3DS Is Becoming Virtual Boy 2

[JWK1]

[QUOTE]Originally Posted by Julio III
I am quite surprised at Nintendo's earnings report but not surprised on the 3DS. It was far too expensive initially. And they have released so many new versions of the DS over the years they didn't really showcase this one as a brand new machine.

I've only played on one once, but it seemed like really old tech. The screen resolution is terrible, way below modern phones. The graphics are just as good as the PSP, which is what, 5 or 6 years old, and way below moden phones. The touchscreen isn't multi-touch which is again really out of date. The 3D isn't to all tastes and I was really dissapointed with the 3D photos. 

Nintendo launched the online late and there is a distinct lack of original software. It's two biggest games are 3 years and over 10 years old respectively.[/QUOTE]

Pay attention, folks.  THIS is proper criticism.  He has legitimate points, backed up with easily understood logic.  He doesn't get emotional or vile-- just simply states what has underwhelmed him about the machine.  On a personal level, I also agree with his criticisms.  I feel that the 3DS is priced correctly at around $160 to $170.  $250 was far too much and I don't feel the graphics were that much better than a DS Lite which is quite old now.  Nintendo is once again about a generation behind in the graphics department, which isn't the end of the world, but it would be nice for them to lead in that category (unlikely).  I like the ports on the 3DS, but then again, I like ports and compilations in general, so that's my own bias.  Nintendo's tactic is working on me, at least.  I may buy one, whereas I wasn't even close to considering it when it was $250.

[Leo1]

[QUOTE=JesusSaves][QUOTE=TheSentinel]Alien,  The graphic capability of the 3DS FAR exceeds the capabilities of the first DS.  It's actually quite a powerhouse.  Also, whoever said that it has PSP level graphics is also wrong.  I have both and the 3DS blows the PSP out of the water.  Until the PS Vita comes along, the 3DS is easily the most powerful handheld game console on the market (I'm looking forward to the Vita, too).  [/QUOTE]

I have to strongly disagree. The 3DS' graphics are, if anything, less than the PSP. I think that they are a very minor step above the DS.
[/QUOTE]

From my limited time with it so far, I've found it to be at the very least on par with what the PSP was able to put out. Games like Ocarina of Time look far better than anything I ever played on the original DS.

But the resolution of the screens is a bit disappointing. It's barely an upgrade over the resolution of the screens on the original DS (The 4:3 screens of the DS were 256x192, the 4:3 touch screen of the 3DS is just 320x240).

[TheSentinel]

JesusSaves, Do you have both a 3DS and PSP?  Not trying to attack your opinion but if you do, I can't see how you can hold this opinion.  Perhaps, you've only seen things like the Zelda remake... which is not a good representation of what the 3DS can do graphically.  The character models in Street Fighter IV, alone are better than anything I've seen on the PSP.  However, the demo of Resident Evil: Revelations is much better than anything I've seen on the PSP, especially in terms of the characters... they look like something out of a 360 or PS3 game.  The environments are amazing, too.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love the PSP.  However, it's old tech and it should be no surprise that the 3DS surpasses it.  Sure, Nintendo has made a habit of using last-gen tech for their handhelds, but not this time with the 3DS, as far as I can see.  

I don't know what games you've seen or played but to think that the 3DS is only a minor upgrade from the DS is pretty shocking to me.  The game graphics that I'm seeing fall somewhere between Wii and 360/Xbox 360.  No joke.... and this is only the first handful of games.  It only goes up from here, quality-wise.

[Josh]

The reason that the graphics resemble PS3/360 is because of the added shaders. The 3DS does have nice lighting affects.

And it also has a lot of jaggies.

I've played both and there is just not that much difference.

[Alienblue]

I have a confession to make. I'm really CENSORED !

Serious Lee, I only played DEAD OR ALIVE for a few seconds on the 3DS. I have also seen STEEL DIVER and STREET FIGHTER demoed but not played them.

So I'm basing my observations on a very passive experiance. I can't afford to buy new systems. Still, I'm glad that Nintendo dropped the price. You can get a NOTEBOOK COMPUTER for 250 bucks now. 250 clams is wayyyyyyy too much for a portable WITH NO GAMES INCLUDED. I thought the PSP was too much at launch too. $150 for the DS seemed about right. If the 3DS comes down to that I would want one.

[gilly]

Personally I don't think I've seen graphics on the 3DS that are better than PSP graphics. However, I investigated the PICA200 graphics possessor and it seems quite powerful, definitely surpassing the PSP. This makes me wonder, with Nintendo focusing so much on the 3d capability instead of the graphics, will developers pay to much mind to the gimmicks and never fully utilize the system's theoretical graphical ability?

[a1]

Gonna jump in here. I think everything I've seen on the 3ds (Madden, Steel Diver, Street Fighter 4), could be pulled off on the PSP. There is absolutely no way Street Fighter 4 could have been pulled off on the original DS though. I imagine the 3DS' graphics are better than the PSP's, but not by much. And I'm sure the Vita will have better graphics than it. That said, it seems pretty ridiculous to not acknowledge the 3DS' graphics as at least being equal to the PSP's.

[Leo1]

Nintendo has announced that've sold (That's the word they used, not shipped) 1.08 million copies of Ocarina of Time 3D and 4.32 million 3DS units to date.

Something to keep in mind for those that think this is the next Virtual Boy and that Ocarina of Time's sales have been poor.

[BanjoPickles1]

What people don't realize is that the gaming world wasn't receptive to touch screen gaming either. The DS, while not an all-out failure, didn't set the sales charts on fire either at first. Between picking mine up and the arrival of Kirby: Canvas Curse(a period of, I believe, six months), I pondered selling mine numerous times! Really, the 3DS has a few really good games...for a certain set of gamers(i.e. fighting game fans). Gamers know what is coming, and it isn't all remakes/ports. Luigi's Mansion 2, a new Mario Kart, a Mario that seems to be splicing the best of what many gamers loved about 2D Mario along with the 3D of the latter-day iterations, Kid Icarus, Resident Evil Revelations, the promise of a new Smash Brothers, and others! Oh, and for those who constantly whine about the fact that each of them is a sequel, then don't buy them! All I'm saying is that the games are coming, just a bit slow for some gamers' tastes.

On a side note, I think that the fact that Nintendo is giving 20 games away for free is one of the most awesome things that they have done in a very long time! For the people complaining about it....why?? Did Sony give you games when they lowered the price of the PS3? Better yet, how many games did they give you when their security was breached and your information was at risk? Four? This was something that Nintendo didn't have to do! Between this, and the fact that the president gave up half of his salary, is pretty impressive to me.

I guess that I see a lot of parallels between the 3DS and original DS. At the end of the day, the DS ended up becoming my favorite handheld system of all time, and ranks in my top five overall systems! I have all the faith in the world that, by 2016, I will have the same fuzzy feelings about the 3DS. I am well-aware that these things take time.

Finally, can we please drop this Virtual Boy 2 bunk? I have been hearing this nonsense since the original DS! The DS was VB2, as was the Wii, the Wii U, and the 3DS! Sometimes I wish that Nintendo never created that stupid machine so gamers would stop using that as their thing to run to every time something that Nintendo manufactures isn't an out-of-the-gate blockbuster! Patience, people!

[feilong801]

Hmm, so here we have the pendulum swinging the other way, as expected. Look, I was certainly among those who thought the 3DS would be selling in such massive amounts that brinks trucks would be required to move the shipments.

That said, however, I'd apply Occam's Razor to this and say that Nintendo screwed up in two simple areas: price and software. The system was too expensive and released too early without showcase software that was truly unique to the system. Probably a July release, where you could have had Ocarina of Time and RE Mercs, plus an actual functional online store would have done wonders, but really if I had to pick just one thing, it would be price.

Nintendo probably missed an opportunity to sell many more units at $200, and to me the $170 cut is a purposeful overcompensation, which I think they have to do.

But...

This ain't the Virtual Boy, and anything saying that it is like that is speaking in crazed hyperbole. It has already sold way more units than that thing ever did. That lower price is going to boost demand for sure.

Another point, is that Nintendo can easily just stop marketing the 3D as heavily and focus on the fact that yes, it does indeed provide way better than DS and slightly better than PSP graphics. And it will do so at $80 less than Vita when it launches.

Nintendo is probably committed to the 3DS as their flagship handheld platform, so expect to see them stick it out and build support over time. I'm not too worried about the product becoming dead on arrival a la Virtual Boy.