Be Excellent To Each Other

This sounds great.. I fail to see how it can't be a massive success!

Considering Nintendo stuff usually makes me meh (then how come you have owned a gamcube, wii, GBA and a DS? : Ed) I'm actually extremely interested in the 3DS, almost exclusively for Pilot Wings and Mario Kart using the new magic technology.

3D with glasses holds exactly zero appeal, even for me as a tech obsessed IT geek.

Combination of the Wii and DS, and the mountain of shovelware that the systems have attracted, has made me pretty uninterested in anything nintendo shit out.

I don't care how much shovelware there is as long as there's plenty of good stuff too (which I'd argue there is on both Wii and DS.)

I have yet to find something on the ds which didn't cause hand issues. (Which is why I sold it)
I also have yet to find something on the wii which I like and didn't suffer from not being on a more traditional control scheme.

Respectively, Phoenix Wright and Resident Wiivil 4. I would also offer Madworld for consideration, and SMG wouldn't work on a normal pad either.

Which bits? The uses of the Wiimote seemed properly tacked-on to me.

I do think it works well as a steering wheel in things like Excite Truck, though.

Horribly imprecise, though. When playing Mario Kart, I make use of the stick controls, and how much better I am with it (and than anyone else while using it) is night and day different.

I''m guessing RE4 requires such things as always pointing at the screen. Which was one of my biggest gripes with Zelda: TP, and why I'd prefer it on t'GameCube.

Yes, you point at the screen. Why is that bad?

It's rude to point.

Unless it's a star point, then it's confiscated.

Good point.

Damned thing isn't very accurate, for one.

Because it's not desperately comfortable, and requires seating a certain distance from the screen. A distance that none of the setups I've had for the wii has allowed. Either too close (now) or too far (when I originally got it)

It's all down to personal preference, though.

Indeed. Abundance of shovelware is merely a sign that a hardware format is popular enough to garner adequate developer support, after all.

As for Wii-mote control, its usage in games where it works particularly well, such as Metroid Prime 3 and LoZ:TP. However I just wish that the option of forgoing the Wii-mote for a Gamecube or Classic controller was more widely offered by Wii software. Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Brawl play far better with the ever-reliable Gamecube controller, but those are relatively isolated examples.

I look forward to Nintendo's next game console, as once the novelty of motion control has worn off I foresee it being used much more effectively, and hopefully not shoe-horned into certain kinds of games that do not warrant it... I hope.

There is a difference between input resolution and accuracy of input communication, though.

In that the Wii will often read something quite different to the input provided. (See: for example, the sword fighting on wii sports resort, and the requirement for constant recalibration, such that a button is provided for the purpose, Or indeed that the identical tilt in Excite truck will not provide the same turning consistently)

That doesn't explain why the Wii and DS have a software catalogue that is around 90% shovelware, compared to around 20% for the other platforms - the disparity in hardware popularity is nowhere near that great.

Because the only games that ever sell in any sort of quantity on the Wii, are Nintendo originals. Other publishers probably don't see the point of releasing on the Wii.

I reckon it's because Nintendo these days is pitched towards the family segment, less discerning customers than people for whom playing games is a bit of a hobby.

It's because Nintendo love cash more than a loyal fan base.

I fucking hate them.

Am I also right in thinking that for the Wiimote to be accurate as a pointing device you would need two sensor bars at opposite corners of your TV?

Hmm, possibly. Much as I like the Wii I'm not going to argue that the Wii (in particular) has a superb software library. There's some cracking games for it, but sadly in too much in the minority. It's more of a Nintendo⁶⁴ than a Super NES, it's fair to say.*

* without all the innovative and sometimes genre-defining games that the N64 had, obv. Or Rare.

Great big bunch of new info has grown from a Nintendo Japan press event.

Highlights:
25,000 Yen price (converts to around £188.94, so it'll be £200 if we're lucky, more if we're not).
Gameboy and GBA games available via a VC
Enhanced Mii functionality. Can take a photo and autocreate a Mii, and can convert them into QR code for sharing online.
2 Resident Evil games being made. Looks like one is a normal RE game in the vein of 4/5, other is an expanded mercenaries mode.
New Layton on the way for it.
Mega Man Legends 3 and Ridge Racer 3DS announced too.




In other news, Nintendo also announced Rhythm Heaven for the Wii.

Goodness.

Aw I was gonna post that! It has its own "Virtual Console" for all old Gameboy games. Squeeee!

So do my ordinary DSes

Yeah, I'm interested.. but if it's going to be around £250, it's not going to be an impulse purchase I can tell you that.

Resi looks goooooood.

Whereas some of the others rough as old boots esp. Ridge Racer (was it, or just some generic racing game?). But at a price above a brand new 360 - What are they thinking?

"Damn, considering how successful the original DS was, I wish we had priced it higher at release. I guess we should charge a lot more for the next console, then discount it after sales have dropped off."

Getting one. Watching that made me excited about gaming again!

How much? Blimey, that's steep. I hope Nintendo know what they are doing. Price point has always been very important with handhelds. Got to be one of the reasons they've stayed on top. Putting themselves more expensive than the competition sounds a bit Saturn/PS3 arrogance to me.

£200?

Get fucked Nintendo!

(And you just know it's going to be more like £250, especially since VAT will be running at 20% by then.)

And don't forget they'll be after £30 a pop for the games too.

In these days of iPhones and Android, what possible relevance does a wildly overpriced Nintendo handheld have?

Ooo fuck a Pilotwings?

I'm sold. Put me down for one

You're going to pay £280 to play a rehashed N64 game?

Where did Nintendo say that Pilotwings was going to be the only game ever for the system.

We get it, you don't want one. That's fine.

Almost all decent DS games are better than the best iPhone games, and you aren't limited to just games that control well or OK on a touch screen.

Where did I say that Nintendo said that Pilotwings was going to be the only game ever for the system?

Furthermore, I'm assuming you've played 'all decent DS games' and all 'the best iPhone games' to reach your conclusion?

Nintendo have had their day in the handheld market - iOS and to a lesser extent Android have caught both Nintendo and Sony asleep on the job, the 3DS will most likely be the last major dedicated hardware release of a handheld games console. (Nintendo may have enough diehards to keep them in the game for another generation, but after the spectacular flop of PsPGO I can't see Sony having another crack at it.)

Yes ! definitely !

£10 says you're wrong and that Nintendo will release at least one other handheld console after the 3DS and there will be a PSP2. Within 10 years.

Fuck it, £100 if you prefer.

John just said that Pilotwings was what sold him on the system, not that he wasn't attracted by the other games. The 3DS probably has the best support from 3rd party devs I have ever seen from a console so quickly. Lots of it is ports now, but enhanced ports, and no doubt lots more original games are on the way.

It does, as do the other 3rd person games. Slight problem though, looks like just one analogue nubbin. If the PSP taught us anything it's that one nubbin means all 1st and 3rd person shooters are rendered unplayable.

Touch screen would help I would have thought. For aiming.

Although RE4 was fine on the Gamecube and didn't use the c stick. Because of the standing still to shoot thing.

Dunno about other games though.

I just can't see me playing it enough to ever justify buying it.

Very interested in the tech though.

I've regretted then sold every Nintendo purchase since the N64, so I'm not even remotely interested, especially at ~£200.

So Professor Layton Vs Phoenix Wright, think thats me sold on it.

indeed.

But the existence of the iPhone/Android and it's far better pricing and so on has wittled away a lot of the time and inclination I have towards other portables.

May wait a while. Till the SP/Lite version even.

Is there going to be a Ouendan game on the 3DS?

Is there anything similar on the iphone?

I love Ouendan.

I want one and the graphics didn't look dodgy to me, they looked pretty damn impressive but the main thing about Nintendo is the playability factor and the release games are bound to have that in droves.

I probably won't buy one because it is a lot of money but I still want one.

I now have £150 credit at gamestation, and instead of frittering it away on £40 games from them, I'll be using it to get a 3DS on release I think. A mate wanted to buy my DS lite for £50 actually, so might go for that.

QUESTIONS THAT'VE PROBABLY BEEN ANSWERED:
Does it play DS games? Is it still using cartridges?

Yes, fully backwards compatible with DS games.

Same cartridges, although supposedly with a little notch to make them not fit inside a regular DS.

I think they are upping the capacity too.

I did some maths, and this is basically definitely going to be £200 or a little bit more in the UK.