How the Nintendo 3DS went from flop to sleeper hit
... Nintendo surprised industry watchers today by announcing it has sold 4.5 million units of the Nintendo 3DS in the United States in the first year since its introduction. The figure itself isn’t all that impressive in the context of a company that has sold hundreds of millions of handheld gaming systems around the world — what’s a few million more over the span of a year? However, the figure marks a very impressive turnaround for the the company’s latest handheld gaming system. ...
How bad was it?
The Nintendo 3DS got off to a reasonably strong launch. ...
But is 3D really all that?
The real cloud hanging over the future of the Nintendo 3DS is whether consumers are really all that excited about 3D content, even if they don’t have to wear glasses. Although some of the 3DS’s top-selling titles (Mario, Zelda, and nintendogs + cats) make reasonable use of the handheld’s 3D technology, others are essentially re-releases of Nintendo 64 titles. Anecdotal evidence seems to reveal what while many 3DS owners make some use of the 3DS’s 3D capabilities, many turn the 3D features off altogether because of difficulties or eyestrain. Users might not need 3D glasses, but that doesn’t make the 3D feature easy on the eyes. As users embrace the 3DS, they may not embrace 3D. Instead, the devices might mainly be used for older games (many top 3DS titles are old Nintendo 64 games, and Sega’s upcoming Game Gear titles are all re-issues) or watching standard 2D video.
That said, the analog joystick, improved graphics, a genuine online component, and rapidly improving content options now make the Nintendo 3DS a solid choice for portable gaming fans…with or without 3D.
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