Will you get a 3ds for sure if you preorder from amazon?

[rlemmon]

Hi guys. I'm thinking about ordering a 3ds system from amazon. What I'm wondering is if placing a pre order guarantees you a system on release day or if it's an opportunity to buy aka first come first served deal like gamestop. Thanks.

[shmokes]

You might think about holding off on that.  I just read an in-depth preview on either Engadget or Joystiq (forget which) where they were allowed to play with final hardware for a long time.  It didn't sound very good.  Some of them ended up with pounding headaches from the 3D effects, and the 3D effects sound pretty bad.  The viewing angle with 3D on is like 1 degree.  Any movement causes it to go blurry or to destroy the 3D effect altogether, so you have to keep your arms perfectly stiff while playing.  Most of the games that used 3D didn't use it for any purpose other than gimmick, too.  The article concluded that most of the reviewers would end up using the device in 2D mode most of the time.

On top of that, the 3D slider thing was really wonky.  The proper position varied from game to game, so a lot of time is spent trying to get the thing properly calibrated every time you start a new game.  And they also mentioned how antiquated the resistive touch-screen feels when half the population has been carrying around a device with a capacitive screen for years.

And the battery life is pretty abysmal.  Nintendo is claiming 3-5 hours!  That probably translates to 2-4 hours in non-marketing speak.

I'd at least wait for some must-have games to be released or the price to come down, or maybe a second revision with better battery and, maybe, a better screen.  A 3ds lite, so to speak.

[northerngames]

from what I am understaning the games are like the psp 3d and not the flat 2D but also have added a somewhat 3d vision type setup but them games are done in 3 Dimension with a toach of 3D vision but still a poor performer becuase the cpu itself is not good enough to enjoy a regular 3 dimensional game with or without the 3D vision

I agree with shmokes better off to see what happens with more reviews first.

[shmokes]

Who are you replying to? 

[ChadTower]

Oh please.  If you plan on having one of these in 2011 you'd better get on the pre-order list now.


 

Why?  Is Ram Controls the one selling them?

[Necroticart]

honestly i'm going to see what the PSP2 is offering from what I understand it's a powerhouse graphically. It's rumored the official announcement will be this Thursday can't wait to see more also one of the current rumors is that it sports an oled screen.

[DaveMMR]

honestly i'm going to see what the PSP2 is offering from what I understand it's a powerhouse graphically. It's rumored the official announcement will be this Thursday can't wait to see more also one of the current rumors is that it sports an oled screen.

I think if this generation of handhelds are any indication, throw graphics out the window.  PSP is a much prettier machine than the DS but Sony never quite got the hang of what a portable system should do with their games (e.g. I don't particularly want the same involved games I'd rather be playing in my living room while waiting ten minutes for a bus).   I struggle to think of five "killer" games for the PSP (besides emulators) but I can rattle off a decent list for the DS.  

What's the point of having killer graphics if all anyone's going to run on the PSP2 is NES emulators?  

Of course YMMV (and I'm trying hard not to come off like a fanboy), but after the PSP - I find myself heavily apathetic towards PSP2 rumors.  At least with the 3DS, I'll know there will be a Zelda, Mario, Kid Icarus, etc. plus digital re-releases of Gameboy classics.   (But I can, and have, been wrong before... but it's all one big "wait-and-see" for me.)

[shmokes]

I don't know.  I think the only problem with the PSP was how prohibitively expensive it was (and pretty much remained).  I question whether people who just want something simple will more and more wonder why they would want to carry around a DS when they already have an iPhone 5 in their pockets.  I think the portable systems are going to have to really justify themselves—distinguish themselves—from mobile phones which have really come into their own as legitimate gaming platforms.  It seems like the 3D thing on the 3ds is meant to do that, but I have the impression that maybe that's gonna end up more gimmicky than useful, and probably turned off as often as not.  Plus the battery thing strikes me as a potentially serious misstep on Nintendo's part.

I think Sony has a real opportunity here.  I'm excited to see what they bring to the table (though I have really no interest in portable gaming and surely won't buy either system). 

[shmokes]

PSP is a product that I don't think really fills a need. 

Honestly, I feel the same way about the DS.  I just can hardly imagine a time when I would be inclined to pull it out to play.  But apparently there are a few people out there who disagree.  Regardless, though, either of those devices are going  to struggle filling whatever need they fill for people when said needs are being addressed more and more competently by iPhones and Androids.  That's what makes me think maybe PSP2 will at least have a shot--cos between the two I think it's the more likely contender for being able to provide an experience substantially different/better than what mobile phones can do (this assumes that the 3D feature will turn out not to be a big success, of course).

[hypernova]

When I see kids out in public playing a handheld, I can't recall if I've EVER seen any incarnation of the PSP, EVER, and I've looked.  Yet I see numerous DS players of various ages.

I doubt the use of Sony's phone function of the PSP2.  I think it will crap out just like their failed UMD format in the first PSPs.  It won't crap because it sucks.  It will crap because who will use it as opposed to the phone they already have?

About the 3DS, I've read that they are HIGHLY recommending that children younger than a certain age should NOT employ the 3d capabilities of the system.  I think they cited terrible headaches as well.

Next-gen handhelds are sounding worse as time passes.

[shmokes]

Yeah, but you're looking at the DS in 2011

For sure . . . but now I'm talking about the 3ds in 2011, and it doesn't seem like it's bringing anything new to the table vis-a-vis smartphones (aside from the weak-looking 3D business).  I can totally see why the DS dominated the PSP.  But in 2011 Nintendo has already showed its next-gen hand, and it ain't that impressive.  It frankly just looks like a DS, only with 3D that doesn't work very well or add very much.  I think Nintendo's left a huge opening for Sony.  I'm not convinced Sony will take it, but I think they easily could.

[DaveMMR]

This is all still "wait-and-see".   People dismissed the DS when it announced alongside the PSP years ago and no one was predicting the former would be the runaway hit. 

But now with all the gaming capabilities of the smartphone, it's a more uphill battle for Sony and Nintendo.   Nintendo has a good chance of doing okay by mere virtue of name recognition and a large chuck of its audience being those who are too young to have an iPhone or Droid in their pocket.   And if the 3D turns out to be halfway decent, it might be enough for them to differentiate themselves from the smartphones.

Sony, OTOH, has to do a lot differently this time around, I'd say: particularly with their games.  They literally have to be "pick up and play".   When it takes five minutes to boot up a game and get past all the screens on the original, it goes against what a portable system should be. 

[Necroticart]

The Sony NGP was official announced yesterday afternoon in JP here the link to the US PSblog post it looks real promising.http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/01/27/next-generation-portable-ngp-all-the-early-details/  As for those saying portable games should be short quick games why not be able to play both it's nice every once in awhile to be able to lay down on a bed relax and kill a few hours on a portable.

[shmokes]

Heh . . . I didn't know that PSP games took a long time to boot up.  I've never actually touched one, I don't think.  

I guess what I'm saying is that it seems to me that if Nintendo just rehashes the DS (it did) and Sony just rehashes the PSP, Sony will likely do some serious catching up.  I think the 3ds will sell a ton, especially at launch, on the strength of the DS brand alone.  But I don't think the 3ds will have the same type of success that the original had.  It seems to me that despite the outrageous success of the DS in the last generation, Sony's PSP strategy would be more appropriate this time around--because of the emergence of competition from mobile phones, I mean.  I have to admit, though, I don't really follow the mobile industry very closely, and I wouldn't be surprised to find that I'm totally full of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- on this one.  

By the way, one thing I didn't mention about competition from mobile phones is software price.  I think the most expensive iOS game I've ever seen was like $10 or something.  And $2-$4 is what you can typically expect.  A new PSP or DS game costs ten to twenty times a typical iOS game.  That could (or should) be a problem.  

[shmokes]

The Sony NGP was official announced yesterday afternoon in JP here the link to the US PSblog post it looks real promising.http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/01/27/next-generation-portable-ngp-all-the-early-details/  As for those saying portable games should be short quick games why not be able to play both it's nice every once in awhile to be able to lay down on a bed relax and kill a few hours on a portable.

Interesting.  Hardware-wise, it seems like a much more attractive system than the DS.  The touch-pad on the back should nullify most of the feature advantages of the DS, especially since the front screen is also touch (capacitive, no less). 

I expect it's going to cost a fortune, though.  A quad-core A9 processor, 3G and Wifi, 5 inch OLED display, 2 cameras, . . . Hardware-wise, it has every single thing that smartphones have and more.  The newest mobile phones and tablets are just now going dual-core A9, and off-contract, phones typically sell for $600+.  It would make sense for the phone companies to make a big profit on the hardware, though, since they have no future software royalties to look forward to.  So maybe it won't be so bad.  But seriously, Sony needs to hit $299, I think.  You'd think they'd have learned from the PS3 and PSP.

[shmokes]

I doubt the use of Sony's phone function of the PSP2.  I think it will crap out just like their failed UMD format in the first PSPs.  It won't crap because it sucks.  It will crap because who will use it as opposed to the phone they already have?

The "Playstation Phone" (i.e., Xperia Play) is not the same thing as the PSP2.  That thing is meant to be your phone, not something you have in addition to your current phone.  And it's not going to play PSP2 software.  Presumably it will play certain PSP games, and Playstation ports.  But that thing is just an Android phone running Sony emulators, I think.  And, of course, it has really great gaming controls for a phone.

[DaveMMR]

As for those saying portable games should be short quick games why not be able to play both it's nice every once in awhile to be able to lay down on a bed relax and kill a few hours on a portable.

That's fine - but it seemed like the PSP reveled in PS2 games that were meant for longer gaming sessions and focused less on the "killing-time-while-waiting-for-a-bus".   

Heh . . . I didn't know that PSP games took a long time to boot up.  I've never actually touched one, I don't think. 

Really depends on the title but comparatively speaking, load times for a portable aren't ideal.  It may be why Sony is ditching the UMD drive.  Playing Burnout Paradise if fun, but there's a little bit of waiting between screens.   

That being said, the Sony NGP does look like a cool device - but hopefully they'll keep the price down.

[Necroticart]

That being said, the Sony NGP does look like a cool device - but hopefully they'll keep the price down.

I can definitely see them trying to keep the same price point as the 3DS. If they can do that I think more people will skip out on a 3DS and wait for the NGP I know i'm going to. Plus with all the leaks from various developers it seems they have solid 3rd part support.

[SNAAKE]

why are you guys complaining about "time engaging games"? you have the option. you can simply choose not to play those games. psp has "quick games" too. but games like mgs peacewalker is...lame. I am not trying to play all that hide n shoot stuff on a small-ass screen with frustrating controls...

I agree sony needs to work on better library. I am guessing psp2 will have touchscreen games like DS has now.


I love my psp though. simply because I can play all my favorite cps1/cps2 games on the go.

[Mikezilla]

See, to me, it seems like its a demographic kind of thing. The handhelds are geared more towards kids anyway. I dont know anyone my age that even owns a handheld. Who the hell rides the bus anyway? Jesus. I barely have time to play games on my system at home, let alone spending that kind of money to try and justify having a handheld. If I even had to travel for work or something, I would have emulators on my laptop. Being older, it just seems like a pointless arguement. Its for kids. I swear, the Game Boy was designed to keep kids quiet on car rides.

[DaveMMR]

That being said, the Sony NGP does look like a cool device - but hopefully they'll keep the price down.

I can definitely see them trying to keep the same price point as the 3DS.

You mean like they did when they announced the PS3?   

why are you guys complaining about "time engaging games"? you have the option. you can simply choose not to play those games. psp has "quick games" too.

True, but the PSP library seemed to rely on titles that were shrunken down PS2 (or PS3) games.  Plus the load time detracted from the whole "pick up and play" motif handhelds are meant for (though the downloadable titles alleviated that a bit).   

[Mikezilla]

haha see! That proves my point right there! Us older kids can afford to buy the big expensive home consoles. The DS is selling well because of the kids, and the games they have for em.

Even though I did play Contra 4 on DS and man. That ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- was hard as ---fudgesicle---. 

[hypernova]

I doubt the use of Sony's phone function of the PSP2.  I think it will crap out just like their failed UMD format in the first PSPs.  It won't crap because it sucks.  It will crap because who will use it as opposed to the phone they already have?

The "Playstation Phone" (i.e., Xperia Play) is not the same thing as the PSP2.  That thing is meant to be your phone, not something you have in addition to your current phone.  And it's not going to play PSP2 software.  Presumably it will play certain PSP games, and Playstation ports.  But that thing is just an Android phone running Sony emulators, I think.  And, of course, it has really great gaming controls for a phone.

Yup, found that out today.  In light of that, I have even more skepticism for the Xperia Play or whatever it ends up being called, if it's a phone that plays OLD games.  I can play PSP and PSX games on my original custom firmware PSP.  And my original argument still stands on why anyone would ever want to switch to it.

Since the PSP2 is a different machine, I wonder what it will truly bring to the table, besides being an upgraded PSP with motion controls, touch screen, and better resolution which is the gist of what I'm seeing.  I think they'll need to do something more than just tout their specs.

[ChadTower]

I just realized there is a bag in my truck the kids left there from our last road trip.  In the bag is an original Gameboy and a Game Gear and a ton of games for each.  A GBA SP, too, I think.  The whole idea that kids won't play the older systems is foolish.  They'll play anything you give them.  I didn't even give them these systems, actually.  They are the systems they chose that day out of the collection in our basement.

My 11 year old's favorite system by far is the Vectrex probably followed by the Virtual Boy.

I think a lot of the reason many kids won't play any of the older games is they have never seen them.  Give them some time to poke around a good selection and you may be surprised at what they are using after a couple days.

I have nothing useful to add on the 3DS or PSP2 debate.  Odds are low I'll buy either one until I find them at a yard sale.

[shmokes]

Motion controls on a handheld system are just about the dumbest thing ever.

I've played some really good iOS games that use motion controls.  Super Monkey Ball is perfectly suited to motion controls (though I've never liked the game, other people seem to go bananas over it).  Of course there are some great uses of motion controls that clever developers can come up with.  And they're so inexpensive to add anymore it seems like omitting them would be about the dumbest thing ever.

[ChadTower]

other people seem to go bananas over it

 

[shmokes]

 

[RandyT]

Something interesting to note:  Gamestop had a sign up offering $100 off a 3DS with the trade in of a used DS.  That seemed really high to me.  Perhaps an indicator of some sort?

You might think about holding off on that.  I just read an in-depth preview on either Engadget or Joystiq (forget which) where they were allowed to play with final hardware for a long time.  It didn't sound very good.  Some of them ended up with pounding headaches from the 3D effects, and the 3D effects sound pretty bad.  The viewing angle with 3D on is like 1 degree.  Any movement causes it to go blurry or to destroy the 3D effect altogether, so you have to keep your arms perfectly stiff while playing.  Most of the games that used 3D didn't use it for any purpose other than gimmick, too.  The article concluded that most of the reviewers would end up using the device in 2D mode most of the time.

Excuse me, is this the same shmokes from the Kinect thread?  These are all things that I predicted would be the result of the technology being used.  You can get away with this on a stationary unit, like a movie poster, but something that is moving around in your hand is going to be tough.  I expect that "2D mode" will also have a degraded image quality due to the lenticular grating.

I don't think the OP will have to worry about a pre-order, but I've been wrong before.

[shmokes]

The same one.  I'm sure I haven't written anything here that contradicts anything I've said there.

[Howard_Casto]

I say hold off on the 3ds because the launch titles aren't there, but it will be the portable to get.  As expensive as the 3ds is going to be, odds are the psp2 will be even more expensive... couple that with the fact that sony couldn't make a true portable game if they kidnapped Miyamoto and locked him in their software dev room and it's a no-brainer which one to get.

But I would wait... the launch titles just aren't there, but by christmas time (at which point you sure as hell better pre-order before xmas) they will be.

I saw on a nintendo dev blog some of the innovative stuff they are trying with the 3ds.  One of the main things they are trying is using the motion sensors (which include a gyroscope this time) to determine the portables exact position, thus allowing developers to use it as a moveable viewport on a full world.  You move the 3ds around to look at different parts of the world or aim!  They are also working on a submarine game where the viewscreen acts as the periscope and you sit in a swivel chair and twirl around to move the scope! 

Ignore the 3d.... the 3d is a gimmick and if it works it works and if not it doesn't.  The 3ds purposefully has as much procesing power as well as every type of  sensor and device they could possibly fit in a portable that size for that price point.  It's designed to have room to grow... something that has never happened on a nintendo portable.

[shmokes]

It's designed to have room to grow... something that has never happened on a nintendo portable.

What do you mean by this?

[Howard_Casto]

It's designed to have room to grow... something that has never happened on a nintendo portable.

What do you mean by this?

Nintendo added hardware and processing power that the 3ds isn't currently using (although the processor does come close to maxing out on ultra-detailed games while in 3d mode).  Generally nintendo would design a portable by battery life and by how cheaply it can be built.  This is the first time they decided on the specs first and adjusted the price-point afterwards.  Basically what I mean is usually launch titles on a nintendo portable look about as good as it's ever going to get on that hardware and use most or all of the features on said-hardware.... this time the launch titles will only scrape the surface.  Also it's a single multi-purpose chip powering the system... they can make add-ons easily and have them run on the extra processing power.

[ChadTower]

I never understood the point of high end graphics on such a tiny screen.  That's what Nintendo does right more than anything else.  Fun over tiny graphics you can't really see anyway.

[RandyT]

Nintendo added hardware and processing power that the 3ds isn't currently using (although the processor does come close to maxing out on ultra-detailed games while in 3d mode). 

This statement makes the rest of what you wrote sound like marketing dookie.  In order to process the 3D, they needed a processor that was up to the task.  What they did, was design a system that could basically manage what it needed to do while in 3D mode, but when running in 2D, has plenty of processing power left over because the cycles normally handed to the 3D display routines are freed up.  I don't know if I would consider that some revolutionary new approach on Nintendo's part.  It's a byproduct of the 3D component just being in the system.

[SithMaster]

If Amazon has enough in stock from the first manufacturing run to cover all preorders then yes otherwise no.  It depends on demand and also which retail outlet has more influence in getting more units than another store.  I wouldn't be surprised if Gamestop works out a deal with Nintendo to get a larger share of them to hurt their competition.

Regarding whether either the next psp or the 3ds is worth buying at launch or not, in my opinion not really.  I have both a DS lite and a psp currently.  The PSP gets used a lot mainly because of Monster Hunter though I don't play on a bus or anything.  I walk to my friend's house and four of us go on quests.  The other games I own are ports from ps2 (disgea) and wii (tenchu).  The DS hasn't been played since Knights in the Nightmare came out (which I bought for the psp recently too  ).  The only game I played for a decent length of time on it was Advance Wars Days of Ruin (loved that game).

So if I was going to buy the new psp or ds I'd probably go with the psp.  Why?  Monster Hunter.  I'm sure the 3d effect on the ds will be used creatively for gameplay, but based on the current lineup I don't want to rebuy games I have just because they felt like remaking and porting them.  I've done that with Knights in the Nightmare (see above) and I don't like finding out that if I had waited for something I couldn't have known about it would have been better.

[shmokes]

I don't like finding out that if I had waited for something I couldn't have known about it would have been better.

LMAO . . . I've never thought of it that way before.

[ChadTower]

I don't like finding out that if I had waited for something I couldn't have known about it would have been better.

LMAO . . . I've never thought of it that way before.

I don't think anyone with a penis has ever said that before.

[jamieoliver22]

Coming from someone who has actually experienced playing on the 3DS, I can safely say that the 3D effects do work really well and don't give you bad headaches. Nor is the viewing angle that bothersome at all.

And the 3DS isn't just a 're-hash', it is the successor to the DS and brings a lot more to the table than just '3D'. And I agree about the fact that it has room to grow, we've only seen the surface of what the 3DS will be able to offer for developers.

And I suggest that you do pre-order it, as it will sell out like hot cakes, and they're aren't too many around.

[shmokes]

I gotta say, I have never in my entire life tried to order hot cakes only to find that they were sold out.   

[RandyT]

I gotta say, I have never in my entire life tried to order hot cakes only to find that they were sold out.   

...or high-priced Nintendo handhelds, which a major gaming retailer is offering generous trade-in deals on to boost pre-orders, I'm guessing