Nintendo 3DS

[PSI Wind]

Yes, the console that was designed over ten years ago was the last one Nintendo actually put a moderate degree of effort into modernizing.

And it's the reason they don't do it anymore. Sure, they made a profit, but they sold so little. Of course, the Wii U is doing poorly too so maybe Nintendo will try making an extremely powerful console if the Wii U never picks up. Edited August 31, 2013 by PSI Wind

[Solkia]

The reason they came in last is because they lacked DVD support, and the model that did destroyed GC discs if you so much as touch it.

 

Not to mention Mini-DVD was a terrible format and they should feel bad for using it.

[Jet Prower]

I know Nintendo's console isn't the most powerful console out there, but it has still never been about power to me. Its just been about how fun the games were. I know there are plenty of people out there that must have the most powerful and most up to date things there are, but I'm not one of them. Power of the console honestly just doesnt matter to me at all and I'm sure it doesnt to many others.

 

And yes, the GC didn't sell as well as it could because that was the beginning of the DVD era taking place. The xbox and ps2 had it and did rather well. The Dreamcast didn't have it when the PS2 came out and that was another reason there some went to PS2 overall. Alot of it is just taste and what things have to offer, at least to me, power shouldn't be one of the main factors.

[Chooch]

I think one of the most common misconceptions that a lot of gamers have (Mostly those who prefer Nintendo, let's be honest) is that the strength of the console is almost entirely irrelevant to the quality of the games or that power under the hood is really only used to make things prettier.

 

A more powerful console does allow things to look nicer, sure. Who doesn't want a game to look nice? That's not the only thing that the power is for tho'. It allows game developers to make bigger and better games with more content and more things to do.

[Wraith]

I think one of the most common misconceptions that a lot of gamers have (Mostly those who prefer Nintendo, let's be honest) is that the strength of the console is almost entirely irrelevant to the quality of the games or that power under the hood is really only used to make things prettier.

 

A more powerful console does allow things to look nicer, sure. Who doesn't want a game to look nice? That's not the only thing that the power is for tho'. It allows game developers to make bigger and better games with more content and more things to do.

 

Going "Bigger" backfires far more often than it does benefiting a game. The bigger the game, the more manpower you need to make sure everything actually works smoothly. It increases the chances of something going wrong. Not to mention budgets can easily become out of hand. It's sort of a trade off. 

 

Also, a lot of developers seem to be content with just using the new amount of power just to make the game look nicer and not much else. 

[Chooch]

You can't make a game with the scale and complexity of Super Mario Sunshine on the same console you used to make Super Mario 64.

[Solkia]

Challenge accepted.

[Chooch]

I would honestly love to see it. I just sincerely doubt it's possible.

[Mr Useful]

I would honestly love to see it. I just sincerely doubt it's possible.

In terms of Scale? Both games had 120 items to collect. Super Mario Sunshine has a large hub world, 9 worlds, and maybe 15 secret levels. Super Mario 64 has 15 worlds, a large hub world,  and 6 secret levels.

Edited September 1, 2013 by Dom

[Jet Prower]

I see similarities between both sunshine and 64 as well honestly. Other than graphics, the games are very similiar to each other. Sure, sunshine has the water mechanics, but it is very similiar to the other and it could have easily been super mario 64-2 I bet.

 

I know power may be something nice to work with, but also, you need to go what is easiest to work with. As prooven in the past with failed consoles, just because you are the most powerful, if you aren't easy to work with, you aren't going to succed at all. Alot of it does come down to the games, not just how powerful or technical you can make the console be.

[Sami]

Sometimes I think you just look for things to complain about considering you stated before that the lack of 3D is the only reason you would have gotten this system and you can probably just wait for a price drop on the XL if you don't want to spend the $200 on it?

 

Well I was actually quite excited when I saw the name "2DS", as the image of a cheaper XL without a lame gimmick instantly popped into my head.

 

... And then I actually saw it.

 

I don't even know why I bother complaining anymore. The philosophy behind the entire company for the past few years has been the exact opposite of everything I like about video games. It's just boring trying to talk about anything else when I can't find a topic I care enough about to discuss.

[Chooch]

In terms of Scale? Both games had 120 items to collect. Super Mario Sunshine has a large hub world, 9 worlds, and maybe 15 secret levels. Super Mario 64 has 15 worlds, a large hub world,  and 6 secret levels.

I said scale and complexity. In order to collect the 120 shine sprites in Super Mario Sunshine you also have to collect all of the blue coins (which require a number of things), there's the water / FLUUD mechanic, Yoshis, the hub is much larger and more complex than 64's, etc.

 

 

I know power may be something nice to work with, but also, you need to go what is easiest to work with. As prooven in the past with failed consoles, just because you are the most powerful, if you aren't easy to work with, you aren't going to succed at all. Alot of it does come down to the games, not just how powerful or technical you can make the console be.

The PlayStation 3 did just fine after Sony cut the bullshit attitude.

Edited September 1, 2013 by Chooch

[Jet Prower]

I said scale and complexity. In order to collect the 120 shine sprites in Super Mario Sunshine you also have to collect all of the blue coins (which require a number of things), there's the water / FLUUD mechanic, Yoshis, the hub is much larger and more complex than 64's, etc.

 

 

The PlayStation 3 did just fine after Sony cut the bullshit attitude.

 

Well I wasn't really refering to the PS3. Sony has improved alot now from the looks of things and I honestly enjoy my PS3. What I was taking about when it comes to being more complex and state of the art not working for you is when it comes to past consoles, such as the jaguar, the 32X and CD, the 3DO and such like that. These systems, while maybe a bit ahead of their times, they didn't come out at a time when developers could easily work with them. The developers and such still prefered working with 2D games and sprites over them, thus you had lower quality games on the systems or you ended up with the console being massively overpriced.

[The Kid]

I think one of the most common misconceptions that a lot of gamers have (Mostly those who prefer Nintendo, let's be honest) is that the strength of the console is almost entirely irrelevant to the quality of the games or that power under the hood is really only used to make things prettier.

 

A more powerful console does allow things to look nicer, sure. Who doesn't want a game to look nice? That's not the only thing that the power is for tho'. It allows game developers to make bigger and better games with more content and more things to do.

 

Lol, of course it is the people who prefer Nintendo. The only reason a discussion/argument concerning this ever comes up is when a Nintendo console's power is brought up in relation to another console. I really don't think anyone believes that console power can only be used to make things prettier (but let's be honest, that is one of the first things people think of). The content in the game can be expanded by a console's power, but it is not necessarily limited with less power either. It is certainly a case of using the most with what you have.

[KrazyBean]

So would the 2DS be more well received if it had XL screens instead of normal 3DS screens? The console cannot fit in normal pockets anyway so there's no harm in making it bigger.

[JezMM]

In terms of Scale? Both games had 120 items to collect. Super Mario Sunshine has a large hub world, 9 worlds, and maybe 15 secret levels. Super Mario 64 has 15 worlds, a large hub world,  and 6 secret levels.

 

The number of maps is not justification for Mario 64 being a bigger game scale-wise.  The levels in Mario 64 were TINY compared to Sunshine's.  Now, stuff that would have been trickier on the N64 would probably be presenting levels that size without fogging or cheating (you can see the whole of a Mario Sunshine level at one time, but you can't see the whole of Hyrule Field at one time - there's a reason for that), as well as the dynamic water and paint effects.  Water?  Maybe, Wave Race 64 had dynamic water.  The paint is another matter.  Also without pressure sensitive triggers the water spraying would have to be simplified.

 

There is much much more to game design than how much "stuff" there is.

 

 

The real issue one has to face on 3DS would be:

 

Does my game REQUIRE a large amount of processing power for the base gameplay to function?

 

Does my game require more space than a small screen can provide to be enjoyable?

 

Nintendo mentioned that they started working on Mario 3D Land by porting Mario Galaxy 2 to the 3DS.  Unaltered, Mario was only a few pixels big on screen, which is why 3D Land has such a zoomed in camera comparitively, with more compact levels.

 

 

These are the kind of factors that affect what kind of content is produced for a handheld as oppose to a console.

[Autosaver]

Kamiya interested in making exclusive Okami and Bayonetta spin-offs for 3DS.

[Jet Prower]

I have a question about the normal 3DS. What is best used to clean off the finger prints or natural spots that may start appearing on the screens from holding or using the system over time? Are there any particular clothes or things that should or shouldn't be used? I've just been curious about this for a bit. Thank you!

[Sean]

Use a microfiber cloth, like the cloth you'd use to clean glasses. I just breathe onto the screens and wipe them down. Also, scotch tape can be used to remove smudges.

[Jet Prower]

Use a microfiber cloth, like the cloth you'd use to clean glasses. I just breathe onto the screens and wipe them down. Also, scotch tape can be used to remove smudges.

 

I have one of those cloths right here with me, since I do wear glasses. That's sort of what I thought most likely to use. I remember someone at one point saying to use the computer wet wipes, but that didn't sound like a good idea.

[Thrippa]

You don't want to use glass cleaner, as it will damage the touchscreen over time.  That's the most important rule.  I've seen screens that were badly discolored and surface-damaged by glass cleaner.

 

I use LCD cleaner for both screens, and a cleaning swipe that was also intended for LCD computer screens - although it's far to small for most such screens; it fits the DS/3DS beautifully.  After 7 years, my DS screens are equally clear and bright, so it's clearly safe for the touchscreen surface.

[Jet Prower]

You don't want to use glass cleaner, as it will damage the touchscreen over time.  That's the most important rule.  I've seen screens that were badly discolored and surface-damaged by glass cleaner.

 

I use LCD cleaner for both screens, and a cleaning swipe that was also intended for LCD computer screens - although it's far to small for most such screens; it fits the DS/3DS beautifully.  After 7 years, my DS screens are equally clear and bright, so it's clearly safe for the touchscreen surface.

 

This overall was my main question to all this. Does it matter if you use a eyeglasses cloth to clean the screen or the wet wipes that are meant for computer screens to clean the 3DS screens and outside covers. I didn't know if the ones meant for computers would bother it or not, since they are wet after all and wet and electronics obviously don't mix.

[Thrippa]

As long as they are only damp and not dripping, you should be all right.  The main issue is the raised rim around the touchscreen; you don't want fluid to leak into the join there.  Basically, start on the biggest flat surface to make sure the wipes aren't too wet, and make sure you don't squeeze any moisture into any cracks.

[Jet Prower]

As long as they are only damp and not dripping, you should be all right.  The main issue is the raised rim around the touchscreen; you don't want fluid to leak into the join there.  Basically, start on the biggest flat surface to make sure the wipes aren't too wet, and make sure you don't squeeze any moisture into any cracks.

 

Good to know. I'll keep these both in mind whenever it comes time for me to do that. Maybe I'll still use the dry cloth, but if I use  the wet ones ever, I know to start on the outside first.

[Detective Shadzter]

Introducing Nintendo 1DS
http://nintendo1ds.com/