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Is it a bad time to buy a 3DS?

Got my 3DS XL for 78€ on eBay, although my regular 3DS still works fine and all.
So no, it's never a bad time to buy a 3DS.
Get yours now. Like, yesterday. Buy a time machine and buy it yesterday, so you have more time to enjoy it. Because it's an awesome system.
 
Orayn said:
Well, the DS was also an unprecedented success that Nintendo wanted to milk for as long as they possibly could. It changes the situation, like how Sony and MS losing money on hardware for several years contributed to Xbox 360 and PS3 lasting for so long.

For the record, GB -> GBC was 9 years, and both GBC -> GBA and GBA -> DS were three years. We've passed the three year mark, obviously, but we don't know that it'll go all the way to 7 or 9.
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Wasn't the GBC more akin to an hardware revision, though? I'll grant that GBA to DS was pretty short but still, considering how much the current gen of handhelds struggled to find their place in the market, wouldn't it make more sense to give the 3DS more time now that it's finally starting to have a solid install base?

I guess I just don't understand how putting a new device on the market any time soon makes financial sense.
 
Yes because that Limited Edition Smash Bros. 3DS is going to release here and that's what you should be holding out for.
 
It's still a great time to buy one. If Nintendo announces the next handheld tomorrow, it will still be a while until it releases, and you can sell the 3DS at that point anyway. Don't even think about this, just buy one...NOW
 
The Llama said:
I feel like its been out a while and Nintendo has to be planning a successor. Maybe I'm wrong, who knows. I mean its not like they're that expensive anyway, I just don't wanna jump in if they're announcing a successor in 6 months or whatever, ya know?
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And that would make the 3DS irrelevant because... ?

I thought your thread would be about a new redesign or price cut. We are at least one year and a half away from the next generation, and god knows if it will have backward compatibility.

Get a 3DS XL now!
 
While I have no doubt that the 3DS successor isn't too far off, give or take 2-3 years, but this is a great time to buy a 3DS and its great library of games, plus Nintendo will still continue supporting the 3DS until the 3DS successor gets going.
 
Go and get a 3DS now. You can find refurbished ones from Nintendo (that come with warranties!) for cheap. So many good games, Smash Bros right around the bend.

Plus the only place where you can play Kid Icarus Uprising.
 
Maybe wait until Black Friday. You never know what sort of bundles they may have. I know the Smash Bundle seems pretty legit.
 
Nah, you've probably got a little while before the next handheld - if you really want one. Forgot it only came out in 2011.
 
Just bought my gf a 2DS for her birthday. Yeah it's hideous, but its waaaay more comfortable than the OG 3DS.

As for portability, I imagine it will mostly be played at home, and if she needs to take it on the go....girls have purses.
 
Grief.exe said:
The worst time to pick up a 3DS was probably the first year and a half or so.

Hasn't been a bad time since then.
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Urgh I remember those day, my 3DS redeeming feature was being used for the crappy internet browser when I was playing Majora's Mask on the Wii virtual console.

Though to be fair I only brought the 3DS early as my DSlite D-Pad was busted so the choice was either fix it, buy a new one or upgrade for a 3DS.
 
No OP, just nope.

There are a lot of fun first party titles available plus a pretty good selection of fun third party titles. Some of those are even cheap to get. I'd say buy the system.
 
get a 2ds, it's comfy. You'll probably use the 3d once and say "NEAT" and then promptly turn it off for being the battery sucker it is.
 
This thread has convinced me to go 3DS over Vita.

I was actually sitting here contemplating a "wtf should I get" post when this went up. MAYBE IT'S A SIGN? Ooooeeeeoeoeoooeoo
 
AudioNoir said:
This thread has convinced me to go 3DS over Vita.

I was actually sitting here contemplating a "wtf should I get" post when this went up. MAYBE IT'S A SIGN? Ooooeeeeoeoeoooeoo
Click to expand...

Why not both?Best of both worlds, great libraries on both. That's what I did and I'm loving it.
 
It's always a good time to buy a 3DS if you can get a good deal on it. The system's library, combined with backwards compatibility, are great.

Now all you have to do is decide on a model. I definitely recommend going to a store and handling one of the XL demos. A lot of people recommend it over the original and the 2DS, but I prefer the original for a variety of reasons, including that it feels nicer in my hands than the XL.
 
AudioNoir said:
This thread has convinced me to go 3DS over Vita.

I was actually sitting here contemplating a "wtf should I get" post when this went up. MAYBE IT'S A SIGN? Ooooeeeeoeoeoooeoo
Click to expand...

Big mistake, imo. Especially if you have a PS4.
Having owned both, the Vita is a vastly superior machine. 400x280 just doesn't cut it, and Nintendo's "account" system is inexcusable for 2014.

Tearaway + P4G + Soul Sacrifice + Muramasa Rebirth are all better than almost anything I've played on the 3DS. Not to mention all the free games with PS+.
 
Yes, it's a bad time to buy a 3DS. These are the general rules to follow when considering a video game hardware purchase.

1. Is it newly launched? Good! Time for max hype/trolling. Choose a side and post all day about how your purchase was the best decision you've ever made and how it helped you touch the face of god or troll about how X company is run by morons and you would never touch their cancerous face melting garbage (extra bonus internet points: do both with two different accounts for maximum trolling). You'll have plenty of time because it's the launch year and there's nothing to play. Stylish.

2. Is it 3+ years into the system's lifecycle? Whoa there, gaming pal, be careful. You might actually have to spend time playing the video games that have somehow accumulated into a "library". Awful. How will you get max trollolol this way?

As you can see, this is quite a simple algorithm that anyone can follow. Make sure to follow more of my good advice in my next article: "Should I day1 full price buy the sequel to a game I didn't like if it looks just like the first game? Because everyone else is super hype about it. Maybe I should."
 
Get one.

Try to feel 'em up first though. I'm a weird one in that I still think the original 3DS is more comfortable to hold than the XL, though if you get an XL without trying the smaller one first I doubt you'll be unhappy.

Or just get the 2DS for super cheap, that one is great too, and won't make you feel so bad buying it if a new revision comes out soon.
 
Great system. Lots of good games to play.

But personally, I see nothing in the future that I'm interested in.
 
I'd give it another 1.5 years before nintendo makes a new handheld. So no, it's not a terrible time to buy it. I'd suggest buying digital(even if the eshop is terrible for it) just in case nintendo finally decides to stop being physical backwards compatible though.
 
judgedeath2 said:
Big mistake, imo. Especially if you have a PS4.
Having owned both, the Vita is a vastly superior machine. 400x280 just doesn't cut it, and Nintendo's "account" system is inexcusable for 2014.

Tearaway + P4G + Soul Sacrifice + Muramasa Rebirth are all better than almost anything I've played on the 3DS. Not to mention all the free games with PS+.
Click to expand...

Agreed and Vita has more games coming out this year than 3ds.
 
poopninjamvc3mk said:
Why not both?Best of both worlds, great libraries on both. That's what I did and I'm loving it.
Click to expand...

I'll eventually get a Vita, but this was more a "this one now, that one later" sorta thing :) I know my husband's more a 3DS kind of guy, and he's been having a crappy time as of late. I'll get a Vita latah. I guess this thread helped knock me off the fence.

You're absolutely right, though. Great libraries on both, ugh.


judgedeath2 said:
Big mistake, imo. Especially if you have a PS4.
Having owned both, the Vita is a vastly superior machine. 400x280 just doesn't cut it, and Nintendo's "account" system is inexcusable for 2014.

Tearaway + P4G + Soul Sacrifice + Muramasa Rebirth are all better than almost anything I've played on the 3DS. Not to mention all the free games with PS+.
Click to expand...

That would all be great if I owned a PS4, is the thing ;) And yeah, if I was buying this for myself, I'd just go get the Vita... but I have to share this sucker with the SO, so womp womp. I'll get a Vita eventually, mind you.
 
Grief.exe said:
The worst time to pick up a 3DS was probably the first year and a half or so.

Hasn't been a bad time since then.
Click to expand...

Nah, we got 10 GBA games that will never be released to the general public, and 10 NES games as well. I don't know if even all of those have been released yet.

Friend of mine bought on exactly the right day to get it for the cheaper price and also got the 20 free games. Good stuff.

Personally I was and am still blown away by having a screen that is 3D just by looking at it. It's still kind of the only mass market thing that does that, right? I'm one of the people who still uses 3D constantly and I love it. I got by on Ridge Racer, Street Fighter 4 and Ghost Recon (which is still an awesome game).
 
A successor isn't coming anytime soon. Platform's thriving. Probably 2016 for an announcement and 2017 for release.

I thought your question referred to a possible imminent price cut on the 3DS, which does seem a little overdue. The XL is way overpriced now at $199. (CDN). I'd expect it to go to $150-170 by this Christmas or next spring.
 
judgedeath2 said:
Big mistake, imo. Especially if you have a PS4.
Having owned both, the Vita is a vastly superior machine. 400x280 just doesn't cut it, and Nintendo's "account" system is inexcusable for 2014.

Tearaway + P4G + Soul Sacrifice + Muramasa Rebirth are all better than almost anything I've played on the 3DS. Not to mention all the free games with PS+.
Click to expand...

Why do you care so much?
 
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