Roundtable: Should You Buy A Nintendo 3DS?

The Nintendo 3DS is quickly making its arrival worldwide with its launch in Europe this Friday and Sunday in North America. We had the opportunity to see the 3DS first hand at its reveal at last year’s E3 but nearly ten months later it has finally made its way to retailers. Retailing at a $250 price point, the glasses free handheld comes with a bit of a reluctance as consumers are finding it hard to justify a figure that nearly rivals an entry level console for an upgraded successor. After much discussion, the MonsterVine staff came together and shared their thoughts on Nintendo 3DS so read on!

Minus the Attractive Girls

Welcome to the first MonsterVine roundtable featuring an assortment of fellow games bloggers coming together to discuss topics on, or related to the subject of video games. We are very fortunate, for our first one, to have a big panel that includes Sarah (Nintendo Editor/Reviewer), Trevor (News Editor), Vincent (Associate Editor), Francis (Senior Editor), Jackie (KHU Community Manager), and Diego (Reviews Editor). I am Will, the Editor-in-Chief of MonsterVine and will be moderating the roundtable. Thank you all for joining the discussion.

Will (moderator):

So now that the Nintendo 3DS is officially revealed and all, what do you think of its price point first and foremostly? Is the $250 cost a steep barrier for a handheld or is it justifiable considering…?

Sarah:

Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about it (because it has a remake of my all time favorite in its lineup, and many more great games), but the price tag is a bit steep at the moment (but a bit justified considering all its bells and whistles).

3DS preorders have surpassed the Nintendo Wii

Diego:

I still can’t get over the fact that for just a few more dollars I could get a PS3 or 360 which just feels insane. I still say that everyone should wait a year or two for Nintendo to pop out the 3dsi/lite which may possibly be cheaper, it will also contain a bunch of new hardware features just like how the dsi did to the dslite. That’s not to mention that each game Nintendo keeps hyping up are just remakes of games we played years ago with the exception of a few like Kid Icarus, Paper Mario, and RE: Revelations. Another thing that bothers me is that you have to be looking directly at the screen or else you won’t get the 3D effect which is a huge hit since not everyone sits there with their ds right directly in their face. The 3DS feels like just a big gimmick with Nintendo getting to show off it’s huge member to all the other companies saying “LOOK WE GOT 3D WITH NO GLASSES!”. I know I said before that touch-controls on the ds was a gimmick but enough game developers took advantage of it to make it work, but the 3D is simply just a cheap effect that takes away power that could be used to make great looking games on the 3DS.

Francis:

The $250 is definitely the biggest issue I have with the 3DS, but with all things when it comes to gaming, it really comes down to the software that the platform offers–and at the very least I can say it’s the most impressive I’ve seen so far for any handheld. Nevertheless, I’m still on the fence on whether I’ll be picking this up at launch, or waiting for a bundle or even this ‘lite’ version that Diego already mentioned. I’m already tight this year on my gaming budget so as a consumer who doesn’t have money growing off a tree in my backyard, Nintendo would really need to sell me on their line-up to make this happen.

I disagree with Diego’s comment about the 3D being a cheap effect that takes away power that could be used to make great-looking games. The 3D slider has always been advertised as being something that can be turned off. This is indicative of Nintendo understanding that some people may not want to be using the 3D effect at all times, and also indicates that they’re aware that their games must perform and look great when there is 3D on or off. All preliminary previews of the 3DS have praised the graphical presentation of their games, and it’s safe to say that 3D effects aside, the graphics of the 3DS have been upped significantly from its DS predecessor. To me, the option of 3D has a bigger influence on game design than it does on graphical fidelity.

3D Gaming Without the Glasses

Trevor:

I am actually excited that the 3DS will be priced at $249.99. It talked about that the system was going to go for $300, so I think this was a nice surprise considering how much went into the development for the system. I do understand that for $50 more you can get a PS3, or a 360 slim, but the 3DS will be great for mobility, allowing you to play it wherever you want. Some of the games they have shown off so far, look great, making it hard to believe that this handheld system has that much power behind it. I have been without a handheld system for a long time, mainly because nothing has interested me until now. I covered the announcement for the website, and I have to say, I was thoroughly excited writing the list of games that have been announced, and checking out trailers and screen shots for several of those games. I have to say this is a must buy for me.

I have heard that the games will be between $40 and $50, and that has me a little concerned. There are some titles coming out, many of which I want to play, but that will conflict with titles that I plan I buying for my PS3. So that will be my only issue going into the release of the 3DS.

Will (moderator):

Price point has certainly been a factor but not as significant as nostalgia, with Nintendo aiming the Nintendo 3DS early adopters at core gamers. The tone of the 3DS device was set very vividly at last year’s E3 conference. I recall, strong first-party and third-party support and the surprise announcement of Kid Icarus for the new handheld. How much does nostalgia, i.e. playing remakes or remastered 3D editions of your favorite childhood Nintendo games, play into your decision in buying a 3DS?

Remastered Ocarina of Time

Vincent:

Nostalgia doesn’t really do much for me. If I want to revisit an old friend, I just go back to that specific game. I have to say, though… The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D has me psyched.

Sarah:

Ocarina of Time, I can understand. However, we don’t even know if the Paper Mario game is a brand new game or a remake yet.

Diego:

It’s actually a bit of a turn off. Sure I was a bit excited during E3 when they started announcing all the stuff but then I sat back and realized all Nintendo did was say “HEY LOOK WE’VE GOT ALL THESE OLD GAMES YOU PLAYED ALREADY BUT NOW IN 3D!”. They already said OOT will have no extra content besides a minor graphic update and I expect to see the same treatment for most of the other remakes, if not less content. I don’t see why people would want to buy the same game another time, hell I’ve had 4 copies of OOT (N64, GameCube, Wiiware, & PC emulator) and I have no intention of paying full price for it again when it’s just a few graphic updates, a little 3D added in, and besides the fact that the same game is just $5 on the VC and I *think* it even includes Master Quest. Hopefully this E3 they show all new games for the system and not hype up games we played 5+ years ago.

Slippy says Do a Barrel Roll in 3D!

Francis:

While I’m all for new IPs and brand new games, I’m not entirely against the idea of seeing some classic titles being remade in 3D for the 3DS as a ‘launch incentive’. It taps into two motivations. Simply advertising the platform taps into the gamer’s excitement for something new (3D without glasses on a handheld), but adding some old classics to that platform also taps into the gamer’s nostalgia for an old game that they remember loving from their childhood. Let’s not forget how the younger audiences would be introduced to these beloved franchises for the first time in a refreshing way.

As a launch platform, I think this decision is well-made. However, this only works because it’s during launch. If Nintendo decides that for the next 2-3 years it’s going to only start shelling out remakes, then there lies a problem. After this year, I’m expecting Nintendo to start introducing new content into the pool of 3DS games.

Trevor:

I think the selling point for me had to be the announcement of Ocarnia of Time, and Start Fox coming to the 3DS. I don’t know how much life my Nintendo 64 has left in it, so I know that with this new system, I’ll be able to revisit those titles whenever I want, even if my 64 dies on me. I also like the idea of me playing Ocarina of Time, or Star Fox whenever I am away from home.

Jackie:

I don’t care for gamining nostalgia, well, not enough to care about a third reapparance anyways (I’m looking at you, Paper Mario; OOT, I’m not even going to touch). I’m looking forward to fresh, new games and not rehash that I’ve already hashed on more powerful consoles.

Will (moderator):

Alright, so a general consensus that nostalgia is not a significant factor in your willingness to purchase a Nintendo 3DS. Fair enough, we’ve probably had enough Marios and Zeldas for the time being. Now, I want to point your attention to the specific features of 3DS, specifically, the online realm. I am of the opinion that Nintendo has never taken its online presence very seriously with what, the mess that is Friend Codes and its archaic infrastructure. Now with the 3DS brings unified FC, Street Pass, Spot Pass connectivity, yet not much has been said of its downloadable front. It has been said that Nintendo’s greatest competitor is not Sony/Microsoft, it is Apple. Apple has set the bar for its accessibility of downloadable games.

So, my question, is 3DS online gaming personally important to you? Do you ever expect Nintendo to offer retail-level 3DS games for download?

Sarah:

Online gaming on a handheld I’ve never cared much for–that’s what a PC is for.

We're hoping 3DSware is better

Vincent:

Online features really depend on the game you’re playing. For Pokémon, online trading and battling has become a staple of the series since the first DS Pokémon games. I would like to see other competitions be held online, though. Those of you who have played Pokémon SoulSilver Version or its counterpart will remember the Pokéathlon, which only had a local wireless competition mode. The same goes for Super Contests from Pokémon Platinum Version.

There are some games that I would expect to have no online compatibility at all. A decent single-player RPG could go without it, for example. Other games almost demand online compatibility, such as the Mario Kart and Pokémon series, just to mention a few.

The hardware Friend Code thing is what they should have done to start with, along with having that be transferable along with the saved wireless data. Lastly, if the Nintendo DSi Shop has taught us anything, it’s that it was only good for a free calculator. I hope to see better downloadable games on the 3DS.

Apple is Nintendo Biggest Competitor

Trevor:

Well as of right now, I probably wont be doing that much online gaming on the 3DS, however I may come to love it, so I should wait on that one. But I think it’s right in saying that Apple will be the biggest competitor to Nintendo. It seems smart phones, most notably the iPhone, has done great with the hand-held market, and I do believe that any hand-held system that Nintendo makes, and Sony for that matter, will have to compete with future smart phones.

I personally love owning a retail version of a game, in fact, I prefer buying CDs than buying an album online, but at the same, I love the idea of digital copies of games, I would like to see Nintendo really push that market for the 3DS. I think that would turn people on to the online features of 3DS. It be awesome to be able to purchase a game on the road at anytime you like. But if they do this, my only hope is that they would make it a simple process, and not a confusing one that would make me feel like it is more convenient to just run over to GameStop and pick up a retail version of the game.

Tell us about Nintendo 3DS

Are you getting one launch day? What games are you interested in? If not, is price a factor in your decision?