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

[Icemage]

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

The 50 games number was the TGS floor, no one really knew what to expect from the Nintendo conference itself in terms of games shown off til it happened.

Again, Nintendo hasn't shown up to TGS except as an afterthought in years. What makes you think they'll have more to show at TGS compared to an entire conference dedicated to the 3DS?

I wouldn't underestimate the how this could change things for 3DS as for as Monster Hunter goes.

Considering it's probably not coming until late 2012 at the earliest? Jury's out. It's good for the 3DS for sure, but if the Vita gets a version (esp. if it has superior functionality in terms of online play / save compatibility with PS3 / cross-platform play), it's entirely possible that the 3DS version gets shunned by the majority of the Monster Hunter crowd in Japan.

Think about it. 3DS is going to have Monster Hunter, Pokemon and some degree of functionality with Dragon Quest X for Wii and Wii U. Imagine people playing Monster Hunter or Pokemon while getting spotpass tags for Dragon Quest (be that treasure map trades or something more).

I... don't think people think SpotPass is cool. Not even in Japan, where you at least might reasonably bump into someone else on the street with a 3DS.

Moreover, it's not going to be the kingmaker in terms of which version of Monster Hunter someone might buy. Granted, there's probably a sizable minority who will buy all the versions (see: MonHun Portable 3rd HD on PS3's 1st week sales in Japan). But that's a minority, and Nintendo is obviously trying to get more than that slice of the demographic. Basically what Nintendo needs is for MH4 to be exclusive to 3DS/Wii U, and I find it hard to believe - even with Nintendo's sizable war chest - that there is enough money in the world for a moneyhat big enough to convince Capcom abandon ~5M Japanese PSP owners.

Still, I might be wrong about that exclusivity. Stranger things have happened, and if Nintendo has secured exclusivity with a suitcase filled with a billion yen, then that would indeed be a VERY good thing for the 3DS (at least in Japan - not so much in NA or EU since the brand is much weaker outside of the land of the Rising Sun). I don't see any mention of exclusivity anywhere, and if anyone had mentioned it yesterday, I'm sure it'd be all over the Japanese blogosphere, but that doesn't mean it's not there.

Monster Hunter was PSP's "Pokemon" as it were. The rug that held the room together. None of the imitators it spawned on PSP even managed to make a dent in its popularity. People will be all over MHT 3Gthis come December. silly analog nub peripheral or not. Well, in Japan, they will.

Knowing Capcom it will come to America whenever they damn well feel like it. Though they do seem to have some priority on Nintendo handheld releases (Megaman notwithstanding).

Yup.


Icemage

[DakAttack]

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

I think SpotPass is cool. I'm having fun collecting Miis from coworkers.

I'm hyped about Monster Hunter 4 on the 3DS. The concept video was rough, but it looked like a lot of systems were in place so I'm hoping it's due out sooner than later.

[Icemage]

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

Tacking this onto the thread: Apparently the 3DS Slide Pad attachment requires an AAA battery and will be priced around $20US. Seriously, Nintendo? You couldn't have put in an internal battery pack and made it extend the 3DS battery life instead of now having TWO batteries that can run out on you in the middle of a trip?

Not a deal-breaker, but it seems like a very inelegant solution.


Icemage

[Gobo]

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

I didn't see it mentioned but MGS: Snake Eater 3D, Resident Evil: Revelations, Ace Combat 3D, Dynasty Warriors Vs. and Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance (3D) will all support the add on second stick.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

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

Again, Nintendo hasn't shown up to TGS except as an afterthought in years. What makes you think they'll have more to show at TGS compared to an entire conference dedicated to the 3DS?

Christ, I'm sorry that I assumed you were smart enough to figure out what I meant when I simply said "There were 50 3DS games listed to be shown at TGS."

Apparently in your world it translated to " Nintendo will be showing off 50 games at TGS? BBQ is so crazy."

Its common knowledge Nintendo doesn't do TGS. I don't even know why you - who assumes I'm an absolute Nintendo fanboy - would even assume I didn't know that. I'm an enthusiast, sure, but I'm cynical enough to know Nintendo does this only because they want to be a scene stealer and not be part of the show.

And with the Monster Hunter announcements - which go for Sony's jugular - that's one hell of a scene. Naturally you would downplay it, but gamers in general seem to see a signifigance there you don't want to.

I'm not saying its over for Vita before it starts. I'm still getting a Vita - particulally because of Persona 4: The Golden - but the truth is the franchise Sony banked on is no longer exclusive and that's a big blow below the belt.

Considering it's probably not coming until late 2012 at the earliest? Jury's out. It's good for the 3DS for sure, but if the Vita gets a version (esp. if it has superior functionality in terms of online play / save compatibility with PS3 / cross-platform play), it's entirely possible that the 3DS version gets shunned by the majority of the Monster Hunter crowd in Japan.

Monster Hunter Tri 3G comes out in December 2011 in Japan for 3DS.

Gee, what is that conveniently timed against the Japanese launch of?

I... don't think people think SpotPass is cool. Not even in Japan, where you at least might reasonably bump into someone else on the street with a 3DS.

You'd be surprised. You can get tags if you go to the right places in any city, at least a few each day. As more people come to have the device, it becomes more common.

Moreover, it's not going to be the kingmaker in terms of which version of Monster Hunter someone might buy. Granted, there's probably a sizable minority who will buy all the versions (see: MonHun Portable 3rd HD on PS3's 1st week sales in Japan). But that's a minority, and Nintendo is obviously trying to get more than that slice of the demographic. Basically what Nintendo needs is for MH4 to be exclusive to 3DS/Wii U, and I find it hard to believe - even with Nintendo's sizable war chest - that there is enough money in the world for a moneyhat big enough to convince Capcom abandon ~5M Japanese PSP owners.

Considering we're talking about Monster Hunter Tri 3G for the immediate future here, I think you're seriously underestimating the impact. Monster Hunter Tri brought some needed flavor to the series, expanding not on just the weapons you used by introducing new sets of them, but also where battles took place, such as having a lot of water-based environments to hunt in.

Monster Hunter 4 seems to want you to scale cliffs and mountains in a more literal sense. These aren't departures, but natural evolutions of the series that add to the realism of the experience. Who wants to just run across flat land and into caves when you can have oceans to swim in and mountains to climb as well? These things happen to change the hunting angle as well.

The underwater fights in MHTri are among my favorites in the series thus far.

[Icemage]

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

And with the Monster Hunter announcements - which go for Sony's jugular - that's one hell of a scene. Naturally you would downplay it, but gamers in general seem to see a signifigance there you don't want to.

I'm not saying its over for Vita before it starts. I'm still getting a Vita - particulally because of Persona 4: The Golden - but the truth is the franchise Sony banked on is no longer exclusive and that's a big blow below the belt.

Outside of Japan, Monster Hunter is a tempest in a teacup (it IS a big tempest there, though). As for the Vita, as I said, unless there's a tremendously large moneyhat from Nintendo, it will probably get a version.

If anything, I'm puzzled that Capcom is going to force users to choose between incompatible platforms when they know Monster Hunter's primary success in Japan is built on the foundation of local multiplayer. Maybe their ace in the hole is that people can play together regardless of which platform they're on? That's the sort of innovation I could get behind (not that this would ever happen because Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft are usually douches when it comes to letting other people be cross-compatible with their hardware).

Monster Hunter Tri 3G comes out in December 2011 in Japan for 3DS.

Gee, what is that conveniently timed against the Japanese launch of?

I expect MH Tri 3G to do around 300K in December / Japan, maybe a shade more or less depending on where the 3DS weekly sales end up stabilizing in Japan. I don't really think it's going to impact Vita sales any more than it being "the holidays in general" would be, but that I'm not really expecting the Vita to do any better than the 3DS in its launch specifically because it is launching in the busy holiday time frame.

You'd be surprised. You can get tags if you go to the right places in any city, at least a few each day. As more people come to have the device, it becomes more common.

I'm sure it will become more common over time, but outside of major cities with public transportation (i.e. trains/subways), your average person isn't going to be exposed to huge numbers of strangers on a day to day basis. Japan has that sort of infrastructure everywhere. That's not really true anywhere else aside from a double handful of US cities (New York, San Francisco, Chicago, etc.) and a handful of European cities as well. StreetPass is cool, but it can only be as cool as the number of new people you encounter on an average day.

As for evolution in MH gameplay, it's nice to see some expansion beyond "run around, find tricky monster, kill it", but it's really the co-op play that makes the game shine, rather than the pure mechanics.


Icemage

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

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

Before Icemage goes and gleefully posts Reuter's article about Nintendo's stock dropping and them predicting the "end of an era," most gaming sites have posted the retractions Reuter's seemed to be unwilling to.

There was a slight dip right before the conference, but it was all part of your typical fluctuations that happen during the day, Nintendo's stock stabilized as the conference went forward Reuter's read too much into it and ran with it.

-------------------------------

Also, cross-platform play is a nice dream, but it will only be a dream accomplished by Final Fantasy XI and XIV, it seems.

Also, I believe Monster Hunter Portable 3rd made everyone start from scratch because they replaced weapons and armor from prior versions with a new set of weapons and armor. I think it was actually a mix of what came before and some of the stuff from Tri, but to keep the playing field level, everyone started from scratch on that version, even if they had played the prior PSP game.

Phantasy Star Portable 2 pulled that one as well, mostly due to the new systems and online play, though you could import your character's appearance over. It was actually a lower-poly model, which was kind of sad.

Would they do it again? Yeah, pretty much. Character transfers are a nice thought, but sometimes things don't always remain consistent from one game to the next. Even with the Mass Effect games letting you transfer your Shepard from one game to the next, you still have to start all over again on skills, weapons and armor. You just keep your character choices, really.

Transfers are a nice idea on paper, but limited in application.

[Icemage]

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

Before Icemage goes and gleefully posts Reuter's article about Nintendo's stock dropping and them predicting the "end of an era," most gaming sites have posted the retractions Reuter's seemed to be unwilling to.

There was a slight dip right before the conference, but it was all part of your typical fluctuations that happen during the day, Nintendo's stock stabilized as the conference went forward Reuter's read too much into it and ran with it.

Actually that Reuters article was pretty alarmist. For that matter, I think Sony's stock dropped about the same amount on the same day. Pretty poor journalism overall, even if there are a few grains of truth buried in their article.

Also, cross-platform play is a nice dream, but it will only be a dream accomplished by Final Fantasy XI and XIV, it seems.

There's really no reason for it to be though for Monster Hunter. FFXI/FFXIV aren't the only examples. DC Universe has PS3/PC crossplatform play, as does Portal 2.

Specifically in the case of Monster Hunter, if you're in local multiplayer, you're not piggybacking off of Sony or Nintendo's networks, so I can't see why either Sony or Nintendo would object too strenuously.

Whether Capcom would have the imagination to actually suggest it and try it is another question entirely, however.


Icemage

[Raydeus]

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

I'm afraid that while DC universe was released for PS3 and PC, servers are separated by platform.

Something about lolconsole players being too squishy to be put on the same servers as the PC sharks, or something.



PS > I do like crossplatform gameplay. Until console limitations start showing up, that is.

[Icemage]

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

I'm afraid that while DC universe was released for PS3 and PC, servers are separated by platform.

Oh really? I didn't pick the game up, but I recall them saying they were at least trying to get crossplatform play working. A shame, really.

Something about lolconsole players being too squishy to be put on the same servers as the PC sharks, or something.

Yeah, because we all know PS2 players by far the worst at FFXI. :p

Icemage

[Yellow Mage]

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

Yeah, because we all know PS2 players by far the worst at FFXI. :p

Ahem.

Windower.

I've seen people seriously make that argument, too.

That is all.

[Icemage]

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

Ahem.

Windower.

I've seen people seriously make that argument, too.

That is all.

It was a joke, brah. I actually started playing FFXI back in the day on PS2, and for the longest time, PS2 always got pops a fraction of a second faster than PC. Not sure if that's still true today, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Anyhoo, back to 3DS: Anyone else notice that the new cradle looks a LOT like an Xbox 360 controller? Good shape ergonomics, though I can't imagine sticking that thing in my pocket and I'm dubious about how comfortable it will be to reach the face buttons on the right side past the slider. Seems like a bit of a stretch for a thumb unless your name is Shaquille O'Neal.


Icemage

[Raydeus]

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

/facepalm

Yellow mage, you ruined it. Again...

---------- Post added at 06:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:50 PM ----------

Anyhoo, back to 3DS: Anyone else notice that the new cradle looks a LOT like an Xbox 360 controller? Good shape ergonomics, though I can't imagine sticking that thing in my pocket and I'm dubious about how comfortable it will be to reach the face buttons on the right side past the slider. Seems like a bit of a stretch for a thumb unless your name is Shaquille O'Neal.


Icemage

Is it really ergonomic? The xbox controller I mean. Maybe I'm too used to PS controls, but that monster of a controller felt incredibly awkward to me. o_O

[Yellow Mage]

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

It was a joke, brah.

I know that it was, and I was pointing out how it could be unfortunately taken seriously by some people . . .

[Icemage]

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

Is it really ergonomic? The xbox controller I mean. Maybe I'm too used to PS controls, but that monster of a controller felt incredibly awkward to me. o_O

If you're talking about the original Xbox 1 Duke controller, hell no, that's the worst standard controller in the history of home consoles (eclipsed by only the Power Glove in terms of fail).

The Xbox 360 controller is pretty comfortable for most people; I like it for FPS games; it has good triggers, and the asymmetric sticks work a bit better for FPS where you're spending the majority of your time navigating using sticks. I despise the 360 D-pad, though - even the new "twist" D-pad isn't really all that great.

At any rate, I'm just saying that the shape of the 3DS Slide Pad cradle strongly resembles the Xbox 360 controller. I don't think the triggers will be anywhere near as comfortable to use, however, and kiss your easy portability goodbye unless you happen to have a gym bag or something to carry it in.


Icemage