sneaky but somewhat evil strategy that game companies making games on a Nintendo system couldnt make games on another system. Thats why Nintendo was so popular back then. They had basically the 3rd party companies cornered.

Except for (ironically) Activision. They were the 3rd party company that could not be bought. They stayed multi-platform. They were a very different company, back then, even though Activision still stays multi-console.

[Fullmetal Muffinman]

Well...At least im getting 20 Free eshop Games!

/LOLOL

[SStrikerR]

That's what you get for having the price of a console.

[DoubleJG]

I do like this price drop quite a bit. It looks like my girlfriend will be getting one for her birthday after all.

[Sinue_v2]

People who know me know I have no interest in Nintendo hardware. Still, when reading Isabel Reynolds' piece in the Globe and Mail, I came across the passage:


Nintendo President Satoru Iwata took a 50 per cent pay cut, and other executives took 20-30 per cent cuts to take responsibility for the poor performance.

I put everything down, faced West, and golfclapped.

[wallstreet executive face]

... lol Wut? ...

[/wallstreet executive face]

Well, that's very noble of them. Ya know, last time something like this happened, they just up and fucking killed poor Gunpei Yokoi. I think I like this new direction they're going in.


... ok, ok, trolling aside, that was a pretty impressive symbolic gesture on their part, especially coming from a perspective of seeing hedgefund managers tank the entire fucking economy and yet arrogantly proclaim that their "knowledge and expertise" somehow entitles them to their grossly inflated salary, multi-million dollar bonuses, and excesses on the level of what used to get people beheaded during the French Revolution... and it makes my opinion of the company go up a bit. I'll be looking forward to picking one up (hopefully) this December. I'm already sold on the product... this takes care of the price drop I was after, and now I'm just waiting for the library to fill in a little bit.

[Jade DaBain]

Except for (ironically) Activision. They were the 3rd party company that could not be bought. They stayed multi-platform. They were a very different company, back then, even though Activision still stays multi-console.

Ya. I remember Activision, which by the way, was the first third party game company, used to make games for the Atari 2600. Those games were awesome, especially Pitfall and Pitfall II.

[StriderTuna]

Well this would help.... so would MML3, but that's a box of rabid rappies I'd rather not open. Odds are, the Vita will be more expensive than the 3DS's original price as from the sounds of it, its specs are even higher.

Still despite the fact the Vita's in preproduction, the west has basically declared the PSP dead more or less when in japan, it looks as if it has another 6+ months of life.

[Zarode]

Well this would help.... so would MML3, but that's a box of rabid rappies I'd rather not open. Odds are, the Vita will be more expensive than the 3DS's original price as from the sounds of it, its specs are even higher.

Still despite the fact the Vita's in preproduction, the west has basically declared the PSP dead more or less when in japan, it looks as if it has another 6+ months of life.

Vita was announced for 249.99 USD for the WiFi model, 299.99 USD for the 3g/WiFi model. Sony purposely made the system with the 249.99 price point. They, ya know, thought about it for a while and said "hey, why don't we NOT charge a billion god damn dollars for one system and watch it go through price drop after price drop to finally sell. ya know, not make this just the 'kool kidz system onlyz'"

And lo and behold, Sony may actually get a first day sell with me and a console of theirs.

[Ark22]

I cried when they said this...Made me wish I saved up for a PSP vita...Wait...I got a job unlike the millions of other people =D. No harm on me. I better get Legend Of Zelda for the GBA dang it!

[Mantiskilla]

Ya. I remember Activision, which by the way, was the first third party game company, used to make games for the Atari 2600. Those games were awesome, especially Pitfall and Pitfall II.

Haha hell yeah. Pitfall II was amazing and don't forget about Enduro. That game was pretty sweet as well, BUT not quite as good as Night Driver. C'mon you could use the paddle controller as a steering wheel! Awesome.

[StriderTuna]

It's too soon to tell even with the 3DS as the early era of which system these days are quite unremarkable. The DS itself was rather meh until stuff like Castlevania hit it. At the moment, the 3DS has some alright games, but nothing that compels people to buy a system at the moment. And we have to wait through the stage where various companies try to overfocus on the 3d gimmick. Let's not forget the DS didn't start hitting its stride until companies stopped trying cram in stylus use and focused on making the most of the DS's specs/intelligently using the dual screens.

[Jade DaBain]

It's too soon to tell even with the 3DS as the early era of which system these days are quite unremarkable. The DS itself was rather meh until stuff like Castlevania hit it. At the moment, the 3DS has some alright games, but nothing that compels people to buy a system at the moment. And we have to wait through the stage where various companies try to overfocus on the 3d gimmick. Let's not forget the DS didn't start hitting its stride until companies stopped trying cram in stylus use and focused on making the most of the DS's specs/intelligently using the dual screens.

Thats true. The 3DS is still quiet new and the Vita isnt even out yet. Who knows what may happen between now and a few months after the Vita comes out to the public. Also, even though it isnt a portable, the Wii U can help with Nintendo as well because they may make games that communicate with the 3DS, making the 3DS a more must have system due to its link with the Wii U. We will just have to see what happens in the future before we pass on judgement or consider things as final.

[Majarra]

Nintendo shot themselves in the foot when they named it the '3DS'. Many people probably think it's just another DS model with 3D features and a stick and they will just go buy the cheaper version. Maybe creating a billion models of original DS' wasn't so smart for them. We can't forget that the 3DS biggest lineup are games from 12+ years ago with 3D capabilities and cleaner textures. And the occasional new Mario game or whatever.

3DS sucks. Deal with it.

[Sinue_v2]

Many people probably think it's just another DS model with 3D features and a stick and they will just go buy the cheaper version.

Wait... you think people are so misinformed and prone to basing their purchase decision on obvious false associations that you can readily dispel if you spend at least five seconds looking at the box? Come on, that is just... absurd.

And frighteningly, you could be on to something there too. IIRC, wasn't the Xbox 360 named such because they didn't want people looking at the product name "Xbox 2" and compare it to "Playstation 3" and conclude from that that the Xbox 2 is a less powerful previous generation system. Then buy the PS3 because obviously 3 is bigger than 2, and if that's the case, then logic dictates that it must also be more powerful right?

Ugh, goddamnit people... why is it every time I get a little bit of faith in the future prospects of humanity, you guys have to go kicking over my little sand castle. :(

[Akaimizu]

^ It's the internet. People love doing that.

[Rashiid]

Definitely getting one for Christmas now.

[StriderTuna]

Nintendo shot themselves in the foot when they named it the '3DS'. Many people probably think it's just another DS model with 3D features and a stick and they will just go buy the cheaper version. Maybe creating a billion models of original DS' wasn't so smart for them. We can't forget that the 3DS biggest lineup are games from 12+ years ago with 3D capabilities and cleaner textures. And the occasional new Mario game or whatever.

3DS sucks. Deal with it.

The DS wasn't much better with mostly shovel-ware and barely improved GBA ports. Though while the 3DS' situation is a bit better, the ports of the 2-3 PS3 fighting games might not fare well, particularly with Capcom canceling MML3 and its aftermath (I doubt people are so willing to buy capcom stuff now) and Blazblue CSII looks rather crammed in the 3DS's small screen. (Tis the folly of porting a game intentionally made for HD Tvs, etc.)

It's not the first time I've seen a system with a very rough start as that's been a trend as of late as the time it takes to make a truly noteworthy game is longer than the development of the system.

[Kazzabe]

I'll wait another year or two when it goes down another 50$ or 80$.. lol hopefully a new system is not out by then =|

[Jade DaBain]

The DS wasn't much better with mostly shovel-ware and barely improved GBA ports. Though while the 3DS' situation is a bit better, the ports of the 2-3 PS3 fighting games might not fare well, particularly with Capcom canceling MML3 and its aftermath (I doubt people are so willing to buy capcom stuff now) and Blazblue CSII looks rather crammed in the 3DS's small screen. (Tis the folly of porting a game intentionally made for HD Tvs, etc.)

It's not the first time I've seen a system with a very rough start as that's been a trend as of late as the time it takes to make a truly noteworthy game is longer than the development of the system.

I miss the days when games didnt have all the flashy graphics and mind blowing sounds but had game play that could challenge even the most hardcore of players as well as give the casual or even first time player a good game. The classics were the best. Always have been. Always will be. I dont know why game companies have forgotten that and I also dont know why the players can never see what the classics have that modern games dont.

[StriderTuna]

Because of causals who were attracted by all the pretty games. And my remark about how BB CSII 3DS was more in regards of Nintendo not quite thinking things through and the stigma of handheld ports being watered down. Hopefully TotA 3DS will set things straight.

But the worst thing about the 3DS is that it caused folks to write off the original DS, including companies so we don't have much to look forward to on the DS in the future.

[Weeaboolits]

The problem with Blazblue in particular is that it was an HD sprite-based fighter, and scaling down the sprites really doesn't look too good at all.

Also, being a sprite based fighter, I can't imagine the 3DS's main gimmick adding too much to it.

[Kyrith_Ranger_Pso]

Nintendo shot themselves in the foot when they named it the '3DS'. Many people probably think it's just another DS model with 3D features and a stick and they will just go buy the cheaper version. Maybe creating a billion models of original DS wasn't so smart for them. We can't forget that the 3DS biggest lineup are games from 12+ years ago with 3D capabilities and cleaner textures. And the occasional new Mario game or whatever.

3DS sucks. Deal with it.

though your first statement is partially correct (at least to a lot of younger kids who parents buy them games and such, i even have a cousin whose mother i had to convince that it wasn't just a DSL with 3D) but to say that its best games are simple remakes just inst true, its true there aren't many new series on it, but Kingdom hearts and Kid Icarus, AC, and like you said the new Mario are all new games, i bought mine on the first day and i must say I'm impressed, the console blew my mind and i absolutely love the thing, id been waiting to get it since its announcement in march 2010, call me a Nintendo fan boy if you want (its true), but they never disappoint me console wise (though NOA alone aren't so smart)

[StriderTuna]

The problem with Blazblue in particular is that it was an HD sprite-based fighter, and scaling down the sprites really doesn't look too good at all.

Also, being a sprite based fighter, I can't imagine the 3DS's main gimmick adding too much to it.

I'm not sure how well it'd work. Though SF 3DS looked pretty nice, though it's unlikely I'll get that after the MML3 debacle. (Not saying I'm a zealous megaman fan, but a company basically saying they expected the fans to do all the work and "not enough" support is crossing the line)

The Price cut helps though at the moment I'm too broke to get it.

[Jade DaBain]

I'm not sure how well it'd work. Though SF 3DS looked pretty nice, though it's unlikely I'll get that after the MML3 debacle. (Not saying I'm a zealous megaman fan, but a company basically saying they expected the fans to do all the work and "not enough" support is crossing the line)

The Price cut helps though at the moment I'm too broke to get it.

Ive always considered that fighting games on a portable system of any type would be too hard to play due to the controls.

[StriderTuna]

Ive always considered that fighting games on a portable system of any type would be too hard to play due to the controls.

That might have been true in the past, mainly for much inferior specs/too few buttons, but with the DS and 3DS, there's not a lack of buttons for a fighter and the 3DS has specs able to support most of them in a decent fashion. I'm sure the Vita would better cover that, not so sure about the actual system design.

[Jade DaBain]

That might have been true in the past, mainly for much inferior specs/too few buttons, but with the DS and 3DS, there's not a lack of buttons for a fighter and the 3DS has specs able to support most of them in a decent fashion. I'm sure the Vita would better cover that, not so sure about the actual system design.

But the circular pad on the 3DS would be too hard to use for complex and quick movements. I know that it was not easy to do that kind of stuff on my old DS I have. Even my PSP, its not easy to do that kind of movement.

[Akaimizu]

In my opinion, there was only 1 portable out there with controls that were decent enough for fighting games. Heck, only 1 portable had better fighting controller response than even the default xbox360 d-pad. And yes I said it. I can normally pull off moves on that thing (and I'm being perfectly honest) that I couldn't dream doing on either the DS or the PSP.

If it isn't the Neo Geo Pocket (Color included), then the portable D-pad is inferior. Plain and simple. I really wish someone else would steal that idea. Not like the Neo Geo Pocket or its games are in production anymore. Microswitch-based d-pads or control sticks are still relevant to portable units. I would figure, *somebody* has to top them. Not like they have a problem with last ability either. I have microswitch controllers from the 80s that still, to this day, have yet to die.

[Sord]

But the circular pad on the 3DS would be too hard to use for complex and quick movements. I know that it was not easy to do that kind of stuff on my old DS I have. Even my PSP, its not easy to do that kind of movement.

Actually, in the case of the 3DS streetfighter, the stylus screen has buttons that allow you to immediately set off special moves. This has actually caused some serious ire towards it in the hardcore fighting game community. It really wrecks charge characters as well. For those that don't know what a charge character is, it's a character that in order to do a special move, you must hold a certain direction for a certain amount of time, before finishing the direction and attack input. For example, Guile has to hold back for so many seconds (think it's 2,) before pushing forward and a punch button, to throw his sonic boom projectile. Well, now his sonic boom can just be instantly shot, with no charge whatsoever. A lot of his other moves work in a similar fashion. Imagine a character that could never move forward and throw a powerful projectile, suddenly be able to. It's a huge game change, suddenly a defensive powerful character can be a major pressure player.

[Akaimizu]

It's an overlooked bug on Capcom's part, and they can't fix it. I can't believe they didn't implement forced delay on charge moves for those using the onscreen button. But alas, they only thought about attaching the effect, not the actual charge action. It works for just about everything else, I guess. Blanka, to a lesser degree, has the same problem. I know I don't cheat and use the pad to do my charges, but folks online would assume I used the onscreen button. I don't like my best characters getting shunned due to a programming slip.

The best and only way I can see them fixing it, on a later release, is to either leave charge moves out of it, or to make those moves specific in which the button doesn't activate unless the player has held the included charge direction for the proper time, for which the button disables the moment the player breaks the charge. That'll also allow the typical charge player to start charging as the move is happening (which is what we do, already).

[Zettaizero]

I happen to own dead or alive and street fighter 4 3D on my 3DS, the circular pad actually feels great and pulling off moves is really easy. Quick movements can be done with the pad no problem (maybe more difficult for new players but for more experienced players easy), making fighters on this console possible. My only complaint is the button placement, it feels the same as a xbox or PS remote I always encourage an arcade stick for a fighter. I prefer Super Street Fighter 4 on home console though (Playstation 3), but the 3DS port was amazing. As for the charge characters, I think Capcom should have definitely forced a manual input for those charge commands easy enough to do with the 3DS pad as it is. The price cut is really going to put PS Vita in a bad position.