Nintendo 3DS

[jim g]

Ahem, don't forget remove the VAT from the mark up....

[Neon Ignition]

I think by the end of the first week to 10 days it'll have sold out. The brand strength of the DS line is massively stronger than last time despite the high price tag where people were more sceptical of the machine that time around. I think they'll be slow to restock as well, prioritising the Japanese and US markets once again.

[Dogg Thang]

I think so too. It's the perfect time too. A huge amount of film people may well give out about 3D but the general public seems to love it. 3D is bigger than ever and the draw of a machine with glasses-free 3D is going to be big. The games barely matter. This is a DS... in 3D. That will be enough for massive sales, I think.

[Daragon]

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...launch-report/

Newest word is there will be 900,000 units allocated for Europe's launch and 10 games out on Day 1 which if true 7 of them are already allocated as being:

-Nintendogs and Cats
-Super Street Fighter IV 3DS
-PES 2011
-Rayman 2 3D
-Asphalt 3D
-Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars 3D
-Splinter Cell 3D

Clearly, the addition of the term 3D to the end of title of the formats games is going to get annoying fast.

900,000 units probably wouldn't be enough for the UK let alone Europe.

[JSR]

Yes they take up space but you get 2 games sold (at 40%+ markup) for every console

Where do you get those figures? Here in Norway we barely have 20% profit on a regular DS game. And considering costs of running a store needed to sell said games, and with all the price competition from internet stores, 20% is a bare minimum needed to sustain it. That's why Gamestop and so many others rely on used software sales, they have to.

[Tig]

Same - looking forward to launch day. It'd be nice if it came with some 3d demos, just to show off the hardware.

It comes with some games preloaded for exactly that purpose.

[Neon Ignition]

There's probably around 1.5m units for Japan at least too where sales figures will be obscene. The old DS still consistantly outsells the PSP despite it doing well on the software side lately so a full fledged update will be immense there.

EDIT: Never mind, magicbox says they're getting 400,000 which seems conservative. Maybe they're holding units back to simulate steady restocks.

[InvisibleKid]

Just sold my copy of Pier Solar on ebay. It basically paid for a 3DS on it's own. Win. Guilt free 3DS purchase!

[kryss]

Ugh. Just been going over announced releases for the 3DS in Japan and I may have to import one later on in the year. Gundam Battle 3D, A-Ressha de Ikou 3DS, Airport Hero 3DS, and of course SRW 3DS. Let's hold out a little bit of hope for region-free releases...

[abigsmurf]

If ever there was a franchise crying out for 3D it's SRW:OG saga.

Shame they probably wouldn't be able to produce good quality 3d models for it though.

[hudson]

In terms of performance, is the 3DS more powerful than the current PSP?

SSFIV looks great and I'm impressed that Capcom have managed to cram all fighters in.

Also, I'd like to ask you lot which 3 out of the launch titles would you get first?

I've preordered one from Shopto with SSFIV. I'm thinking of adding Pilotwings to that, and can't decide on a third as of yet.

[Mayhem]

Ahem, don't forget remove the VAT from the mark up....

Exactly. Taking the most extreme price so far, without VAT on top gives ?192. So the shops are making 19 quid at most on each 3DS. Which still seems a little generous, usually shops don't make more than 5-8% on hardware...

Really? My Dark Blue Japanese DS Lite charges fine with a UK DS Lite charger. Same with my DSi.

Even the other way around my old white UK DS Lite charged fine in Tokyo with an official Japanese DS Lite charger.

I think he means that he wishes he could use the import charger here in the UK by merely putting a plug adapter on it. Instead of needing two separate chargers for here and abroad.

[JSR]

Exactly. Taking the most extreme price so far, without VAT on top gives ?192. So the shops are making 19 quid at most on each 3DS. Which still seems a little generous, usually shops don't make more than 5-8% on hardware...


I think he means that he wishes he could use the import charger here in the UK by merely putting a plug adapter on it. Instead of needing two separate chargers for here and abroad.

The shops also pay VAT from all they make, so remove about 5? from those 19, and I think you are very close. We can't demand the shops make less than 14? of each 3DS they sell, now could we?

[abigsmurf]

In terms of performance, is the 3DS more powerful than the current PSP?

Yes, quite a bit more powerful in 3 ways:

Can push much more geometry. The PSP was somewhere between a PS1 and a PS2 in terms of how much it could push. RE Mercenaries and Snake Eater point to it pushing more geometry than a PS2.

It has more texture memory and more general ram. Sharper, cleaner textures, less muddy brown messes.

Support for (fixed) shaders, lots of extra visual effects.

[Dogg Thang]

It also unleashes the power of the third dimension.