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[Indyana]

Wow, it seems bigger when you draw it.

 

[m.i.s.]

Good to see a dedicated handeld still showing signs of health sales. Even though the 3DS doesn't interest me, it bodes well for the industry, hopefully the VITA can reach moderate success as well.

Does it though? I'm not agreeing with nor disagreeing with you per se but is this really the case?

For instance, Sony were able to focus on the PS3 slim whilst their PSP focus was largely neglected. It could be argued that PS3 slim was a recovery success story precisely because Sony couldn't do battle on both fronts and so made a conscious choice to allow the Western PSP software market to wither and die. Vita, a handheld whose fortunes are far from certain, could just similarly take resources and manpower away from a steady, emerging PS3 recovery just when that recovery is needed the most.

Similarly, but to a lesser extent, Nintendo has struggled to maintain simultaneous support for both their console and handheld line.

 

[Javier]

Nice. With Star Fox, Pokemon, two Marios, and probably Kid Icarus by then, the Holiday season is going to be very interesting for the 3DS.

 

[AniHawk]

this reminds me when the dreamcast was discounted to $49.99 in late 2001 and sold like crazy because it too was a dead system.

 

[caligula13]

this reminds me when the dreamcast was discounted to $49.99 in late 2001 and sold like crazy because it too was a dead system.

fies!

 

[neptunes]

Does it though? I'm not agreeing with nor disagreeing with you per se but is this really the case?

For instance, Sony were able to focus on the PS3 slim whilst their PSP focus was largely neglected. It could be argued that PS3 slim was a recovery success story precisely because Sony couldn't do battle on both fronts and so made a conscious choice to allow the Western PSP software market to wither and die. Vita could just similarly take resources and manpower away from a steady, emerging PS3 recovery just when that recovery is needed most by a handheld whose fortunes are far from certain.

Similarly, but to a lesser extent, Nintendo has struggled to maintain simultaneous support for both their console and handheld line.

That'll be more of an issue for one company than it is for the other.

Whatever console/handheld that can get by on 3rd party content is the one that will be affected the least.

 

[Luigiv]

Really?! Not even an option for using the 2nd stick for camera control?!

That's absurd! Well, hopefully the designers have enough intelligence to steal my example layout!

Well your example layout is pretty common sense. I had a pretty similar idea myself, plus the RE games on the 3DS already use a similar scheme.

 

[Magicpaint]

This figure is certainly higher than most of what GAF predicted, good showing Nintendo. But it was also a very drastic price cut, so it will be interesting to see what 3DS sales stabilise to in the coming weeks of software drought and how it gets propped up during the holiday with the key software releases and whether or not they're going to be able to start up a real sales spark a la Mario Kart DS/Animal Crossing Wild World during the DS era.

 

[Jaxter09]

this reminds me when the dreamcast was discounted to $49.99 in late 2001 and sold like crazy because it too was a dead system.

Thats because it was discontinued at that point, and completely abandoned by Sega; which is not the case here.

Spoiler

sarcasm meter broken?

 

[Wazzim]

Sony better moneyhat MHP3rdG for Vita/PSP as quickly as they can or it will get hard for them to keep up with the 3DS.

 

[m.i.s.]

Whatever console/handheld that can get by on 3rd party content is the one that will be affected the least.

Couldn't the same be said of the PSP getting by on 3rd party content but where key games were later ported to the PS2? In any case, 3rd party handheld support, particularly Western, is pretty much conspicuous by it's absence. And the Japanese gaming industry is in a pretty bad state as of late.

The signs are overwhelmingly bad though I do think it will do favourably in Japan. I also think there's a reason why both Playstation and Playstation 2 were as successful as they were - they had focus and clarity unencumbered by consideration of other formats.

 

[Rolf NB]

So much for the PSP taking the YTD lead.

 

[jaxpunk]

Wow, it seems bigger when you draw it.

Will you chart the nose dive next week too?

 

[stilgar]

this reminds me when the dreamcast was discounted to $49.99 in late 2001 and sold like crazy because it too was a dead system.

At this point, I was hoping for a Virtual Boy analogy. Am dissapoint.

 

[Sammy Samusu]

Sony better moneyhat MHP3rdG for Vita/PSP as quickly as they can or it will get hard for them to keep up with the 3DS.

Iwata has been mentioning Monster Hunter during fiscal meetings. Be prepared.

 

[UncleSporky]

Iwata has been mentioning Monster Hunter during fiscal meetings. Be prepared.

Yeah? Do you have links or anything to these MH hints? It'd be pretty great if true.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

But it's only $30 less than an iTouch! Nintendo was indeed wise to drop the price.

I'm much more interested in the US numbers for August.

 

[Jinfash]

Iwata has been mentioning Monster Hunter during fiscal meetings. Be prepared.

Where's that image from lol?

 

[Polari]

Good start and I think with Kid Icarus, Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 it will finish the year strongly.

 

[BurntPork]

At this point, I was hoping for a Virtual Boy analogy. Am dissapoint.

http://ds.ign.com/articles/118/1187543p1.html

Spoiler

Funny thing is, IGN has been making such comparisons since the name was announced

 

[Erethian]

Will you chart the nose dive next week too?

Famitsu did the chart for their article. Maybe you should e-mail them and ask!

 

[markot]

Nintendo should just buy Capcom. They could save Megaman >.>!

 

[Mpl90]

Well, the things to say are:

1)BowieZ is the freakin NostraDamus of our modern times,yeah!!! :lol
2)Huge, HUGE number
3)So much interested in seeing the software!

And...

I know I'll be OT, but I would like asking if it is possible to open a new thread about ZOE 3DS "thing", seeing the other has been closed due to a Giga Drill Derailment in the making.

 

[Sammy Samusu]

Yeah? Do you have links or anything to these MH hints? It'd be pretty great if true.

Not really hints but he seems to be very aware of the current Monster Hunter fever, and of course he would want all that on his platform.

a title called "Monster Hunter Portable" was selling well on Sony's handheld gaming device, PlayStation Portable. Only one title changed the whole momentum of that hardware, and because this all happened at the same time, the software publishers who were considering developing software for the Wii changed their minds and decided to make it for the PlayStation Portable.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/stock/meeting/110629qa/04.html

We think it very important to make several hits from the third-party software publishers within the first year from the release of the platform, while offering Nintendo software seamlessly. In order to achieve this goal, we have shared information about the new hardware with the software publishers earlier than we did previously and built a cooperative structure, and we are developing several titles in collaboration with these publishers. I cannot talk in detail about the names of the titles, or with which publishers we are currently collaborating, because we have not announced this information yet, but what we are aiming for with the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U is, platforms which have much more software and a wider variety of software than the former Nintendo DS or Wii. Therefore, we are thinking of creating an environment where software from other companies will become hits. Please understand that Nintendo is prepared to invest in order to make this a reality.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/stock/meeting/110629qa/04.html

As Capcom’s "Monster Hunter" has become a huge hit, Sony’s PSP has been experiencing good sales in Japan since late last year.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/110426/index.html

due to the hit of "Monster Hunter," consumers playing with PSP increased

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/110426/04.html

As Capcom’s "Monster Hunter" has become a huge hit, Sony’s PSP is enjoying very good sales in Japan, which is a very unique market landscape when compared with the overseas markets. The sales of PSP during "Monster Hunter’s" launch week were said to be a record high for the platform which was launched six years ago.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/110128/index.html

even though such elements as the success of "Monster Hunter" increased PSP’s unit sales

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/110128/index.html

and "Monster Hunter" also sold very well as I said earlier. In addition, in Japan, a number of new titles were launched for PSP. Supported by PSP software sales, the Japanese software unit sales in 2010 showed a slight year-on-year increase.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/110128/02.html

 

[K' Dash]

I don't believe for a second they're taking a loss for every unit sold.

 

[Erethian]

I don't believe for a second they're taking a loss for every unit sold.

Don't see any reason for Iwata to lie about that, and the points he made as to why they're taking a loss on each unit sold make sense.

 

[stilgar]

http://ds.ign.com/articles/118/1187543p1.html

Spoiler

Funny thing is, IGN has been making such comparisons since the name was announced

An IGN article that makes sense? Should we page Kotaku?

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I don't believe for a second they're taking a loss for every unit sold.

I think that his investors would be able to tell from their bottom lines whether or not this was true.

 

[NathanMcMahon]

Do this twice.

I think you meant squared...

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Use secondapps.com to browse GAF on Kindle and you're good to go.

I do use that when on the go, but still inability to have multiple tabs, type quickly, or easily add images to my posts usually makes it just more worthwhile to wait a few hours and do it right.

Am I the only one who remembers when the DS selling less than 100k a week was bad, or have I just followed Nintendo sales data for too long?

DS 2006-2007 was just a monster.

|25| 214.821| 1.521.326|

So unless X360 had a massive boost that they didn't bother to report on, 3DS passes it here.

Do we still have around the original DS vs. PSP Jap Graph of 2004-2006?

this reminds me when the dreamcast was discounted to $49.99 in late 2001 and sold like crazy because it too was a dead system.

I know, I know it's AniHawk, but

 

[TheExecutive]

Will wait to see if sales continue the pace or fall off… either way it is too early to see if the price drop will continue to help; it will be interesting

 

[Bulzeeb]

Nintendo should just buy Capcom. They could save Megaman >.>!

or at least the IP, but the we might face other problems like games not being released in America >_>

 

[Effect]

Thing is we don't know what taking a loss means. It could be they aren't making profit off the units but aren't in the red. Coming out even per unit when cost of everything is totaled maybe. Simple lack of profit would still be consider taking a loss right?

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

More games please.

 

[Truth101]

Thing is we don't know what taking a loss means. It could be they aren't making profit off the units but aren't in the red. Coming out even per unit when cost of everything is totaled maybe. Simple lack of profit would still be consider taking a loss right?

It was clear that he was talking about taking a loss on 3DS Production cost vs Wholesale cost.

 

[Cygnus X-1]

I don't believe for a second they're taking a loss for every unit sold.

It is clearly stated in the remark released by Iwata after the price drop.

Edit: found an old pic. Legendary times!

 

[Zoramon089]

Now that i think about it... you're gonna be using the touchscreen for camera movment, ... but then you wouldn't be able to easily reach the action buttons. you won't be able to jump and stuff without moving your hand over to the buttons.

Uhh, why not? It's no different from having a second stick on a normal controller...you can control the virtual stick with your thumb and easily move it over to hit any of the face buttons.

 

[Neo Child]

It is clearly stated in the remark released by Iwata after the price drop.

Edit: found an old pic. Legendary times!

I remember this fucker.

NEeds updated

 

[Jokeropia]

Great number.

 

[Sadist]

Nintendo should just buy Capcom. They could save Megaman >.>!

They should have taken Inafune in after he resigned from Capcom. He was throwing compliments around at Nintendo like a dozen times.

 

[rpmurphy]

200k people didn't get the memo that smartphones will satisfy every portable gaming desire. Good start, and hopefully it will raise the baseline significantly.

 

[Orayn]

Iwata has been mentioning Monster Hunter during fiscal meetings. Be prepared.

MY BODY IS READY!
Monster Hunter would absolutely turn the tide for the 3DS, and immediately prompt me to buy one if Capcom said they'd localize it.

 

[Sammy Samusu]

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings - 524,009

How in the world, lol.

 

[Sadist]

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings - 524,009

How in the world, lol.

It's FF. And kind of fun :/

 

[BorkBork]

Pricing sweet spot - there it is.

Honestly, the great reception during e2 2010 was probably the worst thing to happen for Nintendo, causing them to think that people would go for a $250 portable. Hope they learned their lesson.

 

[sphinx]

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings - 524,009

How in the world, lol.

FFXII:RW was one of the few non-port, non-remake SE DS games that wasn´t mediocre.

I am happy it sold well.

 

[likeGdid]

[...]
Wow you're not very creative are you?

Weapon Sheathed

Circle Pad: Move
Onscreen touch buttons NOT a virtual stick!(ALA Super Mario 64 DS): Camera control
L Button: Centre camera
L Button (Hold): Open item window
D-Pad: Navigation of Item Menu
Tilt Up (motion controls): Surface (underwater)
Tilt Down (motion controls): Dive (underwater)
R Button (Hold): Dash
Start Button: Open game menu, open or close chat window
Select Button: Kick, tackle (underwater)
A Button: Draw weapon
Y Button: Use item
A Button: Search, climb, confirm selection
B Button: Evade, crouch, cancel selection

Modify the controls as needed for different weapons. The important thing to note is the camera and the swimming controls.

Below is an example of the layout on the 3DS touchscreen (please excuse the quick and dirty photoshop job, I wanted to find icons that would fit the 320 x 240 resolution)

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb133/nuclear_muffin/MH3DSexample.png

The buttons on the right control the camera. As SM64DS shows (if it wasn't obvious enough that I nicked the icons from that game) those camera buttons are more than big enough to be able to be touched easily and the spacing will prevent any accidental presses)

The map would be mirrored on the top screen and there would be a little bit of space left over so I thought why don't they put a quick item selection option on the bottom screen? You'd be able to set 4 "favourite" items that you could use with a simple tap of a button (NO MORE HAVING TO TRAWL THROUGH THE MENU FOR YOUR MEGA POTIONS AND WHETSTONES!!!)

Hey, now. I spent all of 5 minutes coming up with MY controls. Then again, all I've ever known was the claw, so the 3ds slider position made it impossible for me, but this looks pretty good :O

 

[Souldriver]

I'll sound kinda debby downer-ish, but for me those numbers are good, but necessary. Considering how big the pricedrop was, and how much the weekly numbers had dropped the weeks after the pricedrop was announced but not yet in effect, it simply needed to have a 100k sales to not be a failure, and about 150k sales to do alright.

That it did more than 200k is even better off course, and that makes it a success imo. But it still not omg "rise to heaven" sales either.

Let's see how the 3DS fares in the coming weeks. This week was a good start, but there's no trend yet to rely on and say the 3DS will do great from now on.

 

[NathanMcMahon]

It would have been interesting to see what may have happened if they decided to stick with a $199 price point for the drop as opposed to what they did. Would it have maintained sales, or improved? Would that have kept it in line with their other products as far as the natural tier of pricing, which would still allow the public to perceive it as "better" than the other systems? It seems like that drastic drop allows for the fear that this system is on its last legs and may not be a wise purchase. Of course I love mine and was happy to pay the dropped price and get the extra games too and only hope this thing gets the full Nintendo lifespan treatment.

 

[pramath]

FFXII:RW was one of the few non-port, non-remake SE DS games that wasn´t mediocre.

I am happy it sold well.

Eh, I'll be honest, I think you're being slightly unfair to Square Enix's DS games right now. I mean, even without the remakes, games like Dragon Quest IX, The World Ends With You, Final Fantasy: 4 Warriors of Light and yes, Revenant Wings were all really awesome games. The former two were amongst the best on the system.
In fact, I struggle to think of an SE DS game that wasn't good. The Kingdom Hearts games maybe, but that's it.