Topic: Official Nintendo 3DS Discussion Thread - Specs, Tech, Price? It's all here!

[Hypershell]

IR was pure speculation on my part...

It was 20 bucks in Japan the last time I've seen it. I do like the fact that they're adding in shoulder sticks too. Plus, both clickable ones and triggers! Both kinds allow for way more variation. If they brought me a new Metroid/whatever with this setup, it'd be quite comfortable.

20 bucks by the same logic that said the 3DS would be 300.

[Bueno Excelente]

IR was pure speculation on my part...
20 bucks by the same logic that said the 3DS would be 300.

It ironically ended up being close to 300 in most of the world anyway. =P

[xnamkcor]

It ironically ended up being close to 300 in most of the world anyway. =P

I think that's mostly due to every country having the same number despite the worth of their monies. I don't know if it applies to the 3DS, but it seems common.

[Bueno Excelente]

I think that's mostly due to every country having the same number despite the worth of their monies. I don't know if it applies to the 3DS, but it seems common.

Also due to the dollar being in the shitter.

[Hypershell]

It ironically ended up being close to 300 in most of the world anyway. =P

Perhaps, but I'm speaking of a likely domestic price, not a foreign currency exchange.  250 wasn't considered "close to" 300 back before the 3DS's price was announced.

As xnamkcor said, a regional price is not based on currency exchange rates (funny how few people pointed out that the release price in yen of the Wii and 3DS were identical, instead opting for the $300 exchange rate figure).  That's why Nintendo loved it when the yen was weak, they get more money from their international sales that way.

[Bueno Excelente]

Perhaps, but I'm speaking of a likely domestic price, not a foreign currency exchange.  250 wasn't considered "close to" 300 back before the 3DS's price was announced.

As xnamkcor said, a regional price is not based on currency exchange rates (funny how few people pointed out that the release price in yen of the Wii and 3DS were identical, instead opting for the $300 exchange rate figure).  That's why Nintendo loved it when the yen was weak, they get more money from their international sales that way.

Yep. All companies take advantage of that "unspoken rule", of making European products cost the same currency units as in the US, completely putting aside the fact that the €uro is much higher than the dollar. Meaning, we get $112 games and $300 consoles. Nintendo's the biggest offender, due to their stubborness to make sales prices go up in many regions, and their games retaining the same price through the years.

[Reaperoid]

It's the same here. The $AUD has been in (and passed) parity for a while now, yet Nintendo is hesitant to reduce prices first-party titles, which are in the range of 55~65$ for DS and 80~100$ for Wii. Still, it's probably because the Australian market is a premium, for such a sparcely populated area and all that.

Nintendo does all measures of strange things here, though. OoT3D had a street date break here, but only because the last remaining indie retailer here parallel imported UK stock and put pressure on the big chains who were in exclusive deals with Ninty.

[Bueno Excelente]

It's the same here. The $AUD has been in (and passed) parity for a while now, yet Nintendo is hesitant to reduce prices first-party titles, which are in the range of 55~65$ for DS and 80~100$ for Wii. Still, it's probably because the Australian market is a premium, for such a sparcely populated area and all that.

Nintendo does all measures of strange things here, though. OoT3D had a street date break here, but only because the last remaining indie retailer here parallel imported UK stock and put pressure on the big chains who were in exclusive deals with Ninty.

Exactly. And with Nintendo, I... don't really see a willingness to sell me games. Remember the Super Mario All-Stars Anniversary Edition? It was the equivalent of 40 bucks around here. Most Wii games, good or bad, shovelware or otherwise, are always at the price standard of a PS3/360 game. I own SIX Wii games, including Sports. The rest I sold shortly after buying, because I couldn't justify keeping most of them, and many still fetch a good price. Most sell through the used market, which is always out of games to sell.

Just get your [parasitic bomb] together, Nintendo. Make me WANT to buy your games. Me and the rest of the european consumers.

[Reaperoid]

Not to mention Nintendo Points are still 15$/1000pts. I'd be getting far more bang for my buck if I had an American console right now.

[Hypershell]

Although certainly minor compared to the woes of a PAL gamer, something that irritates me with Nintendo currency-wise is that they insist on only allowing one to deposit points/money into their online shops in fixed increments.  It's a minor inconvenience when you're eyeing a ton of $8 games on any system, but the 3DS got considerably worse.  Nintendo points charge you sales tax up front, meaning that buying a $20 card for Wii or DSi (or for that matter depositing that amount via credit card) means you actually can buy two $10 games, in exchange for an extra few cents up front.

Not so with the 3DS.  By abandoning points, deposits ignore sales tax.  So you deposit, say, $10, cuz you're eyeing two $5 games.  Well, the $4.99 becomes $5.29, leaving you with $4.71 to leave sit for the hell of it.

If they want to deal with real money, there really is no excuse for not offering the ability to make deposits in exact amounts.


In other news, 3DS firmware update is incoming with Super Mario 3D Land.  It packs new security that will likely be broken in a day or so, but more importantly, it adds a "Join Game" option to the Friends List.

'bout freaking time.  I wonder if it'll let you "page" someone playing a multiplayer game to request one (kinda like Mario Kart DS; dunno why they stopped doing that), or if this is just if someone is actively looking for an online matchup?  Glad to see Nintendo's taking SOME steps in making it easier to hook up, though I'm still waiting to see them make more extensive use of chatting (with Friends, I mean; I don't care for some 11-year-old telling me where to stick my blue shell).

Posted on: November 06, 2011, 01:04:16 AMMore news, there's a Zelda-themed 3DS coming out in Europe.  Waiting to see if it's hitting other territories as well.

Naturally, everyone and their dog is bitching about how this once again screws over early adopters.  'cuz you know, 20 free games is so much less valuable than a paint job, and all special/limited edition hardware ever made should be available for the system launch day.




I think it looks gorgeous, but I'm happy to stick with my megafied 3DS.

[Protoman Blues]

Love my sexy red 3DS!

But the Zelda design is pretty nice!

[Kieran]

The only thing worse than a glossy green or red handheld is a glossy black one.  It looks nice, but if you expect to actually play the thing, you'll be spending 90% of your time wiping fingerprints off of it.

Heh.  I'm half-tempted to sand the lid of my 3DS down to a matte finish.

[xnamkcor]

The only thing worse than a glossy green or red handheld is a glossy black one.  It looks nice, but if you expect to actually play the thing, you'll be spending 90% of your time wiping fingerprints off of it.

Heh.  I'm half-tempted to sand the lid of my 3DS down to a matte finish.

If Cleaning it actually takes more than 50% of your time with it, you might have some mental problems.

[Protoman Blues]

I'd link to it if I weren't on my phone and lazy, but that Zelda 3DS bundle is supposedly heading stateside.

[VixyNyan]

http://tinycartridge.com/post/12712322157/mugen-power-battery-extender-for-the-3ds-if-you

- Mugen Power battery extender for the 3DS
- increases 3DS’s battery by 4.4 times
- comes in Cosmo Black or Aqua Blue colors
- ¥9,800 ($126)

[xnamkcor]

4.4 is half of 8.8 Is this a sign about the Zelda coming to 3DS?

[Phi]

I'd link to it if I weren't on my phone and lazy, but that Zelda 3DS bundle is supposedly heading stateside.

[N-Mario]

Mugen? I wonder why they chose that name. It's already used in the fighting game community. :-/

Don't see why we need a battery extender if there is nothing wrong with its current battery life. Unless Nintendo REALLY needs it for better performance of their games.

[xnamkcor]

Mugen? I wonder why they chose that name. It's already used in the fighting game community. :-/

Don't see why we need a battery extender if there is nothing wrong with its current battery life. Unless Nintendo REALLY needs it for better performance of their games.

Mugen means Infinite or Infinity.

Also, Nintendo doesn't need this for better performance of their games. How would that even work? You add a battery and you get better FPS?

[Kieran]

The fact of the matter is the 3DS's battery life is terrible.  Five hours at the absolute longest, and that's with the backlight at its dimmest, sound off and no 3D (well, that's not really as much of a problem).  If you ever forget to charge the thing, you're boned.

[Hypershell]

Well, that's why it comes with a dock.  Just drop it where it belongs, and it charges.

Yeah, it's sub-par for Nintendo.  But for multi-platform-owners who tolerated the PSP, it's nothing new.

[Kieran]

I'm pretty sure my PSP lasted longer on a charge than the 3DS.

[xnamkcor]

I'm pretty sure my PSP lasted longer on a charge than the 3DS.

As A PSP-1001 and PSP-2001 owner, I can second this because I use my PSP-1000 battery in my PSP-2001 and I can't say I have any reasonable complaints about battery life. And my unreasonable complaints are stifled by my 10 USD purchase of an extra PSP-1000 battery.

PS: I don't own a 3DS, so I can't compare it.

PPS: Did you know you can power a PSP-1001 with a PSP-2000 battery? All you have to do is boot the PSP-1001 with the PSP-1000 battery, plug it into a wall outlet, and then swap the PSP-1000 battery for the PSP-2000 battery and make sire you hold it, firmly, in place.

[Hypershell]

That's quite a sly tactic, seeings how the 1000 had a higher capacity battery.  I'm a latecomer to the PSP crowd (own only a 3000), so that didn't occur to me.

Obviously the specifics depend on system usage/settings, but the 3DS generally falls in about an hour behind the PSP (3-5 vs 4-6).  Either is pretty comparable for someone used to Nintendo's previous handhelds.

I don't even make much of an effort to conserve my 3DS's power, to be honest.  Brightness 4/5, full volume, 3D on, no Power Saver mode (the colors look ugly/bland with that thing on, especially when playing old DS games).  The dock keeps it charged when I'm not playing, and if I'm sitting in one spot long enough to get the red light, I'm probably near an outlet.

[Phi]

Not sure if this is old, but there's a nifty little website that you can access with the 3DS browser to look at 3D images of games. My personal favorites on the site being MK7 and the Orioto game artwork.