Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

[Firewind]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

I asked around at a local Game (basically a big chain gaming store in the UK) and asked the manager about the 3DS and price drops. They had already cut the prices to £200 ($326) though second hand ones were actually quite cheap at £130 ($212). I asked if they had any factory sealed second hand 3DS in stock and after checking the manager found one for me.

Now I know I've bitched about the console having region locked games; but I'm hardly going to complain about getting a brand new one at that price in the UK. To sum it up, I picked up a factory sealed 3DS, Zelda: OoT and a soft case thrown in for a total of £170 ($277) which is less than the console itself in the UK.

After testing I did find out some things about the 3DS and playing import games:

1) It has no problems with playing American and Japanese DS games.
2) 3DS games are region locked but while it's a pain to do so, it's not particularly difficult to hack a 3DS to play imports. I'm not sure how future software updates will effect this.

Also:

3) The GTS hack for Pokemon games still works on the 3DS and is probably easier to get to work due to the 3DS being far easier to set up for wireless connectivity then the DS.
4) Action Replay carts for the DS don't work (though I haven't tried an AR for the DSi since I don't have one)

And finally:

5) Copy protection on 3DS games still sucks and it's laughably easy to copy a 3DS game to something like an R4. Nintendo really haven't put in much of a deterrent for pirates and region locking games will only exacerbate this problem. Given that there will be no legal way for people to play import games in a 3DS, bravo to Nintendo for encouraging piracy and making their games incredibly easy to pirate instead of preventing it!. As least Sony's near constant firmware updates for the PSP is doing SOMETHING to deter the pirates.

[Armando]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

4) Action Replay carts for the DS don't work (though I haven't tried an AR for the DSi since I don't have one)

That's probably it. Flash carts (e.g. R4) for the DS don't work but those for the DSi almost always work.

5) Copy protection on 3DS games still sucks and it's laughably easy to copy a 3DS game to something like an R4. Nintendo really haven't put in much of a deterrent for pirates and region locking games will only exacerbate this problem.

Does it really matter how easy it is to copy a 3DS game if no one's been able to (or put any effort into, at least) make a 3DS flash cart?

At any rate if history's taught us anything it's that every console will be hacked sooner or later.

As least Sony's near constant firmware updates for the PSP is doing SOMETHING to deter the pirates.

Not sure what...you can even hack PSP-3000's these days I believe. Finding the encryption key made it super easy.

[Firewind]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

The firmware updates tend to be required to play games coming after said update. It's not a huge deterrent since it just means that you can't play new games until your custom firmware is updated but it's something. It's not even intrusive or inconvenient like other forms of copy protection.

[Armando]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

The firmware updates tend to be required to play games coming after said update. It's not a huge deterrent since it just means that you can't play new games until your custom firmware is updated but it's something. It's not even intrusive or inconvenient like other forms of copy protection.

True. To Nintendo's credit, they do the same thing with the Wii.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

bravo to Nintendo for encouraging piracy and making their games incredibly easy to pirate instead of preventing it![/B]. As least Sony's near constant firmware updates for the PSP is doing SOMETHING to deter the pirates.

Except you can't play the copy. Kind of a big detail to leave out.

Additionally, go have a peek at your Activity Log.

It logs the R4 if you use it. Nintendo does take data from the Activity Log to ensure people that rate games in the eShop have actually played them. And maybe to check and see who uses R4s.

Just saying don't go crying to anyone if Nintendo decides to remote brick the thing at some point.

-------

That aside Game and other store are price dropping early so people who aren't technically early adopters can get in on the Ambassador program. I believe US Wal-Marts have, dunno about Gamestop yet.

[DakAttack]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

What are some good co-op games for the 3DS? I'll probably pick it up, and Pokemon Black or White, but I'm also interested in some co-op. I'm not very familiar with DS and 3DS games, though.

[Armando]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

Just saying don't go crying to anyone if Nintendo decides to remote brick the thing at some point.

I wouldn't be surprised if they do, but I wonder if they have legal rights to do that. Just like it's not illegal to download an emulator (it's the ROMs that are illegal), the R4 can be used for legitimate homebrew (even if most people do not.)

I know the R4 got banned in Japan, but what about North American users?

[Icemage]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

I wouldn't be surprised if they do, but I wonder if they have legal rights to do that. Just like it's not illegal to download an emulator (it's the ROMs that are illegal), the R4 can be used for legitimate homebrew (even if most people do not.)

I know the R4 got banned in Japan, but what about North American users?

Pretty sure the R4 skirts the DMCA in the USA. It's quasi-legal at best, depending on how airtight you happen to think the Digital Millenium Copyright Act is in the realm of circumvention of security measures.

I'm not sure where it stands with respect to Canada and Mexico, however.


Icemage

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

What are some good co-op games for the 3DS? I'll probably pick it up, and Pokemon Black or White, but I'm also interested in some co-op. I'm not very familiar with DS and 3DS games, though.

3DS

I don't do a lot of co-op on handhelds, but RE: Mercs is one off the top of my head that is co-op locally and online. Street Fighter and DoA: Dimensions are both solid portable fighters, though I suppose of the two DoA feels a bit more cozy even if the online multiplayer code isn't a solid as SSFIV3D's (I can do both fine, but DoA uses the analog pad better).

Star Fox 64 3D will have local multiplayer, but that's out closer to the start of September. Kid Icarus Uprising has online mulitplayer, I think that's hitting November, though.

There was supposed to be a co-op feature for Samurai Warriors Chronicle but I lost interest in it eventually and never could stand waiting for it to be added via Spotpass (3DS automatic DLC, basically)

Keep your eye out for Heroes of Ruin, its by the Marvel Ultimate Alliance team and SE is publishing it. Its more or less your Diablo/Gauntlet kind of dungeon with local and online co-op and more. That hits next year sometime.

There's not a whole heck of a lot of co-op I can think of for 3DS right now, but its still a young system, so give that time.

Since you like Pokemon, though (and this isn't multiplayer) you might want to give Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked a go. Its got Pokemon-style play in a strategy RPG. Though rather than catch them pokemon style or negotiate SMT-style you're buying the services of demons through a daily "online" auction to battle off a demon outbreak in Tokyo in this case. SE fanboys say its copying The World Ends With you, but Shin Megami Tensei games were doing demon outbreaks in Shibuya Terminal back in the 90s.

Plus it has a choice system with multiple endings and endgames.

DS

Phantasy Star Zero is good locally and online.

If you're into classic western-style RPGs (just slightly post the wireframe era) Etrian Odyssey III has turn-based local co-op, but its pretty hardcore stuff (in the open-the-door, you're-dead kind of way).

Infinite Space had local Vs. multiplayer. This one comes from Nude Maker, the guys behind Steel Battallion for the Xbox and its published by Platinum games.. You can customize ship weapons and internal stuff as well. Its mostly kept strictly 2D point-and-click outside of the space battles, but its fun stuff.

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin isn't co-up, but the local multiplayer is always solid. If you like your strategy games, this one doesn't disappoint. There's even a full-fledged map editor and you can share creations with friends.

There's plenty more.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

The NES games are up a day early.

Ambassadors can access them by going to your eShop download history and choosing "redownload." The games will be present in that list.

Its a bit tedious that they did it that way because you have to re-enter that menu each time to download each game, but I guess that way they don't tease people on the storefront with them. It won't be as unbearable when they do it with the GBA games.

The complete list of NES games has become:

Super Mario Bros.
Zelda
Zelda II
Metroid
Ice Climbers
Donkey Kong Jr.
Balloon Fight
NES Tournament Golf
Wrecking Crew
Yoshi

NES Tournament Golf and Wrecking Crew are kinda iffy picks, but I guess I can't complain considering the rest of them, though it does make me regret dropping money on the VC versions of the Zelda games a few months ago. Guess I can take them off my to do list for my Wii, though, as this would be a more ideal way to revisit them for my ongoing Zelda marathon.

[Icemage]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

So yeah remember that Ambassador program that was supposed to make early adopters of the 3DS feel all warm and fuzzy?

Hold on to that warm fuzzy feeling, because...

Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Add-on is Real, Here's Your First Horrifying Look

I'd still classify this under "rumor" but it's now being reported by three different sources (originally reported by French site 01net, who got widely criticized for such a crazy rumor), but now picked up independently (with pics?!) by Famitsu and a separate confirmation from Mark MacDonald of Japanese game translation company 8-4 Ltd.

I'm having some trouble wrapping my head around why Nintendo would even consider adding a right side slider to a 3DS and (again) piss off their already pissed-off early adopters.

So yeah... did someone put something in the world's water supply and we're all hallucinating today?


Icemage

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

Believe it when I see it, really.

Either way, I don't see a point to it until they do an XL version or whatever, but it I don't see how its supposed to be rage inducing, either. Being an early adopter isn't always what its cracked up to be, just ask the folks that bought a PS3 at launch for $599. I knew I was paying more than I should at launch, I just wanted one. Hell PS3 dropped in price like a month after I got mine at $300, no rage here.

I didn't flip out when the XL came out a year after the DSi and I never got the XL.

But I don't buy handhelds to have every console experience replicated. If both Vita and 3DS have dual analog, I can't help but feel we'll see and even larger trend of ports than we already do for portables. I'm all for a few here and there, I'm fine with them being a starting point, but I don't want handhelds To be just like consoles in every respect, it will just encourage developer laziness long-term.[COLOR="Silver"]


But I don't buy handhelds to have every console experience replicated. If both Vita and 3DS have dual analog, I can't help but feel we'll see and even larger trend of ports than we already do for portables. I'm all for a few here and there, I'm fine with them being a starting point, but I don't want handhelds To be just like consoles in every respect, it will just encourage developer laziness long-term.

[Icemage]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

Believe it when I see it, really.

Real or fake? You decide.




Icemage

[Kailea]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

mmm something about Monster Hunter Tri there too.......

but really if this is real.... the hell -.- I honestly expect no less then 3 versions of the 3DS, all the past handhelds have had 3, but to do this so soon -.- I think the 3DS would have been better off staying in development another year or two......

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Nintendo 3DS to see $80 price drop, rewards early adopters

Real or fake? You decide.

I was talking about the system itself, not the peripheral that was confirmed for Monster Hunter to prevent "the claw."