Nintendo introduces upgraded 'New 3DS' models
Nintendo announced new models of the 3DS and 3DS XL in Japan this morning, with more buttons, another analog nub, and an upgraded CPU.
Steve Watts
During a Nintendo Direct in Japan this morning, Nintendo announced two new 3DS models today, simply called the "New 3DS' and "New 3DS LL" (or "XL" to us westerners).
Forbes reports that both new models feature a small analog nub above the buttons, two more shoulder buttons, and an upgraded CPU. It can also support custom covers. Alongside the announcement, Nintendo showed a Xenoblade Chronicles game for 3DS that requires the upgraded CPU in the new system. It also recolors the face buttons and promises better viewing angles for the 3D feature. As the report notes, this all would appear to run the rather serious risk of confusing consumers and fracturing the system's user base.
The system is due out in Japan in October, and a representative told Eurogamer it wouldn't hit that region until 2015. We have no word on a North American release yet.
Steve Watts posted a new article, Nintendo introduces upgraded 'New 3DS' models.
Mecha Tofu Pirate
You're right, this is going to confuse the hell out of most people. I thought they would have learned from naming their newest console the Wii U.
DandySlayer
Right? Honestly they should have just called it the next gen 3DS or just call it a Mega Gameboy or something.
Capcom Announcer
3DS-U
Frozen Pixel
Super 3DS
my vote goes to Super 3DS
Vorlonesque
Same here...seems the ideal name especially given the button colors!
daggot
Voted!
Degenerate
yeah they have to change that name
BeowolfSchaefer
nintendo's gonna nintendo
Wombat Woo
http://imgur.com/e9P5u6F
The Nintendo software end still knows what it's doing but apparently the hardware end is a bit challenged.
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asianwaste
The 3ds just had a very large influx of users last year with a strong release line and the introduction of the 2ds. It's like they rolled out the red carpet right into a brick wall. The market for people who buy the 2ds is definitely not the kind that will understand that some games for 3ds released in the near future will not work on their console they just bought last year. Neither should they accept it.
Want to fragment and disenfranchise your userbase? This is how you do it.
capt tripps
Nice. They add a second analog stick, a second set of shoulder buttons, a faster cpu, and a better viewing angle for the 3d.
Oh what the hell. I'm guessing they want developers to have two versions in the meantime then ditch us early adopters
Presumably devs will just have to make some games with dual control options now. Ditto code for both CPUs (i.e. the new one has some pointless enhanced effects or whatever)
Oh, Xenoblade Chronicles will require the new CPU. Fucking great, fragmentation FTW.
Well, as far as the controls go, the new controls are basically the same as what you could already get with the circle pad pro.
Curious to see if it's really the new CPU Xenoblade needs. A lot of this I think it still guesswork from a lot of people who don't speak japanese.
EnhancedInterrogator
The upgraded CPU is definitely a bad idea. Their userbase is way too small to fracture it right now. They kind of did this with the Game Boy Color, it had games that wouldn't work with the older game boys, but that was 8 years after the first Game Boy, and the install base was huge.
I just don't think a lot of people are going to be happy seeing games that require this new, slightly faster 3DS. Could build some ill-will.
im very not happy about it.
retardhumper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_3DS_sales
over 44 million units doesn't seem like a small userbase.
AllYourBase
lol small userbase.
the OG DS and even Game Boy Advance were selling stronger at this point.
I just don't think fragmenting the market is good. I'm sure a lot of consumers will be skeptical about buying another handheld system if it is unable to play new games in 3 or 4 years.
Washburne
I wonder what using that little nub would be like for long stretches. We wont know till more people get hands on but I can't imagine it is very comfortable. Is it supposed to be like a second stick?
Sideways Bob
Going by the picture, it looks sort of like what the PSP had.
looks closer to the things on ibm/lenovo laptops :(
Sailor of Fortune
Looks more like it's going to be intended to be used sparingly rather than all the time.
MetaSaval
I remember a couple years ago that Nintendo should make a 3DS that has the Circle Pad Pro embedded, and I disagreed with them because because it would cause fragmentation in the user base, and now that it actually happened, I still think it's a bad idea. Being the idiot Nintendo fan that I am, I'm probably going to buy it eventually, cause I like the changes. It still sucks though. Hope they don't make too many games that requires the new model.
Also, that name is just dumb.
i think this might be the nail in the coffin for nintendo for me.
this kind of fragmentation of the 3ds games market is not good. not good at all. it shows that the 3ds was badly designed from the outset. 3ds should have always had two sticks Nintendo lack of foresight is their downfall.
i wont be replacing any of our 3d's or 2ds's with this new one.
Yeah, how dare they update the system 4 years after the release of the original 3ds.
i think its too soon for them to be doing this
mobab
Should have called it "Supre 3ds" and said it was backwards compatible.
either way it shows an incredible failure by nintendo to design the thing properly the first time.
I like the 3d. It's cool. Not a game changing feature, but the effects are cool. Hopefully the wider view will work well.
dont you have an iphone CoRDS? 4 years is a long time and the new one is backwards compatible
I'm sure that's different somehow in his mind
yeah its got less buttons. and when i folded my iphone in half it broke n shit
Wadmaasi
OK, I'll buy one nowthen.
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Early_Grayce
The 3DS has been released for years now so it is time they updated it.
Better make it worth it Nintendo.
but thats the thing. its an incremental upgrade with some more buttons that fragments the market, if they're going to release a NEW ds make it worth it. make it MUCH faster with a proper 2nd stick not a nub. nubs are horrible for any type of games. ever try using the nub on a laptop in game.
I'm kind of pissed this isn't coming to NA for Christmas. Maybe they can get their app store up to snuff by then.
if I buy one in Japan, will I be able to play games on it here? Wife will be in japan when they are coming out
^^ I want to know this too because I've been wanting a 3DS for some time and I've been waiting for the next version.
A quick search shows that 3ds' are region locked, but the first 5 links for "are 3ds region locked" appear to be about circumventing.
kenclopz
SNES Virtual Console Titles: Only Playable on the New 3DS. I'm calling it now.
magicfucker
Trying to copy Apple's horrible "new ipad" naming.
Ex-Morpheus
Just WOW !
I wish this was ALL present in the 1st 3DS.
I'll buy it for sure.