Re: 3DS Conference Info+

[Luinil]

I don't have to admit that at all skeez. Perhaps the future is handhelds that can be projectors as well? Or hook up to HD TVs or 3D TVs? That is where gaming will go eventually. The way of the console will die down when portable tech becomes cheaper and the comparison spec wise diminishes.

3DS is a step toward that direction. Whether or not it is the right time to do so, is the question, not that they are going in the wrong direction.

Personally i like this move. too bad the 3DS doesn't connect to 3D TVs for full 1080p 3D output yet. (that will come with the next handheld)

The AR Cards look trippy and weird and i want to try it. I also want to play several games that have 3D puzzles and the like. What other game system will fully utilize 3D? there are no others for a long time yet.

[Saki]

This isn't comparable to the $600 price tag at all. And you all seem to think its gonna be $300 in the US. Japan prices are ALWAYS higher. If you think its over pricing fine but saying they're going in wrong direction is idiotic. They're pushing a lot of different tech/software/features. Pushing digital distribution and social gaming while providing both simple and complex games. Bitch about the price fine but just about everything Nintendo has shown is a step forward in a positive direction.

Sony pushed graphics and multimedia features over software and that got them nowhere. If you're comparing Nintendos approach with the 3DS to the PSP/PS3 I dunno what to say except that you're wrong.

[El Duderino]

^^ No... just no... to both of you... I know it will be closer to 250$ but a 360 or a Wii still costs less... its not just the price that is going in the wrong direction its the combination of price and pretending its a completely new device and telling the customers that flashy features are worth upgrading something that is essentially the same... but since apple pulls it all the time and nintendo has their fans by the cojones just as much they think its fine... its still a step in the wrong direction, increasing the the graphical output is normal and for a handheld its really secondary and just like 3D it adds nothing to new ways of gameplay which is what made the DS so huge... adding things that no one really needs and pretending you reinvented the wheel while selling your overpriced-products on hype and image is always a step in the wrong direction...

@ lui: I thought someone with tech know-how like you would offer more realistic predictions but as usual you manage to destroy all my positive assumptions on you
The only reason portable tech becomes cheaper and gets a step closer to consoles is cause they backtrack the steps high end tech paved the way for... the PS3 and especially 360 have been out for quite some time now... of course now its possible to build a portable with similar graphics (on a tiny screen) this would not be possible without the development of newer, faster and more efficient CPUs and GPUs... do you think intel and amd and nvidia will stop making new chips cause everything has to be portable in the future and they will be fine selling old chips as portable versions ??? Portables will always be limited by size (and with that cpu and gpu cooling) and battery life (reducing cpu and gpu clocking)... making the home console the superior technical experience... and if you wanted to connect your portable to a big screen of have it project the image (with 2x60hz for 3D) the difference becomes even bigger... another big point is that if we like it or not the big 3 have decided that motion gaming is mainstream now and its here to stay... do you expect to practice some sweet karate moves online with your sifu in japan while in a airplane or waggle your arms around in a crowded bus ???
I believe that certain things like cellphones and handhelds will continue to merge as we see with the iphone... but stationary home and mobile gaming experiences will stay separate for a very very long time... it just doesn't make sense at all to merge them...

[damkira]

$249. I called it a long time ago.. they won't price it any more than that, remember the PSP Go debacle? Well that was a handheld nobody actually wanted.. 3DS will sell very well at this price point.

[Saki]

$249. I called it a long time ago.. they won't price it any more than that, remember the PSP Go debacle? Well that was a handheld nobody actually wanted.. 3DS will sell very well at this price point.

And I called the next year launch.

[dsister]

It auto updates firmware to prevent piracy. If you want to use the tag mode then it will update. And it will have a shorter battery life then the DS...

[Mako]

Iwata talks 3DS

On connectivity to a console:
- "We believe that, naturally, instant communication between the 3DS and a console in your home will become one topic in the future, but today I cannot talk about specifics regarding the kinds of things you can do in terms of connectivity between a 3DS and console."
- Nintendo is always eagerly pursuing the idea of fun arising from always carrying your game system with you
- "We'll surely be thinking about connectivity with consoles as well."

On 3DS game pricing...
- "We don't believe that the world is in a state where high priced software will sell well, so we don't believe it will be in a price range too far off from current DS software."
- expectations of a very dynamic range of software, with prices ranging from quite low to premium

On specs of the 3DS...
- internal NAND flash memory, used mainly for system purposes
- games boot directly from SD cards, rather than loading to the 3DS, much like they do on Wii
- expect the 3DS to be charged more frequently than the current DS systems
- cradle included with the system
- Nintendo made the system high-spec because they wanted third parties to have the power to work with it
- Nintendo didn't want third parties saying "Because of the specs, we can't make our game on the Nintendo machine."
- powerful hardware was also needed to deal with the system's 3D visuals.
- Nintendo's developers felt such things as "Tag Mode is interesting, but with the DS, this is the limit."
- Nintendo wanted to allow people to temporarily pause DS games so that they could access other areas of the system, but this proved too difficult with the DS's specs
- powerful hardware was needed for the Augmented Reality technology as well

On date and price...
- Nintendo originally felt that a release within the year would be preferred
- "We progressed with actual development, and we're currently getting ready for mass production, but we determined that it would be difficult to ready suitable numbers for a release within the year. Additionally, regarding the level of polish for the product, we thought that by setting the release date to what was announced today we'd be able to deliver it at levels that we found satisfactory."
- "We decided that it would be preferred to simultaneously deliver a highly polished product and to ready satisfactory quantities in order to not cause confusion in the market. It is true that this caused negative effects on this year's earnings forecasts."
- Nintendo does not feel it appropriate to make comparisons to Wii price
- "The price ratio between consoles and portables has been x until now, so it should remain the same for 3DS."
- "Of course, the lower the price the better. However, considering a number of factors such as materials cost, the health of the platform business, and the reaction post E3 as to how much value would be felt from the hardware once the functionality was understood, we felt that this price would be understood."

On lost business cards...
- 1,200 business cards Nintendo took at the reception area were lost while in transit to its home office
- Nintendo formally apologized to all those that dropped off cards
- Nintendo was not required to let people know this happened, but wanted to be up front about the situation

On 3DS piracy...
- automated firmware update system for 3DS
-"As part of the functionality of SpotPass, we're looking into having automatic system updates via the internet."
- these updates are also for getting new functionality onto 3DS systems
- 3DS will also have a system in place for updating the firmware through package software itself
- "We believed this to be doable because the usable ROM size for the 3DS would become much larger."
- both types of firmware updates, piracy prevention is secondary to offering new functionality to owners

[El Duderino]

It needs internet updates ? an "these updates are also for getting new functionality onto 3DS systems" ???

Yeah right... cause nintendo is sooo good with their online... anyone hear of the metroid other m bug where the only fix is to send nintendo your savegame via mail on a SD card... and I mean actual mail... seriously...

[Snesboy]

... I can't see spending $300 on a portable. I'm with Dude

Leo-j was fine doing it with the PSP go and tax and games...

Yeah but you have to remember, us Nintendo fans are cheap. Which is why we like Nintendo's hardware to begin with. We like having more money to spend on Ninty's awesome games.

[c03n3nj0]

Nintendo didn't want third parties saying "Because of the specs, we can't make our game on the Nintendo machine."

3rd parties are gonna ruin ya Nintendo!

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