I know that this isn't the first place you've seen that question pop up. It's being discussed all around the internet these past few days, and it's only going to grow as the weeks roll on. While we're usually accustomed to talking about Nintendo's runaway success with new platform launches, the 3DS seems to be marred by all kinds of issues. Is it simply too early to talk about the 3DS having a rocky future, or has the curse of Nintendo's 3D aspirations come back to bite them once again?
Like I said, we are still very early in the life of the 3DS. To discuss the entire platform's lifespan as in trouble is simply something that can't be taken seriously at this point. It's going to be quite awhile before we can look at the 3DS as a platform that's either picking up steam or petering out before it really got a chance to shine. All we can do right now is look at the evidence that's floating around lately.
First off, it doesn't seem that the 3DS is sold out anywhere. You should be able to find a retailer in your area that has the 3DS in stock. We're still not sure if this is a case of Nintendo supplying enough units at launch, or Nintendo overestimating demand for the platform out of the starting gate. Seeing 3DS' sitting on store shelves so soon after launch is pretty odd, and I'm sure it's not making the Big N very happy. You can bet that Nintendo would rather deal with shortages than a surplus.
The situation may be even worse in Japan. After taking the charts for over a month, the 3DS has now lost the top hardware spot to the PSP. That's honestly very surprising considering just how quickly the 3DS sold out at Japanese launch. Did Japan really snatch up the system in the first couple of days, only to lose interest just a few weeks later? That would seem like a ridiculously fickle market to me, but that's not my call to make.
Are consumers holding back due to the software situation? While I think the launch lineup is great, there are many people that didn't see anything compelling for the platform on day one. We're going to see a few titles trickle in over the next few weeks, but some of the truly big guns are going to hit in June. Is that when we're going to see a massive rush to the stores for most gamers? Hardware is only as good as the software on it, and it seems that most consumers aren't ready to vote with their money just yet.
Also, I can't help but wonder if Nintendo's warning for little children and 3D has come to really hurt them. Young kids and Nintendo portables have always been a match made in heaven, but when you slap a warning for the youngsters to stay away, you're definitely going to impact the market in some way. For every parent that knows you can turn the 3D off, there are hundreds more that have no idea that's a feature. They just know that their kid isn't old enough to view 3D, so they aren't getting a 3DS.
What do you guys have to say about the 3DS? If you were among Nintendo's top brass, would you be worried about the sales thus far? Is this something that'll fix itself when software really gets going, or is it a sign of the times? You can't help but wonder if Nintendo underestimated the current gaming-on-the-go market. There are a number of factors at play here, but no one can really say what the main contributors are.
source: GoNintendo | http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=155349
I think the thing hurting the 3DS is the quality of the launch games and the lacking features. They excited everyone with Star Fox 643DS and Ocarina of Time 3DS only to have them come out three or so months after the launch. The big features have yet to come (shop, browser, etc.).
Like I said, we are still very early in the life of the 3DS. To discuss the entire platform's lifespan as in trouble is simply something that can't be taken seriously at this point. It's going to be quite awhile before we can look at the 3DS as a platform that's either picking up steam or petering out before it really got a chance to shine. All we can do right now is look at the evidence that's floating around lately.
First off, it doesn't seem that the 3DS is sold out anywhere. You should be able to find a retailer in your area that has the 3DS in stock. We're still not sure if this is a case of Nintendo supplying enough units at launch, or Nintendo overestimating demand for the platform out of the starting gate. Seeing 3DS' sitting on store shelves so soon after launch is pretty odd, and I'm sure it's not making the Big N very happy. You can bet that Nintendo would rather deal with shortages than a surplus.
The situation may be even worse in Japan. After taking the charts for over a month, the 3DS has now lost the top hardware spot to the PSP. That's honestly very surprising considering just how quickly the 3DS sold out at Japanese launch. Did Japan really snatch up the system in the first couple of days, only to lose interest just a few weeks later? That would seem like a ridiculously fickle market to me, but that's not my call to make.
Are consumers holding back due to the software situation? While I think the launch lineup is great, there are many people that didn't see anything compelling for the platform on day one. We're going to see a few titles trickle in over the next few weeks, but some of the truly big guns are going to hit in June. Is that when we're going to see a massive rush to the stores for most gamers? Hardware is only as good as the software on it, and it seems that most consumers aren't ready to vote with their money just yet.
Also, I can't help but wonder if Nintendo's warning for little children and 3D has come to really hurt them. Young kids and Nintendo portables have always been a match made in heaven, but when you slap a warning for the youngsters to stay away, you're definitely going to impact the market in some way. For every parent that knows you can turn the 3D off, there are hundreds more that have no idea that's a feature. They just know that their kid isn't old enough to view 3D, so they aren't getting a 3DS.
What do you guys have to say about the 3DS? If you were among Nintendo's top brass, would you be worried about the sales thus far? Is this something that'll fix itself when software really gets going, or is it a sign of the times? You can't help but wonder if Nintendo underestimated the current gaming-on-the-go market. There are a number of factors at play here, but no one can really say what the main contributors are.
source: GoNintendo | http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=155349
I think the thing hurting the 3DS is the quality of the launch games and the lacking features. They excited everyone with Star Fox 643DS and Ocarina of Time 3DS only to have them come out three or so months after the launch. The big features have yet to come (shop, browser, etc.).
![[Nook]](/data/avatars/m/1/1990.jpg?1585850325){kind=avatar}
