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[Lance Bone Path]

Maybe Nintendo are actually just taking the wii u controller and turning that into a new, full-fledged handheld platform and nothing is going to happen to the 3DS.

 

[Instro]

If they really wanted something like this to work, they would mail the extra analog to every person who bought a 3DS before the resign launched.

Maybe Nintendo are actually just taking the wii u controller and turning that into a new, full-fledged handheld platform and nothing is going to happen to the 3DS.

A handheld platform that needs to be within a few feet of the main console to work?

 

[balladofwindfishes]

once again the early adopters get screwed

if they keep throwing free GBA games at me... well that would just be okay

 

[LuchaShaq]

Am I the only person who thinks the 3DS doesn't need a second analog stick?

I'd trade accelerometer and 3d for a second analog stick any day for any game.

 

[PowderedToast]

What? This just can't be true.

it makes sense to more safe than sorry. if nintendo had claimed it OK and then evidence arises that it wasn't - that's a lot more damaging.

 

[WillyFive]

What? This just can't be true.

It is.

Not only did they say it wasn't harmful (like Nintendo put in every game case and advertisement for the 3DS), they said it could be beneficial.

 

[Anth0ny]

if they keep throwing free GBA games at me... well that would just be okay

"We're really sorry that we scrapped the whole 3D thing and are releasing a new revision only one year later. Here's 50 free games and Mother 3 translated"

 

[Leona Lewis]

They were the ones that introduced the idea in the first place!

They were the ones that said it was harmful to children, despite the American Orthopedist Association putting out a statement saying it wasn't.

What? This just can't be true.

"We will recommend that very young children not look at 3-D images," Fils-Aime told Kotaku. "That's because, [in] young children, the muscles for the eyes are not fully formed... This is the same messaging that the industry is putting out with 3D movies, so it is a standard protocol. We have the same type of messaging for the Virtual Boy, as an example."

Yep, Nintendo was already spouting this BS at the 2010 E3 unveiling. Their own fault that it's biting them in the ass now.

 

[Zoramon089]

Lol sounds like absolute bullshit. This makes absolutely no sense from any perspective. So what, they screwed early adopters, then late adopters? This makes sense? This is clearly speculation and wild fantasy

 

[Derrick01]

This system is a clusterfuck for the ages if this ends up being true. There's no way it's going to be comfortable as an add-on and it's going to fuck up every developer's plans and probably confuse the casuals even more.

I'm glad they recognize the extreme importance of a 2nd stick but it should have been done before launch.

 

[Forkball]

If they held the 3DS launch until November of this year and launched at $170 with Mario, Mario Kart, Zelda, Kid Icarus etc. everyone would have said Nintendo are geniuses and it would be hailed as one of the best launches of all time. But instead they almost Virtual Boy'd.

 

[Rimfya]

The trend of making phones that suck for most games?

Yeah. Ex-frigging-actly. So make a phone that plays good games and solve the 'I only carry one device' problem.

 

[Lance Bone Path]

A handheld platform that needs to be within a few feet of the main console to work?

I imagine that when it's being used as a controller for that console, it will have to be in the same room.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Yeah. Ex-frigging-actly. So make a phone that plays good games and solve the 'I only carry one device' problem.

They did

It's the XPeria Play

It is not doing very well

 

[spons]

I'd trade accelerometer and 3d for a second analog stick any day for any game.

This post portrays the irony of it all. 3D, the accelerometer and gyroscope were somehow deemed relevant and a worthy investment yet a second analog stick couldn't fit in the design.

 

[evilromero]

If this ever comes to fruition the 3DS will be seen as the biggest train wreck in Nintendo's history. Someone needs to get the inside scoop on why the system was rushed out the door in the first place. It sounds eerily similar to why the VB was rushed out (to get a 32-bit system out before Sony).

 

[Diablohead]

This post portrays the irony of it all. 3D, the accelerometer and gyroscope were someone deemed relevant and a worthy investment yet a second analog stick couldn't fit in the design.

When porting n64 games you only need 1 stick

 

[dr3upmushroom]

Assuming this is false, this goes to show how easy it is to further damage Nintendo's reputation right now. After the price drop and "Here's some ROMs!" apology, a lot of people are going to believe stuff like this.

And if this is true, wow. Already pissed off early adopters with the price cut, now they can piss off new owners with this new system.

Nintendo really needs to gather some good will for the system at this point. If they're smart, they won't so much as announce a new version until E3 2013 (the 3DS Lite or whatever would come out that holiday season.)

 

[Instro]

I imagine that when it's being used as a controller for that console, it will have to be in the same room.

I'm confused as to what you are saying then. Are you saying that they would put actual hardware in the WiiU controller so that it could dual as a legitimate handheld? I dont see how that would work without jacking the WiiU price up a couple hundred dollars.

 

[Emitan]

If this ever comes to fruition the 3DS will be seen as the biggest train wreck in Nintendo's history. Someone needs to get the inside scoop on why the system was rushed out the door in the first place. It sounds eerily similar to why the VB was rushed out (to get a 32-bit system out before Sony).

 

[plufim]

To be fair, how damaging 3D visuals are for developing eyes and brains is not something that is entirely determined yet. Just because one paper has shown a benefit does not mean we can say with 100% certainty it's good.

Personally, I'm sure it is as fine for kids as looking at ANY small screen for a long period of time.

As for adding an analogue stick? No way, that'd just be a mess. Nintendo could be playing with the idea, but Nintendo R+D would be considering all sorts of crazy things that never actually come to fruition, like 3D on the gamecube and so on. They would not segment their userbase like that.

 

[Anasui Kishibe]

If this ever comes to fruition the 3DS will be seen as the biggest train wreck in Nintendo's history. Someone needs to get the inside scoop on why the system was rushed out the door in the first place. It sounds eerily similar to why the VB was rushed out (to get a 32-bit system out before Sony).

getting it out before the Vita would be a good guess imho. I believe console manifacturers know very well when a company's going to launch the next console, waaaay before us. I could also picture a situation in which those companies talk to each other about their next projects, but perhaps that would be too far

 

[K.Jack]

WOW at the part about dev kits. Waiting lists? Seriously Nintendo?

 

[evilromero]

This trumps the VB big time. Wow, it almost seems like you didn't read the rest of my post.

 

[StuBurns]

I just want to say I actually thought it was a very cool move for Nintendo to put out the warning for younger children not to view the 3D. Even if it's not really accurate, it is putting their audience before their product, Nintendo's family friendly thing might be lame to me as a gamer, but I think it's awesome from a more objective stand point.

 

[Fuu]

Crazier things have happened but this would be a sad sight and doesn't seem like it would make business sense.

 

[Emitan]

This trumps the VB big time. Wow, it almost seems like you didn't read the rest of my post.

...maybe...

 

[Zoramon089]

Assuming this is false, this goes to show how easy it is to further damage Nintendo's reputation right now. After the price drop and "Here's some ROMs!" apology, a lot of people are going to believe stuff like this.

And if this is true, wow. Already pissed off early adopters with the price cut, now they can piss off new owners with this new system.

Nintendo really needs to gather some good will for the system at this point. If they're smart, they won't so much as announce a new version until E3 2013 (the 3DS Lite or whatever would come out that holiday season.)

None of the people that matter. None of the ones that will push system sales

 

[Lance Bone Path]

I'm confused as to what you are saying then. Are you saying that they would put actual hardware in the WiiU controller so that it could dual as a legitimate handheld? I dont see how that would work without jacking the WiiU price up a couple hundred dollars.

The wii U is already going to be using the wiimote and other wii peripherals so why not just turn the wii u controller into a standalone device?

 

[goldenpp72]

Difference being I don't THINK the virtual boy was actually intended to overtake the gameboy line, but to be something different, where as the 3ds is the direct sequel to the most successful video game device in history. But yeah 3ds is no where near virtual boy, it will have more relevant releases by the end of this year than the virtual boy ever got (one could say that is already the case now)

 

[Scum]

When can we expect the other four parts to this then?

 

[Father_Brain]

They were the ones that introduced the idea in the first place!

They were the ones that said it was harmful to children, despite the American Orthopedist Association putting out a statement saying it wasn't.

You mean "Optometric."

It's mind-boggling. Either Nintendo actually didn't anticipate the sheer amount of bad press they'd get when the mainstream media got wind of the 6+ warnings, or they actually believed that they would be otherwise be hit with such a massive wave of frivolous lawsuits that the bad PR would be preferable. Not sure which is dumber.

It doesn't spell doom for the system, I think, but it'll be one more factor ensuring that its lifetime sales will never reach DS levels.

 

[plufim]

getting it out before the Vita would be a good guess imho. I believe console manifacturers know very well when a company's going to launch the next console, waaaay before us. I could also picture a situation in which those companies talk to each other about their next projects, but perhaps that would be too far

I'd say the smart money isn't so much about beating Vita as it was getting it out in time for the financial year, to make the investors happy.

 

[Anasui Kishibe]

I just want to say I actually thought it was a very cool move for Nintendo to put out the warning for younger children not to view the 3D. Even if it's not really accurate, it is putting their audience before their product, Nintendo's family friendly thing might be lame to me as a gamer, but I think it's awesome from a more objective stand point.

noone can really criticize Nintendo for what they do for children, be it simple messages like this or charity work

I'd say the smart money isn't so much about beating Vita as it was getting it out in time for the financial year, to make the investors happy.

that's a good one, too. Another good one, but maybe it's a stretch, is that Nintendo wanted to increasingly reduce their efforts towards the DS but since it's still selling like mad, perhaps against even their most optimistic projections, they were forced to split the manpower between the DS and the 3DS, and as a result the system was kicked out of the door prematurely

 

[gwarm01]

If this is true then it is the greatest injustice mankind has ever known.

 

[Littlegator]

This trumps the VB big time. Wow, it almost seems like you didn't read the rest of my post.

 

[velvet_nitemare]

IMO I don't understand why the d-pad couldn't be used to control the camera in a pinch.

Moving and camera control at the same time.

I really doubt this is true though.

 

[Poyunch]

Yeah Nintendo's too deep to do this. I still think this is crap. If it does happen though man Nintendo you've really gotten cocky and I hate you for becoming this way just from one successful gen.

 

[Graphics Horse]

This post portrays the irony of it all. 3D, the accelerometer and gyroscope were somehow deemed relevant and a worthy investment yet a second analog stick couldn't fit in the design.

As the design stands, a second stick would take up half the current battery space, but their design needs a shake up anway.

 

[PooBone]

Jesus Christ, if this is true......

Because segregating the market like the Wii Motion Plus turned out to be a great idea right?

 

[ShockingAlberto]

The reason I don't think this makes sense is because the expressed reason to drop the 3DS price was to build up a base so third parties would put games on it. Third parties are apparently happy with this move, consumers are reacting well to the new price, software sales are up.

So..you undermine all that by cutting short the base to make something that is essentially incompatible with the system released a year prior? Huh?

This is almost exactly like the rumors that Nintendo was going to release a DS revision that removes the second screen and relaunch it as the Gameboy Next, with PSP graphics, a Gamecube disc slot, and whatever else that was about. And I'm willing to bet people believed that, too.

Actually, yeah, as I recall correctly, it was called the Gameboy Evolution, right?

Here were Joystiq's hot tips about the new Gameboy, designed to replace the DS, in 2005.

*

The GBE will be released six months to a year after the launch of the Revolution. Considering a best-case scenario, Japanese gamers could be playing the Evolution as early as next December. Why, you ask? For much the same reason as the near-coinciding launch of the GBA and GCN…
*

The Revolution will connect with the Game Boy Evolution, but not with the Nintendo DS. Aside from the usual benefits of a controller with a built-in screen, classic Nintendo titles can be downloaded onto the GBE's internal memory for nostalgia on the go. And speaking of nostalgia…
*

Unlike the DS and the GBM, which are only equipped to play Game Boy Advance cartridges, the GBE will allow you to play your entire back catalog of Game Boy titles, thus preserving the longevity of the Game Boy brand. Obviously it won't accept DS cartridges, despite the fact that…
*

The GBE will store game data on DS-esque flash memory cards, rather than an optical storage medium such as the PSP's UMDs, thus eliminating the need for separate memory cards and battery-intensive lasers. And while we're talking comparisons to the PSP…
*

The Game Boy Evolution will feature full 3D capabilities, though the hardware will only exhibit a marginal increase over the PSP's graphics. Nintendo's never felt the need to sell their consoles as the most graphically superior (see Game Boy vs. Game Gear), relying instead on the overall experience as the system's unique selling point. But before we get away from the graphical aspects there's one last thing worth mentioning…
*

The GBE's screen resolution will be drastically increased over the GBA's, though all the while retaining a similar aspect ratio. Despite consumer demand, the screen will not be backlit.
*

...until the GBE SP.

*

Not only will the GBE allow you to play all of your classic Game Boy games, it will allow you to play all of your multiplayer Game Boy games wirelessly, including games not built especially with the GBA wireless adaptor in mind. By the way, how�s this for a seamless segue into the next bullet point�
*

The Game Boy Evolution will be the hottest gift of 1991 with the addition of X and Y face buttons, as well as a quasi-analog d-pad which will register variable pressure in up to eight directions. Oh, but that�s not all�
*

The GBE will include gyroscopic technology which will allow games such as Wario Ware: Twisted to ship without external gyro packs, as well as augmenting some of the motion-sensitive capabilities of the Revolution�s controller when used in its stead. The unit will also feature a built-in rumble, which leads us to our next point�
*

Without sufficient progress in battery storage technology, the battery life for the Game Boy Evolution will be the lowest of any Nintendo handheld to date, though to make up for this fact the GBE�s rechargeable battery will be detachable. Thanks to a mandatory sleep mode requirement akin to that of the DS, as well as thanks to a small rechargeable internal battery, battery packs will be hot-swappable with minimal interruption of gameplay. And finally�
*

The unit will sport a clamshell design reminiscient of the GBA SP, though slightly larger and with more ergonomically designed shoulder buttons. It will also be available in an stunning variety of colors and themes, unless you live in Germany, France, Indonesia, Brazil, Thailand, any country both beginning and ending in a vowel, every third nation whose flag incorporates a cross, or pretty much anywhere where the native language is not Japanese.

 

[Lindsay]

3DS = GBC?
Short life spans.
Few games released specifically for them.
Zelda "remakes".

Believe?

Spoiler

I wonder back in the day, did anybody white knight Links Awakening DX by calling it a full remake instead of the enhanched port it was?

*hides*

This model change to incorporate a second analog/slide pad or an analog attachment makes me both wonder what the fuck is going on a Nintendo and moderately excites me at the prospect of a better model (hopefully with better SYMMETRICAL screens and battery life).

Yes please!

3D games play fine on the DS/3DS.

Are you crazy?? They don't play well on the DS or PSP or dare I say Dreamcast? Single analog has always been crap for 3D games.

After the GBA and the DS, why DID any of you buy a Nintendo handheld day 1?

And after the GB Micro and DSi / XL why would anyone buy a later model Nintendo handheld? Its only a matter of time until a 3DS model comes out with no DS game backwards compatibility!

 

[Replicant]

Horrible idea. This will piss off those who bought it earlier even more.

 

[Red UFO]

In all honesty, the Game Boy Evolution stuff wasn't THAT crazy, since Nintendo were pretty adamant they were going to have a 'three-pillar' system; where they would have a home console, a PSP-like handheld (that would have the Game Boy brand) and the Nintendo DS for CRAZY SHIT. It was only after the DS sold like crazy they abandoned that idea.

 

[Poyunch]

In all honesty, the Game Boy Evolution stuff wasn't THAT crazy, since Nintendo were pretty adamant they were going to have a 'three-pillar' system; where they would have a home console, a PSP-like handheld (that would have the Game Boy brand) and the Nintendo DS for CRAZY SHIT. It was only after the DS sold like crazy they abandoned that idea.

Then that just makes this new 3DS even less likely since Nintendo has dropped the three pillar plan entirely.

 

[Taichu]

There may be a redesign in the works , but I really doubt they will be adding new buttons. The past 2 Nintendo handhelds seemed "behind" with traditional controls.

GBA only had A and B buttons, no X and Y.
DS didn't have an analog stick.
3DS doesn't have a second analog stick.

Also, if there was an attached analog stick, the 3DS wouldn't fit into the charging cradle.

 

[Graphics Horse]

Actually, yeah, as I recall correctly, it was called the Gameboy Evolution, right?

Here were Joystiq's hot tips about the new Gameboy, designed to replace the DS, in 2005.

Some of this fits in with my theory the 3DS borrows from a shelved idea from 2005, which the GPU dates from.
If the 3DS takes off in a big way, you'll never hear of any of this stuff again, but I wouldn't dismiss the idea that it's being talked about.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

In all honesty, the Game Boy Evolution stuff wasn't THAT crazy, since Nintendo were pretty adamant they were going to have a 'three-pillar' system; where they would have a home console, a PSP-like handheld (that would have the Game Boy brand) and the Nintendo DS for CRAZY SHIT. It was only after the DS sold like crazy they abandoned that idea.

It does have its parallels, though.

Like take this thread from 2006: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32590

What's interesting is that work on Game Boy Evolution is allegedly further along than most of us would probably guess. And more intriguing still, sources claim that Nintendo is once again trying to make the machine a portable GameCube.

Sources claim the GBE will play Gamecube games! Don't buy the DS, the real thing is coming down the pipe soon!

And I mean, thinking more about it, Nintendo is not going to relaunch the 3DS as new, 3D-less hardware next year, when they already have a system launch prepared. The DSLite used more or less the same parts the DSPhat did, a 3D-less 3DS would not, it would at very least need a different screen.

 

[Alex]

I'd love if it had a second analog stick. I really don't want to have to deal with camera qualms as such in 3D games in 2011.

 

[Emitan]

Like take this thread from 2006: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32590

That article made me stop reading IGN and I never liked Matt again.