The 3DS: Nintendo Wants All Your Money

Author: Amy Pistone

            The March of 2011 release of the Nintendo 3DS is highly anticipated, as it is supposed to be revolutionary in terms of graphics with the three-dimensional technology utilized within. However, this is coming only 2 years after the release of the Nintendo DSi, which did not meet up to its hype. As consumers, how are we supposed to know that this handheld will actually be worth the money? Is Nintendo placing too much of an emphasis on their line of handhelds?

            The 3DS is supposed to burn a theoretical hole in your pocket – it is supposed to run around 200-250 dollars just for the console. In comparison, a new Wii today costs around 200 dollars, and that is including a bundle with a controller and two games. The high price for the 3DS seems ludicrous because it is, after all, only a handheld. A player has to charge a DS, they have to crane their necks to play, and they can easily lose parts or even the whole DS. A Wii has much higher capabilities than the DS which make the price seem more reasonable – it can have internet, the Virtual Console, and most of all – you can use it on your TV. Overall, it seems that Nintendo has gotten greedy with these consoles, as they know that all the young kids will want one no matter what the price is, and many will get their parents to buy them.

            The release of so many of these handhelds is starting to appear like Nintendo is isolating their older players. Let’s face it, while many older gamers will buy these consoles, most of the older ones would rather play on a TV with a controller than on a little handheld. The DS is very age specific, with most of the games dumbed down to be easy for young children. Furthermore, they are destroying the long line in certain series by releasing games for these handhelds. I may have to buy a 3DS solely for the Paper Mario 3DS. Followers of this series expect to play on a large series, and those who have been there from the beginning are no younger than 14, which is the age at which children begin to mature and have more advanced tastes. It makes no sense to take a traditional game that has always run on a TV screen and change it for the DS – it is like taking Mario Galaxy and releasing it for a handheld… it just is not right.

            Overall, Nintendo is wearing thin on my patience – I do not want to have to pay a ton of money for a console just to play one game, because it is my favorite series. Nintendo seems to know that players will buy it though… and that is what is unsettling. Especially in a recession, some people do not have the funds to get these games. Parents are going to be stuck in a tough position with their children begging for the new console. It seems to be a pipe-dream that Nintendo will calm down on the rapid release of new systems, but one can always hope.