Is the Nintendo 3DS dying?

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CaptainCruch
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Is the Nintendo 3DS dying?

Postby CaptainCruch » August 27th, 2015, 10:44 am

I love my Nintendo 3DS XL and I spent many, many hours playing games on it. However, I feel the end of the system is near. Release of new games is very scarce (besides Hyrule Warriors and Mario Paper Jam, which are only due for beginning 2016!) I don't see any good stuff coming...

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Atariboy
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Re: Is the Nintendo 3DS dying?

Postby Atariboy » August 27th, 2015, 1:40 pm

I'm afraid so.

You could see this coming for a couple of years now. The system hasn't been growing for a while, has consistently underperformed compared with Nintendo's initial projections each fiscal year, and overall software sales at least once have even dipped recently despite continued growth in the size of the install base. I think I even read that hardware sales were down significantly in at least one of these latest quarterly results, despite sales of the stopgap New 3DS providing a boost.

They haven't done a great job in quite sometime in consistently supplying it with 1st party releases. Good games are few and far between these days and the 3rd parties haven't done an awful lot to take up the slack thanks to the mobile revolution. So that relative lack of quality software offerings has been plainly showing up in the sales statistics as Nintendo first struggled to do something with the Wii U and now is distracted by preparing for the upcoming generation.

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Rookie1
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Re: Is the Nintendo 3DS dying?

Postby Rookie1 » August 27th, 2015, 6:40 pm

I dont get Nintendo's deal with their systems. I love the GC, but it seriously lacked in features that the PS2/Xbox had at the time. Was never a fan of the Wii as it was way behind in the graphics department and too gimmicky, and the Wii U came out 10 years too late.

I feel like it would be easy to figure out what people want given the trends that other systems are setting.

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Rev
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Re: Is the Nintendo 3DS dying?

Postby Rev » August 27th, 2015, 7:46 pm

Even with the gamecube's lack of support, this is the first console generation from Nintendo that I have felt nothing but disappointment. I was impressed a bit at first and was originally waving the Nintendo flag if pride but my opinion had changed a lot in the last 6 months or so. I've lost a lot of faith in the company.

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ActRaiser
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Re: Is the Nintendo 3DS dying?

Postby ActRaiser » August 27th, 2015, 10:17 pm

With Nintendo patenting a new console without a disk drive it seems like they're moving into combining things a bit.

I wonder if the NX will be sold as a system/controller with an optional display attachment turning it into a portable with a battery pack. Perhaps, it's a modular system where pieces snap together

Low cost entry level system - $149
Controller/System has an HDMI port and power adapter

Add screens and a battery - $99

Controller - $49

Wii/Wii U add on for backward compatibility (sensor bar) - $49

Pieces snap together and pair with each other.

Tada - you now have the 3DS replacement that all together for a basic 3DS is $248 -> or forgo the screens and save a hundred bucks.

Hardcore Sadism
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Re: Is the Nintendo 3DS dying?

Postby Hardcore Sadism » August 28th, 2015, 12:27 am

Nintendo needs to actually understand gimmicks because so far not announcing the NX this year and (STILL, TO THIS DAY) giving us lip service gives me little faith that they will ever have faith in another console. :|

Ditch the proprietary connectors, that's so 2005. Much like their handling of the 3DS is looking like the PSP Go debacle.

Paul Campbell
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Re: Is the Nintendo 3DS dying?

Postby Paul Campbell » August 28th, 2015, 7:00 am

I get so annoyed when people call something like motion control a "gimmick". The R. O. B. robot was a gimmick. Trying to create legitimate new ways to enjoy and play games is not a gimmick, and it's not like it was tacked onto the system. It was the systems primary feature. Is every new development or idea officially a "gimmick"? Was the analog stick a gimmick? Is the Kinect a gimmick because it wasn't a standard controller. I am so freaking tired of pretentious elitist gamers constantly using that term like they were to serious and mature a gamer to consider anything outside a Dualshock to be true gaming. Give it a rest.

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scotland
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Re: Is the Nintendo 3DS dying?

Postby scotland » August 28th, 2015, 7:36 am

Paul Campbell wrote:I get so annoyed when people call something like motion control a "gimmick". The R. O. B. robot was a gimmick. Trying to create legitimate new ways to enjoy and play games is not a gimmick, and it's not like it was tacked onto the system. It was the systems primary feature. Is every new development or idea officially a "gimmick"? Was the analog stick a gimmick?


Where do innovation, feature, gimmick and novelty cross over? The Oxford dictionary defines gimmick as a device intended to attract attention, publicity or business. By this definition, everything new that is highly promoted as different is a gimmick at first.

I think it comes down to success, legacy and how disruptive they are as well as original intent. The Wii and WiiU control schemes, the 3D effect in the 3DS etc, were probably hoped to be new lasting ways to game, but whether they are considered gimmicks may depend largely on their legacy. The WiiU did not carry forward the Wii motion controllers, so the Wii's legacy becomes 'gimmick' instead of 'innovative', even though it sold 100 million units.

The analog stick was not disruptive to controllers, just an evolution. Yet motion controllers and the WiiU gamepad are disruptive to the standards. Without a legacy, disruptive innovations will get called gimmicks.

As for primary feature, since you can play many Wii games with a pro controller, how can the motion controls be a primary feature? Its the same with calling 3D the primary feature of the 3DS, but you can play 3DS games on a 2D 2DS.

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Rookie1
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Re: Is the Nintendo 3DS dying?

Postby Rookie1 » August 28th, 2015, 7:47 am

Paul Campbell wrote:I get so annoyed when people call something like motion control a "gimmick". The R. O. B. robot was a gimmick. Trying to create legitimate new ways to enjoy and play games is not a gimmick, and it's not like it was tacked onto the system. It was the systems primary feature. Is every new development or idea officially a "gimmick"? Was the analog stick a gimmick? Is the Kinect a gimmick because it wasn't a standard controller. I am so freaking tired of pretentious elitist gamers constantly using that term like they were to serious and mature a gamer to consider anything outside a Dualshock to be true gaming. Give it a rest.


In its most literal definition, it was a gimmick. Nintendo took old technology and added a gimmick to sell it. It worked, no doubt, but it was played out after a while.

I bought a Wii when it first came out. It was fun at first, but the games werent really captivating. They had some good original titles, but they all revolved around the motion control, and not captivating gameplay.

I am not an elitist by any means. I am a fan of Nintendo's gimmicks, owning quite a few of them. The Wii just didnt do it for me.

Hardcore Sadism
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Re: Is the Nintendo 3DS dying?

Postby Hardcore Sadism » August 28th, 2015, 11:15 am

Paul Campbell wrote:I am so freaking tired of pretentious elitist gamers constantly using that term like they were to serious and mature gamer to consider anything outside a Dualshock to be true gaming.


I'll remember to use that 'True Gamer' argument next time, and who cares if the motion control wasn't spectacular at all (I never said it was unusable/terrible)? Nintendo can do no wrong! :roll:

Whether or not you want to admit it, they should have announced the NX this year and we wouldn't have to assume they'll ditch physical format. The last thing Nintendo needs to do is look like they're selling a console off their storage medium (or lack thereof) alone.


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