3DS lite?

cloud493

This probably a silly question, but.. I have an opportunity to get a 3DS, ambassador one with the free games. Great. But I keep hearing all these 3DS lite rumours, and I'm afraid of being shafted to be honest. What do you guys think?

Azure_sky

It will probably be another year. You could always get the console now with 20 ambassador games and trade it in for the "3DS lite" and still retain your ambassador games through the system transfer.

robman60

As mentioned, the 3DS Lite is probably still quite far down the pipeline, and even if it is released soon, I can't see the change being as drastic as that of the DS Phat to the DS Lite.

I'd definitely get the current one with ambassador games. After all, your gaming experience is more important than the appearance of the console in my opinion.

Nollog

People like to say a re-design is coming the day after launch.
It's a long ways off yet, get the 3DS now, and enjoy it.

cloud493

How necessary is the circle pad pro?

Banjo

If you play a game that uses it, it's worth it. If you don't or if you're right handed and playing kid icarus, it's not necessary at all.

BTW, surely with it's current sleek svelte format the 3DS redesign is more likely to be a 3DS Phat than lite, with larger screens, the second circle pad and integrated 2nd triggers?

Motley Crue

All this rubbish about the 3DS Lite is just that. What rumors? There are no rumors, just speculation from people who want to discredit Nintendo.

As I've mentioned here before, the first relaunch of the DS took two years, and when it happened it completely changed the console...changing it into something that made it a lot more accessible, a lot easier to handle, a lot more durable and better to operate...I fail to see how the 3DS could be changed in such a major way

Nintendo are loosing serious money right now, they're planning on launching the Wii U by Christmas in the UK, and if they manage that...there's speculation they won't because of their finances...then the very LAST thing they will be able to do is launch another redesign of the 3DS within the next 12 months to 24

Furthermore, the Ambassador Programme was created because Nintendo dropped the retail price of the console severely...yet the DS is still shifting units because it's better back catalogued and is more favorable with younger gamers. Nintendo surely didn't think that the lack of third party support and original 3DS content would mean that the DS would still be selling strong 12 months after the 3DS was launched in Europe.

The drop in price has helped shift some 3DS units but not enough to justify a relaunch without, again, pissing off some major investors, developers and gamers. Plus the majority of top titles on the 3DS have little SP functionality meaning a lot of the console isn't even been utilized. Nintendo don't want to repeat the curse of Sega and find themselves out of the console market.

I suspect there will be no redesign for the 3DS when things like the circle pad pro are optionally available as add on devices.

There is no 3DS Lite coming, buy your new 3DS, and have fun with it.

Star Lord

Motley Crue wrote: »

Nintendo are loosing serious money right now, they're planning on launching the Wii U by Christmas in the UK, and if they manage that...there's speculation they won't because of their finances...

Speculation based on the fact that they lost money for the first time in a long long time.
Nintendo have VERY deep pockets.

Motley Crue

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

Speculation based on the fact that they lost money for the first time in a long long time.
Nintendo have VERY deep pockets.

They may have deep pockets but a loss is a loss. If every 3DS is being sold in Ireland right now at a loss then they need to make that money back from somewhere...perhaps the cost of a developer porting to Nintendo (in terms of what Nintendo charge to allow their name to be used on a product) has risen substantially, another reason for a lack of third party support

This Pokemon thing does not bring confidence in the 3DS...and releasing a game of this magnitude on a previous hardware device is unheard of....at least when the current hardware device is getting nothing.

I walked around town the other day, I do regularly, and got no SP hits. A few months ago I was actually getting a few. It seems that with the Winter ending and coming into the Summer we're actually getting less people bothering to be out and about with their 3DS consoles. That's a worrying sign because if more people are trading the console in (taking up special offers against the likes of the Vita) pretty soon Nintendo will have no choice but to consider scrapping the 3DS....and I hate the idea that will happen....

Nollog

Nintendo are expecting to report losses the next year.
They're selling 3DS consoles at a small loss since the price cut.
They plan to sell the Wii U at a loss too.

They're losing money every quater since a year and a half ago, due to R&D, and poor management by Iwata.

readyletsgo

I'll just leave these two links here....

http://nintendo3dsblog.com/the-nintendo-3ds-has-sold-4500000-units-in-the-united-states

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/29457

Also, Nintendo have enough money to have a few failed consoles over the coming years/gen's before they go anywhere near being bankrupt.
Nintendo reported there FIRST losses in its 120 odd year history in 2011...

Anyway, Nintendo have said, they are starting to make money back on the 3DS as of now due to the parts getting cheaper to buy in to make the small system. But they also said they will not be releasing a '3DS Lite' any time soon as they feel 'at the moment' they can not make it any smaller.
If anything they might release a 3DSXL in a year or two when profits get stronger from the 3DS sales.

So I would recommend you buy that Ambassador 3DS and transfer over all your games when the next version of the 3DS comes out in like 2 years I would say.


Ugh..

Star Lord

Was going to post pretty much the same information myself, from IGN:
http://ie.ds.ign.com/articles/122/1220076p1.html

Boils down to the following...

Hardware:
DS first year: 2.3 million units
3DS first year: 4.5 million units

Games:
DS first year: 5 million games
3DS first year: 9 million games

General revenueL
DS first year: $540 million
3DS first year: $1.2 billion

Pretty far from failing tbh...