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Is it really going to happen again? Is Nintendo going to get their product out first only to fail in the long run?
The simple and short answer is yes.
With the Playstation Vita launching today, the Nintendo 3DS is about to sit six feet under. With a lack luster lineup, an insane price tag and a main feature that is hardly ever featured, Nintendo’s newest handheld is about to bite the dust. And here’s why.
The 3D Technology
When I first popped Madden into my 3DS, I was pretty impressed. Not with the rushed gameplay of Madden, but the no-glasses-needed 3D. It was awesome; it was beautiful; my neck cramped. As most of you have heard, you need to hold the system in its “sweet spot” in order to view the awesomeness. After a while I just simply turned the 3D off so I could enjoy the games without seeing a chiropractor.
But then I realized something this morning when I started playing some more Mario Kart. The 3D was still off. I’ve played a handful of games on this system including Madden, PES, Ridge Racer, Starfox and Zelda. I forgot to turn on the 3D. Does that make me stupid? No, it makes Nintendo stupid. They failed to utilize this insanely awesome technology. Why do people like 3D? Because it looks sweet when someone shoots an arrow at you or when you’re falling from the sky. Some people call them gimmicks, but those are the reasons 3D is so impressive. Nintendo just banked on everyone thinking it looked cool.
I may be playing the wrong games, and if so please tell me what I should pick up.
The Game Lineup
This plagues every single Nintendo system. It has all the hype of a new, epic feature, but it doesn’t have the lineup to give it any backing. The best game on the 3DS as of now is The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time – a game that was released on the Nintendo 64, then rereleased on the Gamecube, then rereleased on the Wii. So you’re telling me the best game on a system is one that has been released four times? No wonder Nintendo can’t get over the hump.
The best sports game so far: PES, hands down. It was actually a very enjoyable game of soccer. It was part of the system’s release, along with Madden and Ridge Racer. As I said, PES was great, but the other two were simply mediocre.
Now for the Vita’s sports lineup: FIFA, Hot Shots Golf, Wipeout 2048, Virtua Tennis, Modnation Racers, Ridge Racer, Supremacy MMA, F1 2011 and Asphalt Injection. That’s not even including MLB: The Show 12, which comes out two weeks after, or all of the mainstream games such as Uncharted and Marvel vs. Capcom.
Support and Faith in the System
I’m not talking about how you see all the Internet ragers going off on how much they hate the 3DS, I’m talking about how often Nintendo talks up the system themselves. They don’t.
How can we have faith in a system when the company that made it has as little as we do?
Sony has been constantly talking about what the Vita can and will do once it’s released. They haven’t let up. Not once. My hype is higher than it has ever been for any system. Why? Because Sony wants it to be. I’ll probably get my hopes up, but for now I’m itching to get my hands on this new handheld.
From what I have seen, heard and read, the 3DS killed itself, and now the Vita is about to come in and sweep the season series. Sony made a handheld that has damn good games and graphics; no 3D gimmick, no promise of a new X-feature. They’re simply taking what they already have and making it better.
# 16
mestevo @ Feb 16
This really does read like it was written the day the 3DS was released, and then updated with "With the Playstation Vita launching today" so it could be published yesterday.
# 17
Captain Silverado @ Feb 16
@wEEman33
Yeah, because the PS Vita is lighting up the scoreboard in Japan:
http://www.destructoid.com/ps-vita-s...n-221935.phtml
Yeah, because the PS Vita is lighting up the scoreboard in Japan:
http://www.destructoid.com/ps-vita-s...n-221935.phtml
# 18
jyoung @ Feb 16
All dedicated portable gaming systems are on the way out IMO. Not just Nintendo.
Cell phones have become the way most people play games on the go. Plus cell phones games offer game publishers a much cheaper distribution model than shipping retail games.
Cell phones have become the way most people play games on the go. Plus cell phones games offer game publishers a much cheaper distribution model than shipping retail games.
# 19
mestevo @ Feb 16
The 3DS is doing fine. The Vita however...
Hardware sales in Japan in the last week, the prior week's sales in parentheses.
1. 3DS: 67,558 (75,018)
2. PS3: 22,002 (23,293)
3. PSP: 15,860 (15,847)
4. PSV: 13,939 (17,141)
5. Wii: 8,206 (8,814)
6. PS2: 1,239 (481)
7. X360: 1,139 (1,382)
8. DSi LL: 957 (1,090)
9. DSi: 651 (669)
Hardware sales in Japan in the last week, the prior week's sales in parentheses.
1. 3DS: 67,558 (75,018)
2. PS3: 22,002 (23,293)
3. PSP: 15,860 (15,847)
4. PSV: 13,939 (17,141)
5. Wii: 8,206 (8,814)
6. PS2: 1,239 (481)
7. X360: 1,139 (1,382)
8. DSi LL: 957 (1,090)
9. DSi: 651 (669)
# 20
blunaxela @ Feb 16
@wEEman33.
Yeah except Nintendo's not taking in a lot of water. Sure, they reported losses, a first for the company, but you're forgetting they have a nearly 10 billion dollar reserve. 3DS lit up the charts for January. Nintendo portable gaming will cease to exists when gaming ceases to exist.
Yeah except Nintendo's not taking in a lot of water. Sure, they reported losses, a first for the company, but you're forgetting they have a nearly 10 billion dollar reserve. 3DS lit up the charts for January. Nintendo portable gaming will cease to exists when gaming ceases to exist.
# 22
Acedeck @ Feb 17
Vita can fail, as long as I get this year's MLB The Show. If for some crazy reason I get an itch to play a rehashed Nintendo classic, I can probably buy the 3DS from my friend for very cheap. I'll just have to wipe the dust off it first, as even he admits he hasn't played it since the first week he got it.
# 23
jWILL253 @ Feb 17
Neither one will fail. Both handhelds only suck within foreign markets. 3DS is only selling poorly IN AMERICA. Sony is behind on Vita sales in Japan. Now, given the fact that Sony is a foreign entity, it's a different situation because it's almost like Sony markets towards Americans with all their products to begin with.
I must say... this article is sort of a troll job...
I must say... this article is sort of a troll job...
# 24
Slava Medvadenko @ Feb 17
Another 'Nintendo system will fail' article, aye? People thought the same thing with the DS and the Wii. Think about who they're made for: kids. Kids love these systems. Parents like to buy kids these systems. The 3DS has already outsold the DS in the same timeframe since launch. You may not like it, but it will do gangbusters. Try not to think through your own perspective.
# 25
Ndoki @ Apr 12
Sorry but this should be retitled as: "Why I don't like the 3ds" and the body would be "Because it doesn't have enough sports games."
Frankly though, most people prefer a variety of games, and considering the 3ds sales figures I'd say it shows. Let's look at the points of this article though.
1. 3d. It hurts your back and you don't like how it looks. Well I guess you must have freakishly long arms or be terribly farsighted. I'm 6' tall and I've never had an issue holding it or seeing it properly. As for your second point, that's a personal preference, and one that isn't shared by most.
2. Game lineup is weak. Yes, I'll admit that the game lineup is lacking some, but that is no indicator of a system's long-term standing. The ps3 and wii both had terrible game launches and still did well (the wii especially) and having tons of rushed games doesn't mean it'll do any better.
3. Big talking. So wait, because Sony has to tell people how good it's vita is, it'll do better? Last I checked if a company can sell millions of units through sheer word of mouth they don't have to toot their own horn.
I noticed you mentioned their "insane price tag" which is ironic, considering it's currently $30 cheaper than your beloved PS Vita, and you don't have pay twice the price for a slightly modified micro sd card to store everything on.
Oh yeah, and another thing about their lineup. The 3ds is completely backwards compatible with all previous DS games, as well as their online store full of classic and new games. How are all your old UMD discs fitting into your new PS Vita? Also, two months after it was released in Japan sales were at 3.7% of what they were on launch. Current sales figures for the Vita according to Sony are 1.2 million, which is sure beating the crap out of the 3ds at a measly 15.03 million. Sure are losing.
Sony fanboyism at it's best.
Frankly though, most people prefer a variety of games, and considering the 3ds sales figures I'd say it shows. Let's look at the points of this article though.
1. 3d. It hurts your back and you don't like how it looks. Well I guess you must have freakishly long arms or be terribly farsighted. I'm 6' tall and I've never had an issue holding it or seeing it properly. As for your second point, that's a personal preference, and one that isn't shared by most.
2. Game lineup is weak. Yes, I'll admit that the game lineup is lacking some, but that is no indicator of a system's long-term standing. The ps3 and wii both had terrible game launches and still did well (the wii especially) and having tons of rushed games doesn't mean it'll do any better.
3. Big talking. So wait, because Sony has to tell people how good it's vita is, it'll do better? Last I checked if a company can sell millions of units through sheer word of mouth they don't have to toot their own horn.
I noticed you mentioned their "insane price tag" which is ironic, considering it's currently $30 cheaper than your beloved PS Vita, and you don't have pay twice the price for a slightly modified micro sd card to store everything on.
Oh yeah, and another thing about their lineup. The 3ds is completely backwards compatible with all previous DS games, as well as their online store full of classic and new games. How are all your old UMD discs fitting into your new PS Vita? Also, two months after it was released in Japan sales were at 3.7% of what they were on launch. Current sales figures for the Vita according to Sony are 1.2 million, which is sure beating the crap out of the 3ds at a measly 15.03 million. Sure are losing.
Sony fanboyism at it's best.
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