So I paid a $50 premium ($350? ha!) to get it early and I get a "bonus" 10 NES and 10 GBA games? Games that they'd probably charge something like $10 for and I'd probably end up buying a few anyway?
The Wii U is said to support SD Cards, Thumbdrives and External HDDs. Go into any electronics store, pick up TBs of external storage for <$100. Problem solved.
I agree with @10 here, there is no way PS3+Vita will be required to play a game so the two really aren't worth comparison. Besides, doesn't the PS3 already do something similar with the PSP? .... I don't seem to remember that taking off anymore than Wii/DS, GC/GBA or even N64/GBC connectivity (what was it, Pokemon and Mario Golf/Tennis?) and even though the Vita seems to be able to do a lot more I wouldn't put money on that doing much better
@WaltzElf You'd assume because they don't think there is a market for Wii JRPGs in America...... which seems silly now given this internet rage thing and pre-order spike has kinda proven that there is a market for it. Free publicity to.
I don't want to be cynical but if they did want to release these games then this is the best thing that could've happened. If you wanted to create a viral marketing campaign they don't get that much better than this.
From what I've seen Pac-man + Galaga looks cool and Starfox 64 is very tempting after how awesome the OoT remake has been. Nothing that's a "must have" for me though.
I'd probably end up getting Wario Land if it was available.... if the 3D looked good in the video preview and especially if there is an option to turn off red/black
@9 really? Wii owners are the ones getting the best deal here. Sure, OoT is awesome and so are the VC/DSiWare stuffs but.... Skyward Sword!!
As it is I own both a 3DS and Wii so lucky me I get both but I'd gladly have Skyward Sword over OoT 3D if that was the option I was given. Seriously, how often do we get a whole new Zelda?
I'm more happy with Skyward Sword, Links Awakening on the 3DS VC, Four Swords and OoT 3D than I was with Super Mario Galaxy 2 and a re-release of Mario All Stars.
@5 The Wii U controller will use the sensor bar. Look at the videos of it in action (esp the shield one), they're clearly using the sensor bar to "zero" the gyros on the Wii U controller.
I hope it has a ridiculously large number of tracks and that all of them work online. It's already looking like one of the best Mario Kart's yet, maybe the best Mario Kart. It sounds like theyre going to make a portable and better looking version of Mario Kart Wii, with improved online but with the "feel" of Mario Kart DS.
The fact that there is a "U Draw" tablet for Wii ATM didn't help things. I'm sure if I had seen the conference without following the news nearly religiously beforehand I would've thought it was a tablet accessory rather than a new console.
Until they showed the HD Zelda and HD console ports...........
@29 well yeah, and they did and then they gave it a PG rating. I don't understand how any post classification public rantings can get a game banned if it was tame enough for our classification board to give it PG.
Interestingly this is the same classification board that gave Bill Henson's "nude photos of 13 year old girls" exhibit a PG rating after the police ceased it following complaints. The same photos that, when the proposed gov filter blacklist was leaked, were blocked on various sites. Our decision makers have a bad track record with anything labeled "child porn"
It really annoys me that my iPod Touch doesn't have a stylus sometimes. The keys on the on-screen keyboard are TINY and are just begging for some precision. Having said that, being able to zoom and rotate using multi-touch is a lot cooler.
Doesn't bother me too much. If it's used anything like the DS bottom screen most of it's touch screen duties will be menu selection.
Apparently all scanning the AR cards when you haven't obtained the pokemon yet does is increase the likelyhood that you'll randomly get it. You only get a set number of pokemon per day automatically via spotpass but you can also "trade" your entire pokedex collection with a friend.
Long story short: Pokedex filling still isn't a trivial task
Is it just me or are the screenshots for 3DS games not in 3D. The OoT 3D trailer is in full 3D but the screenshots, while gorgeous, aren't. Same with the Pilotwings, SSFIV and presumably the others. I would've thought they'd be showing 3D screenshots..... or maybe my eyes are fooling me.
Anywho, nothing like an inadvertent DDOS to make you know how popular something is
I'm going for Black or White. If I had to pick between the two I'd say black because the rumors seem to suggest they're aiming for the "core" gamers. Black says powerful I think......
but I don't think we'll know the actual colours for a while. Remember the Wii at 2006's E3? They showed colours from Black and White to Red and even a Lime Green! We only just got the black version.........
I am fully expecting pages and pages of "AR Marker" scans ready to print out on the internets. Even so, I'm sure some will want to get their hands on the real things (even though they'd work just the same)
Admittedly with the NGP Sony has dumped UMD for the "NVG card" (basically a 3DS spec cartridge) so they've caught up there. So that's one huge positive for the NGP IMO.
I'd be interested in the 3DS before the NGP even if it didn't have 3D. It's a Nintendo Portable, with all the first party Nintendo games, with an "analogue stick", visuals comparable or above the Wii (and well beyond the PSP), a 16:9 top screen and some nice little online/street pass type features...... what more do I need/want?
What killer feature do we know the NGP has at this point that the 3DS doesn't? Visuals better than the 3DS? 3G?..... what else? crickets
The suggestion that video games cause low IQs seems to be at odds with my experience. I'd argue that the average person at a LAN or lining up at a console launch has a higher IQ than the general population. When I was at High School there were probably about three groups of people. Those who did well at Maths/Science, those who did well at the Arts/English and then those who... didn't do well.
Those who did well at Arts/English GENERALLY seemed to spend most of their time either talking about their weekends and social random things or at the Library. Those who did well at nothing played sport or whatever they do. Those who were generally good at Maths/Science talked about games and tech in general. By this observation I'm going to come to the conclusion that Sport gives people a low IQ (equally as stupid but more accurate in my experience)
1, 5 and 6 for me. Would have one myself already if it was cheaper, there are no real good games yet, will buy when OoT etc is out (and after exams). I'm very tempted to get a 3DS for the e-Shop launch.
I grew to trust Midna well before the final transformation. I was worried about her people when I was sent into the twilight realm even though I did spend a lot of the first half of the game not trusting her. Sure she's a flawed character but that doesn't mean you can't trust her.
And isn't Link also a flawed character? What about the Dark Link cut scene? Link has always been a non-character, the "Link" to the player, but in that scene they say beware of power Link, it corrupts... The fact that the characters in Twilight Princess aren't simple (besides Zelda and Ganondorf) is what makes it the best Zelda IMO.
I think Issun is right, why would they put the update out JUST after E3 if they weren't planning something "big"? They might announce some crazy new feature or software on the 3DS and then say "it's in the update that we sent out just now".
This is exactly what I thought they would do but not necessarily what I hoped they would do. Well kinda. I was hoping it would have flash instead of a HDD and I'm fine with 8GB, fast boot. SD card support is obvious, hopefully it gets SDXC support so 2TB cards are possible by the end of it's life.
The 25GB storage disks wasn't what I was hoping but it was what I was expecting. I was hoping for 8GB+ cartridges but oh well. Blu-Ray is a cheaper, bigger option that leaves third parties with no excuses for not supporting their console. Makes sense.
I call BS on the explanation. "Screen stream takes the 1080p image and pushes each rendered quarter to the player's personal screen"....
Why would they explain it like that? Surely they could push whatever they wanted to the screens so it'd be a bit strange to limit your explanation to split-screen gameplay. And if it IS just split screen gameplay what's the point?
Also, if it's a pamphlet designed for the investor meeting..... why is it in English?
I'm willing to bet that whatever it is they've been working on it for a while. They released MP3 in 2007 and, lets be honest, the trilogy and DKCR wouldn't have taken two years each to finish.
I'm putting my money on something big ready and looking REALLY good for launch. Starfox makes sense but I'm sure whatever it is it'll be awesome.
@Wheels2050 Cost is an issue with cartridges, always has been and always will be. The difference is that we are quickly reaching the point where gains in capacity for games mean less and less. All but, from memory, 2 or 3 Wii games use single layer disks so all of those games are less than 4.7GB.
So considering the 3DS has 2GB cartridges I don't see why a home console can't use a similar medium. Besides, we're talking read only mediums in mass production not the writable stuffs you buy for your digital camera.
@Corbs I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks going back to cartridges is an awesome idea. I literally couldn't care less about blu-ray unless someone can prove to me that the extra storage space can produce a game not possible on a DVD sized medium that doesn't involve "we can do hours of 1080p cutscenes". 3DS games are close to DVD size and likely will be DVD sized by the end of it's life and I'm more interested in getting rid of slowly opening doors in Metroid than high res cutscenes and uber-high res textures.
Well I can tell you now that if Nintendo went digital only and started selling Zelda, Mario or Pokemon on online services I would still think they were worth as much as they are currently at retail. We have pretty good retail competition so games tend to sell for about how much they are worth. The RRP is high but prices drop quickly if people aren't interested.
Take Mario Kart DS for example. Awesome game that has been out for years..... but here in Australia it STILL sells for $69AU which should be ridiculous considering most launch games are now slashed to $49 at launch. Hell, Street Fighter 4 3DS sells for $59 at some places! ....... but Mario Kart DS still sells at that price so the price stays there and if the 3DS wasn't out and I was just getting a DS that'd still be the first game I got. Now that's what I call value.
Very hyped about this because I didn't end up getting it on the DS...... but the strange thing is this game seems like a better fit for the DS than the Wii's VC for some reason.
........maybe I should get it on DS when the 3DS is pwning sales in that magical period when "last gen" games are still selling but at uber cheap prices.
It's not like any of the other platforms (and I include Apple) are garage developer friendly either. The only platforms that are really friendly to the hobbyist are PC and Web platforms. No cost barriers so it's just your time/talent to get something done. Those are where these things start....... and to those saying Apple is more open to garrage developers? Well yeah, but good luck getting a return on your licence.
However... I'm sure if someone made another Cave Story or Minecraft and wanted to put it on a Nintendo, Apple or whatever platform after it was made a hit on PC. It'd happen. No doubt.
I actually like the randomness. I think of myself as pretty good at racing games and I have lost A LOT of races because of Blue Shells and Lighting in Mario Kart but.... why would you play Mario Kart without items? That's half the fun!
If you want to race against people without items try and beat their ghosts on time trail.
The only one in the series I didn't get was FATE and the only one I really didn't like so far was CORE so this should be good. I was getting a bit bored after RUNNER strangely because I lost patience with the difficulty. As fun as these games are I never end up finishing them!
This review has definitely helped bring me back to the series. I've got some Wii Points spare so I'll definitely be downloading this sometime tomorrow. Maybe after I get home from going to the 3DS demo thing if I end up going to it!
I'm just glad it isn't $400 and this is just the RRP yes? You know, I've never seen anything sold here that went for RRP everywhere at launch. I wouldn't be surprised if BigW and JBs have it for ~$330 at launch causing the system not to sell at EB who never drop their prices.
@BellGoRiiing but the health warning made battles more intense! Especially when you were JUST about to beat that gym leader you'd attempted multiple times and you had ONE pokemans left. Red bar, you are one pokemans away from victory, health warning blaring through your headphones..... you end up hoping like hell your next attack will land a crit.
@ballkirby1 chances are pretty good if you think about it. If the 3DS approaches the sort of numbers that the DS has then more than one in eleven people in Australia will own one. There is a fair chance that if I carried it into a crowded place (say, to a major bus/train station) I'd walk past someone who has a 3DS in their bag.
I mean... I have carried a DS Lite in my laptop bag every day I've carried my laptop with me somewhere since mid 2005. It's a non-hassle, you never know when you'll have to wait ages for something (like a late bus) and it's hardly an unusual behavior... is it? Still, who knows how many people I've walked past in that time who had a DS in their bag and I know I'll be doing the same with my 3DS.
@4 I doubt it uses that much battery during standby/streetpass mode. They have stated already that its the rendering of graphics for and the backlight of the 3D screen that kills the battery. Without that going it's not doing much more than a DS Lite would in standby mode. If you think about it it makes perfect sense especially after the leak about the battery capacity of the 3DS.
..... the 3DS has a 1300mAh battery compared to the DSi's 840mAh, DSi XL's 1050mAh, DS Lite's 1000mAh and the original DS's 850mAh. Long story short, I highly doubt streetpass will be that limited by battery life.
They don't need to do much. I'm going to be celebrating Zelda's 25th with Skyward Sword and most probably OoT on the 3DS. I wouldn't mind a widescreen Wii version of Wind Waker though.........
oh I know, LttP as a downloadable 3D remake on the 3DS!
I doubt I'll go back to the games I missed when the 3DS is out. It's like when I got my DS and was interested in the GBA gen I missed and the same with the Wii and GC games. There are too many present shinies and the stores empty themselves of legacy systems entirely within the first year of lots of new shinies.
I almost got Wind Waker in late '07 but by then there was Metriod and Galaxy........ besides, Wind Waker isn't in 16x9 just like Okamiden won't be in 16x9 3D.
and I come to comment on a dead thread again... three things: 1. Battery technology is changing rapidly especially with the rise of the electric car. There is a new battery tech coming out in the next year that promises 8x more capacity for the same size or 1/8th the size/weight for the same capacity. Cost doesn't drop though but costs are dropping anyways.
2. OLED. Really, what else do I need to say? Another tech moving rapidly that will become commonplace before the 3DS' life is over. OLED promises and delivers brighter screens, higher contrasts and lower power consumption for eventually lower prices than LED backlit LCD. They already appear in portables.
3. Processor revisions. A 2011 Wii is something like 30% more power efficient than a launch model was and is a lot cheaper to make. This will happen with the 3DS but don't expect much fanfare or a new model to launch it. Did you even know there was a "new" Wii?
..... I don't want it smaller, the DS Lite is small enough and it's about the size of a DS Lite. That's fine by me. The battery life will improve with revisions but I'm not going to be waiting for that!
Pilotwings looks good, Steel Diver will probably be good and Nintendogs will sell a bundle for sure. None of that would matter to me though if Ocarina, Paper Mario or Mario Kart were launch titles. I'd totally ignore even Pilotwings (which I'm thinking of getting) and just pick up the game/s that I really want to play on the 3DS.
As it stands.... I think the only titles I'll be playing on my 3DS at launch are Pokemon Black/White and Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition. I might buy Pilotwings if I'm bored of them and my wallet has forgiven me before something else interesting comes up. If the 3DS didn't sell itself and I didn't know what was just around the corner then this would be a pretty average launch.
@WaltzElf I'm fairly sure this thread is dead now but I think you missed my initial point here. I was saying that it shouldn't cost less for me to import ONE unit, ONE 3DS, from the UK then it costs for me to buy one of the 1000s shipped directly to the Australian market.
I'm not suggesting that a small retailer in Australia could sell the 3DS for a lower cost than a major retailer sells the 3DS in the US for. Not at all. I'm just saying that, if we are going to pay $350+ and upto $400 for this, a small retailer could very well import the 3DS from the US and charge a lot less than what people are speculating it will cost here. Said 3DS would be useless here BUT there is no reason why it shouldn't be cheaper than that. The US is a larger market? Well, if I did that I'd be creating a secondary market of ONE and it'd still be cheaper.
And don't say that this is a fantasy because it is happening. Just look at how much is being stirred up about online shopping ATM. You can't tell me that those online stores aren't making a profit. Even if they are pocketing the 10% the prices are much, much lower than they should be if the retailers were pricing close to their costs. You can't tell me that their margins are't ridiculously huge.
Comments 694
Re: Australia 3DS Price Goes to $249.95 on 12th August
So I paid a $50 premium ($350? ha!) to get it early and I get a "bonus" 10 NES and 10 GBA games? Games that they'd probably charge something like $10 for and I'd probably end up buying a few anyway?
Sounds good to me.
Re: 3DS Mario Titles Land in November and December
I would've thought they'd go with Mario Kart 3DS given Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii. Not that it matters, who buys games for the titles?
Re: NES and Game Boy Advance Games Coming to 3DS Virtual Console
Oh, if Australia gets this I'm hyped. I wouldn't mind getting Mario Kart, SMB, Yoshi's Island and Zelda at all.
Re: 3DS Gets Big Price Drop in Japan Next Month
Oh well, at least I got it early and was able to play..................... umm.....
Re: GameCube to See New Downloadable Life on Wii U
@ people going "OMG! But the storage"......
The Wii U is said to support SD Cards, Thumbdrives and External HDDs. Go into any electronics store, pick up TBs of external storage for <$100. Problem solved.
Re: Uncharted Studio: "Wii U is Full of Holes, Nothing Sony Can't Do"
I agree with @10 here, there is no way PS3+Vita will be required to play a game so the two really aren't worth comparison. Besides, doesn't the PS3 already do something similar with the PSP? .... I don't seem to remember that taking off anymore than Wii/DS, GC/GBA or even N64/GBC connectivity (what was it, Pokemon and Mario Golf/Tennis?) and even though the Vita seems to be able to do a lot more I wouldn't put money on that doing much better
Re: Pachter to Operation Rainfall: "I Agree"
@WaltzElf
You'd assume because they don't think there is a market for Wii JRPGs in America...... which seems silly now given this internet rage thing and pre-order spike has kinda proven that there is a market for it. Free publicity to.
I don't want to be cynical but if they did want to release these games then this is the best thing that could've happened. If you wanted to create a viral marketing campaign they don't get that much better than this.
Re: Europe Will Get Mario's Picross, 3D Xevious and More
From what I've seen Pac-man + Galaga looks cool and Starfox 64 is very tempting after how awesome the OoT remake has been. Nothing that's a "must have" for me though.
Re: Miyamoto: Virtual Boy Games on 3DS Could Happen
I'd probably end up getting Wario Land if it was available.... if the 3D looked good in the video preview and especially if there is an option to turn off red/black
Re: There Will Be No Zelda 25th Anniversary Collection
@9 really? Wii owners are the ones getting the best deal here. Sure, OoT is awesome and so are the VC/DSiWare stuffs but.... Skyward Sword!!
As it is I own both a 3DS and Wii so lucky me I get both but I'd gladly have Skyward Sword over OoT 3D if that was the option I was given. Seriously, how often do we get a whole new Zelda?
Re: There Will Be No Zelda 25th Anniversary Collection
I'm more happy with Skyward Sword, Links Awakening on the 3DS VC, Four Swords and OoT 3D than I was with Super Mario Galaxy 2 and a re-release of Mario All Stars.
but I wouldn't mind a 3D remake of LttP
Re: Take a Closer Look at the Wii U Console
@5 The Wii U controller will use the sensor bar. Look at the videos of it in action (esp the shield one), they're clearly using the sensor bar to "zero" the gyros on the Wii U controller.
Re: First Impressions: Mario Kart (3DS)
I hope it has a ridiculously large number of tracks and that all of them work online. It's already looking like one of the best Mario Kart's yet, maybe the best Mario Kart. It sounds like theyre going to make a portable and better looking version of Mario Kart Wii, with improved online but with the "feel" of Mario Kart DS.
Serious win here.
Re: Following Wii U Unveiling, Nintendo Shares Drop 10%
The fact that there is a "U Draw" tablet for Wii ATM didn't help things. I'm sure if I had seen the conference without following the news nearly religiously beforehand I would've thought it was a tablet accessory rather than a new console.
Until they showed the HD Zelda and HD console ports...........
Re: SEGA: "Wii U Due in Spring or Summer 2012"
...... but November is next Spring /Australian
Re: Dead or Alive: Dimensions Pulled from Sale in Australia
@29 well yeah, and they did and then they gave it a PG rating. I don't understand how any post classification public rantings can get a game banned if it was tame enough for our classification board to give it PG.
Interestingly this is the same classification board that gave Bill Henson's "nude photos of 13 year old girls" exhibit a PG rating after the police ceased it following complaints. The same photos that, when the proposed gov filter blacklist was leaked, were blocked on various sites. Our decision makers have a bad track record with anything labeled "child porn"
Re: Wii U's IBM Power Processor Means Business
@6 don't be silly.... Skynet was powered by the internet itself. Every processor powers skynet
Re: Wii U Touch Screen is Resistive, Not Capacitive
It really annoys me that my iPod Touch doesn't have a stylus sometimes. The keys on the on-screen keyboard are TINY and are just begging for some precision. Having said that, being able to zoom and rotate using multi-touch is a lot cooler.
Doesn't bother me too much. If it's used anything like the DS bottom screen most of it's touch screen duties will be menu selection.
Re: Here's 60 Pokemon Codes for Pokedex 3D
http://serebii.net/pokedex3d/pokemon.shtml
Apparently all scanning the AR cards when you haven't obtained the pokemon yet does is increase the likelyhood that you'll randomly get it. You only get a set number of pokemon per day automatically via spotpass but you can also "trade" your entire pokedex collection with a friend.
Long story short: Pokedex filling still isn't a trivial task
Re: 3DS eShop Has Officially Opened Its Doors
Is it just me or are the screenshots for 3DS games not in 3D. The OoT 3D trailer is in full 3D but the screenshots, while gorgeous, aren't. Same with the Pilotwings, SSFIV and presumably the others. I would've thought they'd be showing 3D screenshots..... or maybe my eyes are fooling me.
Anywho, nothing like an inadvertent DDOS to make you know how popular something is
Re: Talking Point: What's in a Console Colour?
I'm going for Black or White. If I had to pick between the two I'd say black because the rumors seem to suggest they're aiming for the "core" gamers. Black says powerful I think......
but I don't think we'll know the actual colours for a while. Remember the Wii at 2006's E3? They showed colours from Black and White to Red and even a Lime Green! We only just got the black version.........
Re: More Details on Pokedex 3D Come into Focus
I am fully expecting pages and pages of "AR Marker" scans ready to print out on the internets. Even so, I'm sure some will want to get their hands on the real things (even though they'd work just the same)
Re: Sony President Thinks 3DS is Just an Updated DS
Admittedly with the NGP Sony has dumped UMD for the "NVG card" (basically a 3DS spec cartridge) so they've caught up there. So that's one huge positive for the NGP IMO.
Re: Sony President Thinks 3DS is Just an Updated DS
I'd be interested in the 3DS before the NGP even if it didn't have 3D. It's a Nintendo Portable, with all the first party Nintendo games, with an "analogue stick", visuals comparable or above the Wii (and well beyond the PSP), a 16:9 top screen and some nice little online/street pass type features...... what more do I need/want?
What killer feature do we know the NGP has at this point that the 3DS doesn't? Visuals better than the 3DS? 3G?..... what else? crickets
Re: Games Do More Damage Than Passive Smoking, says Doctor
@JayArr Oh wow, I misread that completely. I thought they were saying that Video games caused low IQs and low calcium. Oops!!
Re: Games Do More Damage Than Passive Smoking, says Doctor
The suggestion that video games cause low IQs seems to be at odds with my experience. I'd argue that the average person at a LAN or lining up at a console launch has a higher IQ than the general population. When I was at High School there were probably about three groups of people. Those who did well at Maths/Science, those who did well at the Arts/English and then those who... didn't do well.
Those who did well at Arts/English GENERALLY seemed to spend most of their time either talking about their weekends and social random things or at the Library. Those who did well at nothing played sport or whatever they do. Those who were generally good at Maths/Science talked about games and tech in general. By this observation I'm going to come to the conclusion that Sport gives people a low IQ (equally as stupid but more accurate in my experience)
Re: Rumour: Nintendo to Reveal New Zelda Game at E3
I'm guessing they'll do a LttP remake for the e-Shop and show off an early project Cafe Zelda trailer. Who knows though, 3DS Zelda? Why not?
Re: Japanese Gamers Put Off by High Price of 3DS
1, 5 and 6 for me. Would have one myself already if it was cheaper, there are no real good games yet, will buy when OoT etc is out (and after exams). I'm very tempted to get a 3DS for the e-Shop launch.
Re: Features: Re-Examining Zelda: Twilight Princess
I grew to trust Midna well before the final transformation. I was worried about her people when I was sent into the twilight realm even though I did spend a lot of the first half of the game not trusting her. Sure she's a flawed character but that doesn't mean you can't trust her.
And isn't Link also a flawed character? What about the Dark Link cut scene? Link has always been a non-character, the "Link" to the player, but in that scene they say beware of power Link, it corrupts... The fact that the characters in Twilight Princess aren't simple (besides Zelda and Ganondorf) is what makes it the best Zelda IMO.
Re: Nintendo Announces eShop Update for 6th June
I think Issun is right, why would they put the update out JUST after E3 if they weren't planning something "big"? They might announce some crazy new feature or software on the 3DS and then say "it's in the update that we sent out just now".
........ but I'd rather it now
Re: Rumour: Wii Successor Won't Have a Traditional Hard Drive
This is exactly what I thought they would do but not necessarily what I hoped they would do. Well kinda. I was hoping it would have flash instead of a HDD and I'm fine with 8GB, fast boot. SD card support is obvious, hopefully it gets SDXC support so 2TB cards are possible by the end of it's life.
The 25GB storage disks wasn't what I was hoping but it was what I was expecting. I was hoping for 8GB+ cartridges but oh well. Blu-Ray is a cheaper, bigger option that leaves third parties with no excuses for not supporting their console. Makes sense.
Re: Rumour: Could This Be the Next Nintendo Console?
I call BS on the explanation. "Screen stream takes the 1080p image and pushes each rendered quarter to the player's personal screen"....
Why would they explain it like that? Surely they could push whatever they wanted to the screens so it'd be a bit strange to limit your explanation to split-screen gameplay. And if it IS just split screen gameplay what's the point?
Also, if it's a pamphlet designed for the investor meeting..... why is it in English?
Re: Rumour: Retro Studios Working on Game for Wii Successor
I'm willing to bet that whatever it is they've been working on it for a while. They released MP3 in 2007 and, lets be honest, the trilogy and DKCR wouldn't have taken two years each to finish.
I'm putting my money on something big ready and looking REALLY good for launch. Starfox makes sense but I'm sure whatever it is it'll be awesome.
Re: Talking Point: What You Want in a New Nintendo Home Console
@Wheels2050 Cost is an issue with cartridges, always has been and always will be. The difference is that we are quickly reaching the point where gains in capacity for games mean less and less. All but, from memory, 2 or 3 Wii games use single layer disks so all of those games are less than 4.7GB.
So considering the 3DS has 2GB cartridges I don't see why a home console can't use a similar medium. Besides, we're talking read only mediums in mass production not the writable stuffs you buy for your digital camera.
Re: Talking Point: What You Want in a New Nintendo Home Console
@Corbs I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks going back to cartridges is an awesome idea. I literally couldn't care less about blu-ray unless someone can prove to me that the extra storage space can produce a game not possible on a DVD sized medium that doesn't involve "we can do hours of 1080p cutscenes". 3DS games are close to DVD size and likely will be DVD sized by the end of it's life and I'm more interested in getting rid of slowly opening doors in Metroid than high res cutscenes and uber-high res textures.
For me it's a no-brainer
Re: Angry Birds Dev Calls Nintendo Games "$49 Pieces of Plastic"
Well I can tell you now that if Nintendo went digital only and started selling Zelda, Mario or Pokemon on online services I would still think they were worth as much as they are currently at retail. We have pretty good retail competition so games tend to sell for about how much they are worth. The RRP is high but prices drop quickly if people aren't interested.
Take Mario Kart DS for example. Awesome game that has been out for years..... but here in Australia it STILL sells for $69AU which should be ridiculous considering most launch games are now slashed to $49 at launch. Hell, Street Fighter 4 3DS sells for $59 at some places! ....... but Mario Kart DS still sells at that price so the price stays there and if the 3DS wasn't out and I was just getting a DS that'd still be the first game I got. Now that's what I call value.
Re: Chrono Trigger is Coming to Virtual Console in Japan
Very hyped about this because I didn't end up getting it on the DS...... but the strange thing is this game seems like a better fit for the DS than the Wii's VC for some reason.
........maybe I should get it on DS when the 3DS is pwning sales in that magical period when "last gen" games are still selling but at uber cheap prices.
Re: Reggie: We're Not Interested in "Garage Developers"
It's not like any of the other platforms (and I include Apple) are garage developer friendly either. The only platforms that are really friendly to the hobbyist are PC and Web platforms. No cost barriers so it's just your time/talent to get something done. Those are where these things start....... and to those saying Apple is more open to garrage developers? Well yeah, but good luck getting a return on your licence.
However... I'm sure if someone made another Cave Story or Minecraft and wanted to put it on a Nintendo, Apple or whatever platform after it was made a hit on PC. It'd happen. No doubt.
Re: Mario Kart Without Items Isn't Mario Kart, That Includes the Blue Shell
I actually like the randomness. I think of myself as pretty good at racing games and I have lost A LOT of races because of Blue Shells and Lighting in Mario Kart but.... why would you play Mario Kart without items? That's half the fun!
If you want to race against people without items try and beat their ghosts on time trail.
Re: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 Likely to have a Bigger Budget
A 3DSWare version.......
Re: Review: BIT.TRIP FLUX (WiiWare)
The only one in the series I didn't get was FATE and the only one I really didn't like so far was CORE so this should be good. I was getting a bit bored after RUNNER strangely because I lost patience with the difficulty. As fun as these games are I never end up finishing them!
This review has definitely helped bring me back to the series. I've got some Wii Points spare so I'll definitely be downloading this sometime tomorrow. Maybe after I get home from going to the 3DS demo thing if I end up going to it!
Re: Australia Gets 3DS on March 31st for $349
I'm just glad it isn't $400 and this is just the RRP yes? You know, I've never seen anything sold here that went for RRP everywhere at launch. I wouldn't be surprised if BigW and JBs have it for ~$330 at launch causing the system not to sell at EB who never drop their prices.
Then you ask for them to price match.......
Re: Observe the Flow of Battle in Pokemon Black & White Video
@BellGoRiiing but the health warning made battles more intense! Especially when you were JUST about to beat that gym leader you'd attempted multiple times and you had ONE pokemans left. Red bar, you are one pokemans away from victory, health warning blaring through your headphones..... you end up hoping like hell your next attack will land a crit.
Re: Capcom Spills Super Street Fighter IV StreetPass Beans
@ballkirby1 chances are pretty good if you think about it. If the 3DS approaches the sort of numbers that the DS has then more than one in eleven people in Australia will own one. There is a fair chance that if I carried it into a crowded place (say, to a major bus/train station) I'd walk past someone who has a 3DS in their bag.
I mean... I have carried a DS Lite in my laptop bag every day I've carried my laptop with me somewhere since mid 2005. It's a non-hassle, you never know when you'll have to wait ages for something (like a late bus) and it's hardly an unusual behavior... is it? Still, who knows how many people I've walked past in that time who had a DS in their bag and I know I'll be doing the same with my 3DS.
Re: 3DS Contains Two Tiny StreetPass Minigames
@4 I doubt it uses that much battery during standby/streetpass mode. They have stated already that its the rendering of graphics for and the backlight of the 3D screen that kills the battery. Without that going it's not doing much more than a DS Lite would in standby mode. If you think about it it makes perfect sense especially after the leak about the battery capacity of the 3DS.
..... the 3DS has a 1300mAh battery compared to the DSi's 840mAh, DSi XL's 1050mAh, DS Lite's 1000mAh and the original DS's 850mAh. Long story short, I highly doubt streetpass will be that limited by battery life.
Re: Will We See a Zelda 25th Anniversary Collection this Year?
They don't need to do much. I'm going to be celebrating Zelda's 25th with Skyward Sword and most probably OoT on the 3DS. I wouldn't mind a widescreen Wii version of Wind Waker though.........
oh I know, LttP as a downloadable 3D remake on the 3DS!
Re: Talking Point: Is the DS Dead at Retail?
I doubt I'll go back to the games I missed when the 3DS is out. It's like when I got my DS and was interested in the GBA gen I missed and the same with the Wii and GC games. There are too many present shinies and the stores empty themselves of legacy systems entirely within the first year of lots of new shinies.
I almost got Wind Waker in late '07 but by then there was Metriod and Galaxy........ besides, Wind Waker isn't in 16x9 just like Okamiden won't be in 16x9 3D.
Re: 3DS Too Full of Gadgets to Make a 3DS Lite Possible
and I come to comment on a dead thread again... three things:
1. Battery technology is changing rapidly especially with the rise of the electric car. There is a new battery tech coming out in the next year that promises 8x more capacity for the same size or 1/8th the size/weight for the same capacity. Cost doesn't drop though but costs are dropping anyways.
2. OLED. Really, what else do I need to say? Another tech moving rapidly that will become commonplace before the 3DS' life is over. OLED promises and delivers brighter screens, higher contrasts and lower power consumption for eventually lower prices than LED backlit LCD. They already appear in portables.
3. Processor revisions. A 2011 Wii is something like 30% more power efficient than a launch model was and is a lot cheaper to make. This will happen with the 3DS but don't expect much fanfare or a new model to launch it. Did you even know there was a "new" Wii?
..... I don't want it smaller, the DS Lite is small enough and it's about the size of a DS Lite. That's fine by me. The battery life will improve with revisions but I'm not going to be waiting for that!
Re: Reggie: Steel Diver Makes Up for Lack of Zelda at Launch
Pilotwings looks good, Steel Diver will probably be good and Nintendogs will sell a bundle for sure. None of that would matter to me though if Ocarina, Paper Mario or Mario Kart were launch titles. I'd totally ignore even Pilotwings (which I'm thinking of getting) and just pick up the game/s that I really want to play on the 3DS.
As it stands.... I think the only titles I'll be playing on my 3DS at launch are Pokemon Black/White and Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition. I might buy Pilotwings if I'm bored of them and my wallet has forgiven me before something else interesting comes up. If the 3DS didn't sell itself and I didn't know what was just around the corner then this would be a pretty average launch.
Re: Australian 3DS Event Set for February 8th
@WaltzElf I'm fairly sure this thread is dead now but I think you missed my initial point here. I was saying that it shouldn't cost less for me to import ONE unit, ONE 3DS, from the UK then it costs for me to buy one of the 1000s shipped directly to the Australian market.
I'm not suggesting that a small retailer in Australia could sell the 3DS for a lower cost than a major retailer sells the 3DS in the US for. Not at all. I'm just saying that, if we are going to pay $350+ and upto $400 for this, a small retailer could very well import the 3DS from the US and charge a lot less than what people are speculating it will cost here. Said 3DS would be useless here BUT there is no reason why it shouldn't be cheaper than that. The US is a larger market? Well, if I did that I'd be creating a secondary market of ONE and it'd still be cheaper.
And don't say that this is a fantasy because it is happening. Just look at how much is being stirred up about online shopping ATM. You can't tell me that those online stores aren't making a profit. Even if they are pocketing the 10% the prices are much, much lower than they should be if the retailers were pricing close to their costs. You can't tell me that their margins are't ridiculously huge.