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[Azure Dream]

The "low" sound is caused by the audio output settings. Go into System Options (on the Home menu) and change it from "Surround" to "Stereo". Do the same in the 3DS Sound application.

This doesn't fix it for some of the videos, especially the movie trailers they've released so far.

 

[Izayoi]

This doesn't fix it for some of the videos, especially the movie trailers they've released so far.

Really? I haven't had a problem since I switched everything to Stereo. Maybe it's because I use headphones.

 

[Wichu]

Since we're on the topic of the music app, am I the only one who is having the problem that the 'shuffle' isn't random? Whenever I start up the app, choose the first song on my playlist, and listen on shuffle, it plays the exact same sequence of songs each time. I'm hoping they fix this (seems like they're not seeding the RNG properly).

 

[MisterAnderson]

If I decide to get a larger SD card, am I screwed as far as transferring save/game/settings data over to it if I do too much on the 2GB one that comes with it? How does that work? Do the important things get saved to internal system memory?

 

[Cheesemeister]

Since we're on the topic of the music app, am I the only one who is having the problem that the 'shuffle' isn't random? Whenever I start up the app, choose the first song on my playlist, and listen on shuffle, it plays the exact same sequence of songs each time. I'm hoping they fix this (seems like they're not seeding the RNG properly).

It gets re-seeded when you change the set of MP3s on your card, though that's hardly ideal. What I do is continue playing the last song it was on, then backing out and selecting random again.

If I decide to get a larger SD card, am I screwed as far as transferring save/game/settings data over to it if I do too much on the 2GB one that comes with it? How does that work? Do the important things get saved to internal system memory?

Game saves should be on the carts themselves. Downloaded software has to be moved with the transfer tool, but otherwise a straight-up file copy should do the trick. I moved to a 16GB card and loaded up all of my music.

 

[Conrad Link]

I've been playing Yoshi's Island DS on my 3DS. The graphics seems to lend themselves pretty well to the 3DS' stretch/smooth of DS games.

Popped it and popped it in my XL later in the day...jesus christ I always forget how massive the screens on that thing are. Think I'm gonna box up my DS Lite and just keep the XL and 3DS out--XL for DS games at home and 3DS games for 3DS games at home and 3DS/DS titles on the go.

I've had to cut myself off from my beloved XL as I actually find it really difficult to go back to my 3DS after playing with the wonderful huge screens.

I know regular 3DS only just came out, and is getting a price drop now too, but man I'd love a 3DS XL already lol.

 

[pramath]

Speaking of the DSi XL, is there any particular reason why Nintendo made the screens smaller on the 3DS?

 

[Conrad Link]

Cost I guess, being 3D and all that?

Also still allows them something to upgrade to in the future.

 

[boyshine]

I've had to cut myself off from my beloved XL as I actually find it really difficult to go back to my 3DS after playing with the wonderful huge screens.

I know regular 3DS only just came out, and is getting a price drop now too, but man I'd love a 3DS XL already lol.

I don't think you do. With DS they could make larger screens, because the resolution was that low, and there was no AA, and everything looked quite pixellated and grainy even on the smaller screens, but if you take the 3DS-screens and enlarge them without increasing the resolution I believe you will feel a huge downgrade in IQ as well as a potentional loss of debth in the 3D effect (with larger, more visible pixels). The ppi density of the screens is far more important on 3DS than it was on DS.

 

[pramath]

Cost I guess, being 3D and all that?

Also still allows them something to upgrade to in the future.

Would increasing the diagonal length by 0.5 inches really have cost them as much? Especially since they are purchasing the screens in bulk?

Also, why are both the screens different sized? Wouldn't it have made more sense to have them the same size.

I'm not hating, I own a 3DS and I quite like it, but it's just that these design choices have always struck me as rather odd.

 

[wrowa]

Speaking of the DSi XL, is there any particular reason why Nintendo made the screens smaller on the 3DS?

Because it would be huge?

The DSi XL was never intended to be Nintendo's blueprint for their upcoming handhelds. It essentially was a "special interest" DS, that's also the reason why Nintendo tried to position the XL as a handheld for older people (with worse eye-sight, I guess).

 

[pramath]

Everything screams compromise, my guess is that they made the 3DS the way it is so they could put out a much sleeker unit with larger (symmetric maybe?) screens down the road. At least I hope so, I don't believe the 3DS is the best they could have done, total downgrade from the DS Lite/DSi/XL and I've yet to see anyone praise the 3DS design. Reading the Iwata Asks of the 3DS design was really odd, the explanations for the larger side to ease up the opening of the system, the 3 layer sandwich, to the smaller bottom screen so people wouldn't confuse it with the DS Lite... I didn't really buy their explanations.

No, see, personally, I do not mind it as much. I quite like the 3DS design, it's compact, more or less sleek, and it looks great. Aesthetically, I have no problems with it at all.
The only issues I have are functional- why aren't the screens the same size? Why is the largest screen still smaller than a DSi XL screen/ Why does the hinge feel loose? Why is the battery life so poor?
I can live with all of those issues- like I said, I have no problems with it- just, it makes me think, was this really the system's final design, or were they forced to rush it out so that the system would release before the end of the 2010-11 Financial Year?

 

[pramath]

Because it would be huge?

The DSi XL was never intended to be Nintendo's blueprint for their upcoming handhelds. It essentially was a "special interest" DS, that's also the reason why Nintendo tried to position the XL as a handheld for older people (with worse eye-sight, I guess).

There is plenty of space for the upper screen to be bigger without the size of the handheld actually changing.

 

[wrowa]

There is plenty of space for the upper screen to be bigger without the size of the handheld actually changing.

You compared it to the DSi XL. The screens of the DSi XL wouldn't fit on the 3DS, end of story. If you wanted to say something else, then you have to say something else to begin with

Why the upper screen is small compared to the empty space is rather easy to explain. In order for the dual-screen concept to work, both of the screens have to be a comparable size. A small lower screen and a huge upper screen would hardly work for their purposes. (It's also a cost issue, since a huge 3D display would be rather expensive. But the reason I stated is the reason why you won't see a 3DS Lite with an extended upper screen, as long as the lower screen remains untouched -- and since it's very doubtul that Nintendo wants the 3DS to become much bigger this won't happen until the XL version)

There will also never be symetric upper and lower screens. That would cause compatibility problems between older 3DSs and newer ones.

 

[pramath]

You compared it to the DSi XL. The screens of the DSi XL wouldn't fit on the 3DS, end of story. If you wanted to say something else, then you have to say something else to begin with

Why the upper screen is small compared to the empty space is rather easy to explain. In order for the dual-screen concept to work, both of the screens have to be a comparable size. A small lower screen and a huge upper screen would hardly work for their purposes. (It's also a cost issue, since a huge 3D display would be rather expensive. But the reason I stated is the reason why you won't see a 3DS Lite with an extended upper screen, as long as the lower screen remains untouched -- and since it's very doubtul that Nintendo wants the 3DS to become much bigger this won't happen until the XL version)

There will also never be symetric upper and lower screens. That would cause compatibility problems between older 3DSs and newer ones.

Well, the only reason I compared it to the XL was because that's the only benchmark we have for large screens on a Nintendo handheld

I suppose what you said makes sense. However, I still do not believe that we can never have symmetric screens on the system? Can't the lower screen upscale old 3DS games to fit the new size? Sort of like what the XL did?

They address the hinge issue on the Iwata Asks:

http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/3ds/how-nintendo-3ds-made/2/0

Yeah, I agree with you. They didn't answer the question, now, did they? They just... I don't know, evaded it.

 

[wrowa]

I suppose what you said makes sense. However, I still do not believe that we can never have symmetric screens on the system? Can't the lower screen upscale old 3DS games to fit the new size? Sort of like what the XL did?

In order to have symmetric screens the picture needs either to be strechted on the new 3DS or to be letter boxed on older 3DSs. The first would make the symmetric screen useless, the latter would make the picture on the older 3DSs too small.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Honestly how effective are the third party battery solutions?

Nyko's PowerPak doubles the life easy. I don't have to obsess over keeping it charged any more than my other DS systems now.

In order to have symmetric screens the picture needs either to be strechted on the new 3DS or to be letter boxed on older 3DSs. The first would make the symmetric screen useless, the latter would make the picture on the older 3DSs too small.

Right. I'm no fan of the uneven screen design, but realistically it's what we're stuck with for the life of the 3DS family.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

sell me your ds lite

Sorry, too much sentimental value. Plus it's the only GBA player that isn't my Micro. I own a SP, but it's still sealed in the box and it's staying that way.

 

[MisterAnderson]

So to get into the ambassador program all I need to do is go onto the eshop once right? I don't have to "register" anything?

 

[Aru]

So to get into the ambassador program all I need to do is go onto the eshop once right? I don't have to "register" anything?

Download a trailer or something if you wanna be sure you did everything right.

 

[AceBandage]

When you log into the eShop, you should get a message that says you're in the Ambassador Program.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

When do they do the whole game deal?

 

[Javier]

When do they do the whole game deal?

You have to log in to the eShop until August 11, and the NES games start showing up on September 1. The GBA games show up by the end of the year.

 

[Piercedveil]

If I decide to get a larger SD card, am I screwed as far as transferring save/game/settings data over to it if I do too much on the 2GB one that comes with it? How does that work? Do the important things get saved to internal system memory?

Be very careful. I just switched to an 8 GB SDHC card (since I have to use that kind, obviously) and most things got deleted besides pictures and music, which I thought was strange. My activity log is completely gone along with my Miis and such. I'm not too worried about it since I have only played a couple games and had a couple Miis in my plaza, but it does suck a bit. I have no idea what happened honestly, but oh well.

 

[Javier]

Be very careful. I just switched to an 8 GB SDHC card (since I have to use that kind, obviously) and most things got deleted besides pictures and music, which I thought was strange. My activity log is completely gone along with my Miis and such. I'm not too worried about it since I have only played a couple games and had a couple Miis in my plaza, but it does suck a bit. I have no idea what happened honestly, but oh well.

Did you copy all the files from the first SD card to the new one through your computer? Because that's how it's supposed to be done. I haven't done it myself on the 3DS, but I did it with the Wii and it worked just fine.

 

[Fallen_Hero]

Did Nintendo fix that screen-scratching issue? More specifically, will the models at Wal-Mart on August 9th be free of that problem?

 

[Boney]

So Toys 'R Us has a a few games at $20 and there's also a buy 1 get 40% off 1

most notably

Rabbids Travel in Time 3D
Splinter Cell
Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
Bust-A-Move Universe
Cubic Ninja

Target has Rayman and Cubic Ninja for $17

 

[Izayoi]

Did Nintendo fix that screen-scratching issue? More specifically, will the models at Wal-Mart on August 9th be free of that problem?

More like smudging as opposed to scratching, but no. Get $8 Hori screen protectors and you're good to go.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

More specifically, will the models at Wal-Mart on August 9th be free of that problem?

Considering how many have sold versus how many were produced, those are probably still the launch batch.

More like smudging as opposed to scratching

Smudging is definite. Scratching is possible.

 

[Fallen_Hero]

Ugh, decisions.

 

[AdventureRacing]

No, see, personally, I do not mind it as much. I quite like the 3DS design, it's compact, more or less sleek, and it looks great. Aesthetically, I have no problems with it at all.
The only issues I have are functional- why aren't the screens the same size? Why is the largest screen still smaller than a DSi XL screen/ Why does the hinge feel loose? Why is the battery life so poor?
I can live with all of those issues- like I said, I have no problems with it- just, it makes me think, was this really the system's final design, or were they forced to rush it out so that the system would release before the end of the 2010-11 Financial Year?

Yeah the screens being different sizes is probably my biggest disappointment. I'm really hoping there is some chance of this being fixed in future revisions but i'm not sure if this is possible or how it would affect the back catalogue of games.

 

[Unicorn]

More like smudging as opposed to scratching, but no. Get $8 Hori screen protectors and you're good to go.

I regretted putting a screen protector on my top screen of my DS; wish I only put it on the bottom and not both.

Are you suggesting screen protector for both screens or just bottom? won't a top one affect the 3D?

 

[Poyunch]

Nintendo will fix it free of charge if anything goes wrong. They're great about things like this.

 

[beje]

I regretted putting a screen protector on my top screen of my DS; wish I only put it on the bottom and not both.

Are you suggesting screen protector for both screens or just bottom? won't a top one affect the 3D?

I'm rocking a top screen protector since day 1 and it doesn't affect 3D or image quality at all. It's just a transparent sheet FFS.

 

[PumpkinPie]

I don't what Nintendo are expecting to do with the price cut, I bought my 3DS just after launch and I have 5 games for it, there still aren't any other games worth buying. Why would people buy a system that only has 5 good games out? Reducing the price isn't going to make new games magically appear.

 

[sphinx]

well, I couldn't resist and bought just yesterday a 3DS on the following Internet Site (Germany)

www.noteboooksbillger.de, Black 3DS for €168

My idea is to get the console tomorrow or the day after, get into the ambassador program and increase the value of the console when/if I decide to sell it on Ebay or anywhere else.

This is the last chance for german & austrian GAF to get into the ambassador train I guess, so I thought I'd let everyone know.

 

[Unicorn]

I'm rocking a top screen protector since day 1 and it doesn't affect 3D or image quality at all. It's just a transparent sheet FFS.

You'd be surprised.

 

[BowieZ]

I don't what Nintendo are expecting to do with the price cut, I bought my 3DS just after launch and I have 5 games for it, there still aren't any other games worth buying. Why would people buy a system that only has 5 good games out? Reducing the price isn't going to make new games magically appear.

Oh that's a shame.

I have:

- Ocarina of Time 3D
- Street Fighter IV 3D
- Pilotwings Resort
- Rabbids: Travel in Time 3D
- nintendogs + cats
- Mario Kart DS (bought exclusively for 3DS)
- Phantom Hourglass (DS) ("")
- Okami den (DS) ("")
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (DSiWare)
- Art Academy: First Semester (DSiWare)
- Link's Awakening DX
- Donkey Kong '94
- Kirby's Dream Land
- Mario's Picross
- Game & Watch Gallery
- 3DClassics: Excite Bike
- 3DClassics: Xevious
- Let's Golf 3D

with plans to buy the following games in the next 6 months:

- StarFox 64 3D
- Mario Kart 7
- Super Mario 3D Land
- Resident Evil: Revelations

- Luigi's Mansion 2, Paper Mario and a host of other 3DS, DS and eStore offerings.

That might be why people want to buy a 3DS, especially with a price drop. Possibly.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

I don't what Nintendo are expecting to do with the price cut, I bought my 3DS just after launch and I have 5 games for it, there still aren't any other games worth buying. Why would people buy a system that only has 5 good games out? Reducing the price isn't going to make new games magically appear.

At least the hyperbole has decreased from "3DS has no games whatsoever!" to "Well it has five games, but still that ain't enough!"

I mean what do you want, an entire catalogue filled with 100s of AAA games from day one? This isn't rocket surgery, consoles don't magically get great games from the moment of existing. Even the fabled Dreamcast had some sparse pickings depending on your tastes for its first year.

$170 is a great price for what the 3DS offers, period. And consumers will respond appropriately. Besides that, there is also great potential for announced and unannounced future games that make the price even easier to swallow.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

Oh that's a shame.

I have:

- Ocarina of Time 3D
- Street Fighter IV 3D
- Pilotwings Resort
- Rabbids: Travel in Time 3D
- nintendogs + cats
- Mario Kart DS (bought exclusively for 3DS)
- Phantom Hourglass (DS) ("")
- Okami den (DS) ("")
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (DSiWare)
- Art Academy: First Semester (DSiWare)
- Link's Awakening DX
- Donkey Kong '94
- Kirby's Dream Land
- Mario's Picross
- Game & Watch Gallery
- 3DClassics: Excite Bike
- 3DClassics: Xevious
- Let's Golf 3D

with plans to buy the following games in the next 6 months:

- StarFox 64 3D
- Mario Kart 7
- Super Mario 3D Land
- Resident Evil: Revelations

- Luigi's Mansion 2, Paper Mario and a host of other 3DS, DS and eStore offerings.

That might be why people want to buy a 3DS, especially with a price drop. Possibly.

Plus the 3DS camera, face raiders, ar games, and street pass is all neat.

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

I bought a 3DS last week because low frame rates give me a headache, and thus I was never able to enjoy Ocarina of Time. The 3D version is sublime. I also bought Mercs and I'm having a blast, because I never got around to RE5 Mercs. I still plan on picking up Ghost Recon, and the built-in features add up to about a game in content.

This is far better than the DS lineup. Super Mario 64 DS was fun but there wasn't much aside from that. I think I bought Feel the Magic and was just more confused than anything.

People like to criticize the 3DS for the sake of criticism.

 

[Saroyan]

I just bought a 3DS and Ocarina of Time from Best Buy yesterday.

The clerk that checked me out apparently knew all about the ambassador program because he asked me if I was buying before the price drop for the free games. Wednesday is my birthday so this was a little present to myself, and I get to go back to Best Buy next Saturday and get 80 bucks back, pretty good deal to me

Also, I'm coming from a DS Lite, the 3DS really feels like a pretty awesome upgrade in comparison, just the way it looks and feels and everything, it seems a lot more high-end and refined, I like it.

 

[Sadist]

At least the hyperbole has decreased from "3DS has no games whatsoever!" to "Well it has five games, but still that ain't enough!"

I mean what do you want, an entire catalogue filled with 100s of AAA games from day one? This isn't rocket surgery, consoles don't magically get great games from the moment of existing. Even the fabled Dreamcast had some sparse pickings depending on your tastes for its first year.

That Jools Watsham was actually pissed about that regarding third parties.

http://joolswatsham.blogspot.com/2011/08/3ds-rant.html?spref=tw

 

[ThatObviousUser]

That Jools Watsham was actually pissed about that regarding third parties.

http://joolswatsham.blogspot.com/2011/08/3ds-rant.html?spref=tw

I was actually gonna post that in this thread.

 

[dallow_bg]

Plus the 3DS camera, face raiders, ar games, and street pass is all neat.

They are neat though I haven't touched them since 2 weeks after launch day.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Oh that's a shame.

I have:

- Ocarina of Time 3D
- Street Fighter IV 3D
- Pilotwings Resort
- Rabbids: Travel in Time 3D
- nintendogs + cats
- Mario Kart DS (bought exclusively for 3DS)
- Phantom Hourglass (DS) ("")
- Okami den (DS) ("")
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (DSiWare)
- Art Academy: First Semester (DSiWare)
- Link's Awakening DX
- Donkey Kong '94
- Kirby's Dream Land
- Mario's Picross
- Game & Watch Gallery
- 3DClassics: Excite Bike
- 3DClassics: Xevious
- Let's Golf 3D

I'm not sure why you did this. The 3DS library isn't filled with hidden gems. People are aware of the high profile titles. The guy you're replying to isn't going to be blown away with your library or eat a pile of crow because he neglected to mention Let's Golf 3D. In fact, in reference to his "5 games" claim, you replied with a list that had... 5 retail 3DS games. You then listed a bunch of DS stuff which he can almost certainly have played on his DS(i), a bunch of Game Boy stuff which may or may not be something he's willing to get into and may or may not have been stuff he already owns from 20 years ago.

This doesn't address his concern, it just reflects that you have different tastes from him. There's nothing on your list that screams out being a hidden gem that the person you're quoting is likely to have ignored or missed due to lack of awareness.

Take the Wii. I've got maybe 65 or 70 retail Wii games, not sure how many exactly. I wouldn't list everything I own to dispute someone's assertion that the Wii has a weak library. I'd focus on coming up with specific games I think people miss out on when they pass judgment--something like Order Up, Disaster Day of Crisis, Deadly Creatures, Little King's Story, or Kororinpa. I think there probably are people that have an unfairly negative opinion of the Wii because many of the Wii's best titles are well-kept secrets.

The 3DS doesn't have similar hidden gems yet. The best argument I've seen for one so far is Ghost Recon: Shadow Whatever. Cubic Ninja, Dream Trigger, and the 2d Rabbids game which I'm guessing is the one you have, all could have been hidden gem material in the sense that they seem to have passed under the radar, but the reception among people who have purchased the games has been pretty negative or marginal so they're not.

$170 is a great price for what the 3DS offers, period.

As someone who has extraordinarily broad taste in games and who buys every piece of hardware (I've honestly got one or more of everything you can buy games for right now), I don't necessarily agree.

I think it's a great price for what the 3DS will offer in the future, but many people agree with the adage that it's better to spend money later than spend money now. I think it's a great price if you exploit arbitrage and get 20 free games for it--and you happen to like and want to play NES and GBA games. That's exactly why I bought the system at $170.

I don't think talking about other systems launch lineups make a whole lot of sense. Many people criticizing the 3DS' value also didn't buy other systems at launch. The statement "<Console X> is not worth it at launch" doesn't imply that other systems are. I bought the 360 a year and a half after release, the PS3 two years after release, the DS a half year after release.

I bought the DS in June 2005 at $100 including Yoshi's Touch and Go and SM64DS. I wouldn't have bought it at full retail or at launch because it wasn't worth it then. I got Feel the Magic for $10 shortly after. I got Trace Memory sometime that summer and paid about $20. In September, I picked up Castlevania DoS for $20 or so off a guy at my university back then. I think I also got Advance Wars for around the same price around the same time. That Christmas I picked up Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, and WarioWare. So this should give an appreciation of the fact that, yes, I am aware of what the DS's first year lineup was like, and that's how my 2005-self valued it. Unfortunately the 3DS is $70 more than I paid for the DS, I didn't get any games with it, there are no retail games available for $10 (there's no "back catalogue")--although the BOGO sales have been nice so far, and there's nothing coming out for me until the holiday rush.

Next, even if someone had been willing to tolerate a sub-par Saturn launch lineup or something ten years ago--I think the Wii, the Virtual Boy and the GBA are the only systems I've bought at launch and I've been gaming for just about 25 years so I'm not referring to myself here--that doesn't change any point someone is making here. It's 2011. In 2011, there are more opportunities than ever for cheap games, and there are more platforms than ever to play on.

Criticism of lineup value and cost should be more strict today than it was a decade ago, because the situation today is significantly more consumer-friendly than it was then. So the question isn't merely "Is spending $170 on a 3DS worth it" but also "Is it more worth it than spending that money on games for existing platforms, and getting a 3DS later for less money with broader availability of cheaper catalogue titles and more new releases coming out"

But regardless of the reasons, when people say the system doesn't have enough yet for them to jump in, it's not a pernicious conspiracy to marginalize Nintendo's contribution to gaming, it's because what's available so far is not very robust. I'm sure there are people out there and on GAF that have console warrior type tendencies to the point that they could be presented with their dream lineup and they would still not buy a platform because it's made by the wrong manufacturer, but by and large the people expressing their opinions, positively or negatively, on the 3DS are being sincere in my estimation.

 

[dallow_bg]

Stump makes the posts I wish I could make.
I saw the list and rolled my eyes for similar reasons as another "game list" so early in a system's infancy hardly means anything, even with all the extraneous titles and roms.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

As someone who has extraordinarily broad taste in games and who buys every piece of hardware (I've honestly got one or more of everything you can buy games for right now), I don't necessarily agree.

I think it's a great price for what the 3DS will offer in the future, but many people agree with the adage that it's better to spend money later than spend money now. I think it's a great price if you exploit arbitrage and get 20 free games for it--and you happen to like and want to play NES and GBA games. That's exactly why I bought the system at $170.

I don't think talking about other systems launch lineups make a whole lot of sense. Many people criticizing the 3DS' value also didn't buy other systems at launch. The statement "<Console X> is not worth it at launch" doesn't imply that other systems are. I bought the 360 a year and a half after release, the PS3 two years after release, the DS a half year after release.

I bought the DS in June 2005 at $100 including Yoshi's Touch and Go and SM64DS. I wouldn't have bought it at full retail or at launch because it wasn't worth it then. I got Feel the Magic for $10 shortly after. I got Trace Memory sometime that summer and paid about $20. In September, I picked up Castlevania DoS for $20 or so off a guy at my university back then. I think I also got Advance Wars for around the same price around the same time. That Christmas I picked up Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, and WarioWare. So this should give an appreciation of the fact that, yes, I am aware of what the DS's first year lineup was like, and that's how my 2005-self valued it. Unfortunately the 3DS is $70 more than I paid for the DS, I didn't get any games with it, there are no retail games available for $10 (there's no "back catalogue")--although the BOGO sales have been nice so far, and there's nothing coming out for me until the holiday rush.

Next, even if someone had been willing to tolerate a sub-par Saturn launch lineup or something ten years ago--I think the Wii, the Virtual Boy and the GBA are the only systems I've bought at launch and I've been gaming for just about 25 years so I'm not referring to myself here--that doesn't change any point someone is making here. It's 2011. In 2011, there are more opportunities than ever for cheap games, and there are more platforms than ever to play on.

Criticism of lineup value and cost should be more strict today than it was a decade ago, because the situation today is significantly more consumer-friendly than it was then. So the question isn't merely "Is spending $170 on a 3DS worth it" but also "Is it more worth it than spending that money on games for existing platforms, and getting a 3DS later for less money with broader availability of cheaper catalogue titles and more new releases coming out"

But regardless of the reasons, when people say the system doesn't have enough yet for them to jump in, it's not a pernicious conspiracy to marginalize Nintendo's contribution to gaming, it's because what's available so far is not very robust. I'm sure there are people out there and on GAF that have console warrior type tendencies to the point that they could be presented with their dream lineup and they would still not buy a platform because it's made by the wrong manufacturer, but by and large the people expressing their opinions, positively or negatively, on the 3DS are being sincere in my estimation.

This is a very reasonable line of thinking and of course it's correct.

Thinking more about the big picture though, I have no choice but to say $170 is a good price, as it will most likely be a while for it to drop from that. In that view, $170 now or later is still the same amount, is what I think. And if you spend it now you can use it now. $250 wasn't a good price because everyone knew that it wasn't sustainable and would drop before people felt they got their money's worth, and that's what ended up happening.

 

[Cygnus X-1]

I don't what Nintendo are expecting to do with the price cut, I bought my 3DS just after launch and I have 5 games for it, there still aren't any other games worth buying. Why would people buy a system that only has 5 good games out? Reducing the price isn't going to make new games magically appear.

3DS has 5 good games? Wow, I though only Ocarina of Time 3D and Street Fighter were decent. What are the other 3?

 

[Dead Man]

Stump makes the posts I wish I could make.
I saw the list and rolled my eyes for similar reasons as another "game list" so early in a system's infancy hardly means anything, even with all the extraneous titles and roms.

So much.