Stark wrote:I still say the problem comes back to the OP's original post: no games that are system sellers.
That's definitely part of the problem. They released the system with most of it's advertised features (like the eShop!) missing. They relied too heavily on what amounts to a straight port of Ocarina of Time moving systems. Obviously it didn't -- if you haven't played it already on N64, the GameCube bonus disc, Wii Virtual Console .. you're one of the few that doesn't know how badly it aged. Nostalgia is a great way to tug at the heartstrings of those of us in the 25-32 age group, but there is only so many times you are going to play the game game without any meaningful added content. Yes, they added the Master Quest .. but again, that's not new. A shiny 3D layer and some texture updates does not a compelling package make.
Someone commented above "as if the psp isn't filled with ports and remakes". Sure, it definitely is -- but almost all are meaningful. They've had major graphical overhauls, gameplay updates, extra content to play through. The stuff the 3DS has seen so far has all been cheap cash-ins, maybe with the exception of SSFIV. Even though that's technically a "port", it's the most fleshed out "game" that people have had the chance to buy, as opposed to a tech demo (Pilotwings) or a mish mash of content culled from already existing games (Resident Evil: The Mercenaries).
Anyhow, I think games is only a part of the problem. After all, every new system suffers from a lack of quality available games in the first six months of release. There are generally 1-3 that help sell systems, and a bunch of crap -- so that's not exclusively a problem to the 3DS.
One problem is the hardware itself -- the battery life is abysmal for a handheld released in 2011, apologists be damned. If third parties were able to alleviate the problem on release day, there's no excuse for Nintendo not to have stepped up to the plate. Telling people to keep it on the dock when it's not in use is simply not good enough. A 3hr play session is not unreasonable -- having your battery run out in that time period is. There are other concerns with the hardware (such as the stylus placement, analogue stick/d-pad placement, etc that boil down to personal preference/comfort) and of course the waiting game for the inevitable hardware refresh. Judging by the price drop announcement, that's likely to come even sooner into the lifespan than usual.
I think one of the largest (if not THE largest) problems they face is that the 3DS simply is not DIFFERENT enough in the eyes of the average consumer. Yes, in addition to the 3D gimmick, there's a major internal spec bump, but Joe Average neither sees nor cares about that. He sees the DS, the DS Lite, the DSi, the DSiXL and a rainbow of colours and thinks "Again? Why?" Remember, a large part of the market the DS captures is parents, average folks, people that aren't sitting at home on their 360 all day playing Call of Duty. Gamers are a more discerning bunch that need something compelling to play. Stuff they've already played or can play in a better expanded format (SSFIV?) is not attractive. Joe Average looks at the 3DS and thinks: "This thing plays all my kids existing DS games, so why do they need this?"
Nintendo should have waited until they had something like Mario 3D Land (is that really what they're calling it?) or Mario Kart ready before releasing the system. There was no need to release it as early as they did. Even if it had been released now, it's still months in advance of any competition! The eShop should have been there day one. The 10 3D NES Classics they expect to release (yes, that's it, only 10) should have been ready for consumers to choose from. The shop is empty of 3DS content! There are as of today, 4 games for the 3DS in the eShop, and 2 of those are 3D Classics. When you've got this piece of hardware and you're constantly being told stuff is coming, and yet your wallet is $250 lighter with nothing to show for it, it's tough to swallow.
Now they're offering 10 NES games and 10 GBA games to these so called ambassadors. Gee thanks Nintendo, more reliance on the past. Where's the new content? Where is the 3DS content more specifically? We can play and emulate NES and GBA on a bevy of different systems in an equally diverse number of ways. Playing a single-screen game on a fancy dual-screen device with nothing extra? No save states? This is a portable system after all, I can't always make it to an official save spot. Emulators seem to have that all figured out, what about you Nintendo? Where's the "x-factor" that makes us want to re-purchase your oldies again and again and again? Where's the killer app, the killer feature, the must-have?
There isn't a single one.
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