Long have we all wanted to know, and now that the day has come, I wish I could un-know all the details about the forthcoming Nintendo 3DS. See, before I learned that Nintendo’s newest piece of future tech was releasing on March 27, 2011 for a disgustingly gross $249.99, I was curious about the system. Genuinely interested in seeing how the glasses-free 3D worked, and whether any of the games were worth pursuing, in 3D, in 2D, in 1D. And now…not so much.
Alas, it comes down to price. No surprise there, as I’m always conscious about spending money and getting what money is worth. Two hundred and fifty bucks is about seventy-five to fifty bucks too much. I was very shocked to see a portable handheld gaming device priced higher than home-based consoles. The new wireless Xbox 360 is, I think, only $199.99 right now. I guess the 3D gimmick was enough to rack on some more dollar signs than needed. Also, analysts are suggesting that 3DS games could retail for $40 to $50. That’s sickening. Heart-breaking. I already feel grumbly enough buying a new Nintendo DS game for $35, believing that to actually be too much.
For the curious, here’s a list of confirmed launch titles:
- Pilotwings Resort
- Nintendogs + Cats
- Steel Driver
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked
- Super Street Fighter 4 3D Edition
- Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
- Madden NFL Football
- The Sims 3
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
- Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars
- Ridge Racer 3D
- Dual Pen Sports
- Super Monkey Ball 3D
- Thor: God of Thunder
- Crush 3D
- Bust-a-Move Universe
- Samurai Warriors: Chronicles
- Dead or Alive Dimensions
- Asphalt 3D
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Shadow Wars
- Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D
- Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3D
- Rayman 3D
- Rabbids Travel in Time
Yowza. A lot of pre-existing games with the 3D tacked on the end. Where’s Kid Icarus or that Zelda remake? Nothing there really shouts “launch title” or “killer first-party game,” demanding that this hardware being a must purchase. Least not for me. Maybe the world is full of closet Nintendogs & Cats fanatics, and all of them will buy out every Nintendo 3DS in every store in every state, starting riots and chaos and the end of the world sooner than predicted. We’ll find out in only a matter of weeks, and I’ll be watching very cautiously. I do hope to eat my own words.
Grinding Down 
The PSP was also $250 when it came out and I think that really hurt its initial sales. I like Nintendo as a brand much better than Sony, but even they’re not worth dropping $250 on a handheld unit.
Some days I completely forget that there’s a device known as the PSP. Oops!
America is still spoiled compared to Europe prices. Here in Sweden the 3DS will be sold at a whopping 423 dollars. The five year old New Super Mario bros is still sold in stores for 60-75 dollars.
A new PS3 or XBOX360 title is priced at about 105 dollars… a piece. No wonder I rather purchase second hand games from Ebay. 😀
Oh man. Those prices can kill a shopping spree in one shot!
Of course the PSP2 is reported to have the processing power of a PS3. The question then is 3D gaming > HD gaming?
I’m gonna say HD gaming is greater than 3D, but only because I’m so biased and blargh towards the tech.
In the UK, I was curious and checked up the price; £229. That’s about $365. So, were paying over $100 more than you. :S
Not that I am going to buy it. Happy with my Lite.
Well, I’m not so enthusiastic about the launch, but I’m optimistic for the device overall. The DS didn’t have the strongest launch, but it definitely came into its own. I think that’ll be the case with the 3DS.
As for the price, it’s actually cheaper than I thought it would be. I still can’t afford it, but I honestly thought it was going to be like $300. Still, you just know they’re going to make a better, cheaper model in a year or two. They’ll call it the “3DS Slite” or “3DS Feather”.
I can’t believe how expensive this thing is. I am mainly interested in Kid Icarus and the eventual Layton/Wright crossover game, but I can afford to wait for the system to drop in price. A lot. Especially considering how little time I’ve had for gaming, and my regular old DS Lite, lately.