Nintendo 3DS: will it succeed?
I was chatting to someone on a forum the other day who questioned whether the Nintendo 3DS will be a success… well they were more blunt than that and said it would be a flop.
To put it in context, we were chatting about the uptake of 3D devices and whether they would ever really take off like most people have expected. This eventually turned in to a conversation about whether the 3D effects will translate well on such a small screen as the 3DS has, and whether this will be a big enough drawcard to attract all the iPod Touch/iPhone games players.
My friend argued that we now have a generation of kids and parents that are used to the convenience of games that are cheap and can be instantly downloaded and played on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Not to mention that Apple is very trendy at the moment and parents will love the fact that the games are not going to cost them an arm and a leg… all of which he translated to mean that the new 3DS will be a flop.
However, in my opinion comparing the Apple iPhone/iPod Touch to a pure bred games console like the Nintendo 3DS is as useful as comparing apples to oranges (update: I just noticed there’s a pun in there – let’s say it was intended!).
Yes I think that Apple is gaining strength by numbers with the amount of games that are readily and cheaply available on the iPhone and iPod Touch, but the Nintendo 3DS will have it over them in terms of quality. The Nintendo 3DS already has a stable full of top notch games ready for launch (including Super Street Fighter IV: 3D edition, Star Wars Clone Wars III 3D and Ridge Racer 3DS, all of which I chat about in my post ‘3 Must Have Games for the Nintendo 3DS’), and this list will continue to expand with quality titles such as The Sims 3, Mario Kart 3DS, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D and many others!
Not only is it an argument about quantity vs quality, but most people are used to having more than one device for different purposes (at least until the day someone creates the magical all-in-one hand held, possibly holographic, device that does everything perfectly). I’m sure you even know people that have both the iPhone and iPod Touch, so if they’re interested I’m sure there’s nothing stopping them from buying the Nintendo 3DS as well.
I think the 3DS will be a big success for Nintendo, not just because of the 3D effects without glasses that it promises, but mostly because of its fans who already love the company and its characters.
Oh, and after all that let’s not forget the graphics – the previews I have seen for the 3DS look awesome so far!
For what it’s worth, I can’t wait to get my hands on the Nintendo 3DS.
Update: I just checked a couple of the online game shops (EB Games and Game.com.au) and it looks like EB have already sold out of the Nintendo 3DS. Looks like it’s already a hit!