No sooner was it announced that the iPhone was stealing many portable gamers away from more traditional consoles, Nintendo announced the 3DS.A new iteration of the outstanding DS series, it will actually render 3D graphics without the use of glasses. Nintendo are constantly at the forefront of technical advances in gaming and there’s no doubt that there would be no XBox or Playstation without them. (The fact that the first Sony Playstation was codesigned with Nintendo is testament to this).
But, Nintendo have always taken the same stance as Apple in waiting until it is ready to announce their product. What makes this announcement even stranger is that it came straight after the release of the DSi XL in Europe. Although it has been out in Japan for many months, surely an announcement like this will put off any would be DSi XL purchasers?
Nintendo must feel threatened by the iPhone and the imminent release of the iPad, which is only going to help raise Apple’s profile in the portable gaming league.But, can you ever write off Nintendo? Their wealth of experience, especially in portable gaming has enabled them to secure such a lucrative market. Even the might Sony haven’t been able to topple Nintendo with the PSP.
Although they were quick to belittle the announcement themselves.But now we want more.The mobile phone is rapdily becoming a one stop shop for all our needs, Nintendo need to listen to the consumer and pull out all the stops with the new 3DS. At the very least it needs – Downloadable games, 3G/4G connection, Internet, VOIP/Skype.But with the growing demand for apps, are Nintendo going to join the party? Or will they partner up with an existing app developer? Google?
