Nintendo 3DS (Initial Thoughts -- Part I)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_3DS

1) Feeling pretty screwed right now. The wife and I decided to get a second DS last Christmas because the wife was hogging the first DS (*). Now I wish I'd waited. Insult to injury: replaced my red-ringed 360 in February and now there's the 360 S coming out.

Fate and timing have totally deuced me.

2) This is, of course, wild speculation -- but I wonder if Nintendo just sent Sony back to the drawing board with the PSP2. Of course, Sony may have known about the 3DS for months and are working on their own 3D tech right now.

Either way, I will be very shocked if the PSP2 does not have 3D.

3) Nintendo needs to get demo models of the 3DS out to game stores much farther ahead of the system's release than usual. That way people can actually see how well this thing produces 3D.

4) Glad there's a 3D slider to lower or turn off the 3D effects. The 3D might make some people dizzy. Also, it caters to people with poor (or no) depth perception. Not to mention the fact that some people simply just won't like it.

Either way, good call.

5) The 3DS needs a proper Virtual Console store like the Wii, since it should easily handle all existing VC titles. The current DSi Ware titles leave much to be desired and should be replaced with a system that syncs with your VC purchases on the Wii.

That's one thing that Sony has over Nintendo at the moment: digital downloads of PS One games work on both the PSP and the Playstation 3 with no additional charge.

Take note, Nintendo.

(*) The wife is often -- but not always -- the stereotypical gamer, who stubbornly refuses to play games where shit blows up. The DS is, therefore, the perfect system for her, and the perfect "gateway" system for guys who want to get their spouses into games.