Super Smash Bros For Nintendo 3DS Launch Time Announced

When Nintendo announced a Japan-only 3DS Direct, one phrase immediately came to mind — RPGs. Yet what happened was entirely unexpected. Not only was new 3DS hardware announced, but it’s a substantial change that can — perceivably — extend the life of the portable a fair amount.

I’ve said that the 3DS has been a system that’s reached a tipping point, where it needed a boost — perhaps through a revision — to give it a little more life. Nintendo’s ‘New’ 3DS and 3DS LL — which is XL in the West — has truly surprised, however, in the sheer scale of what it’s offering. When you combine all of the features together you’re left with a fairly drastic overhaul, and one clearly designed to re-invigorate the platform and bring together key features that have been somewhat ‘bolted on’ to the original models.

When you add the physical hardware features of the ‘new’ 3DS models together, what you get is a system that’s integrating various add-ons and customer demands into one cohesive piece of kit. In that respect it’s all smart thinking by Nintendo — each feature on its own is relatively minor in terms of its practical impact, yet considered as a whole it produces a highly attractive system. It seems likely that Nintendo’s keen to bring the two models closer to parity in sales with these different benefits, rather than the clear gap between the original model and XL / LL. Both systems look attractive, but a quick straw poll in my family and friends actually shows a clear preference for the smaller model, a marked change considering the wide adoption of the XL in that same group.

A key benefit of the new model also brings us its one potential source of contention. It has a faster CPU, which will mean quicker downloads, loading of Miiverse and general use of the operating system. That’s a big positive, yet it seems to be the case that the port of Xenoblade Chronicles coming to Japan appears to be exclusive to the New models. Utilising the greater CPU power is clearly vital for that game to work, then, but could be an issue in future. I’d suggest that the number of games exclusive to the new hardware will be minimal, as they have to be in order to make any business sense. Splitting the 3DS ‘family’ in that way is arguably acceptable with rare cases, but there’d be no sense in releasing a major new title that only works on the later hardware, therefore minimising sales. I suspect that Xenoblade Chronicles example will be a rarity, but it’s something to watch with interest.

What these new models can ultimately do, however, is give the 3DS a vital boost to sustain some momentum in the next 2-3 years. The XL performed well when released in Fall 2012, and a similar bump will be anticipated this time — October in Japan, 2015 elsewhere. The effect should filter down, too; the new models look set to come in at reasonable pricing similar to the current systems, so I’d expect the original 3DS, 3DS XL and 2DS to drop prices accordingly. The family will surely be tiered sensibly in pricing, making the current models an attractive budget option for those less concerned by the ‘New’ extras.
More software must follow for the whole family of systems, of course, to accompany to boost in interest from the New models. There are exciting possibilities that there could be more occasional links between 3DS and Wii U, too, with the New systems matching the home console’s controllers in terms of button and stick inputs — minus clickable sticks. Wireless transfers between the systems and PCs should be useful, while Micro-SDs modernise the storage a little more — even the basic screen is being advertised as an improvement (resolution is the same, though); it all points to a system that’ll feel more capable and modern in its approach.

Certainly in the case of various commentators in the Internet, there’s a real sense of optimism around the new hardware. Nintendo marketing teams will need to do a strong job of promoting the range and distinguishing it from what’s come before — the company has form, though, courtesy of the DS family going from ‘phat’ to Lite, DSi to DSi XL, while the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance evolved a great deal. Like with any bold hardware move, of course, there are risks, but these models fulfil and exceed our expectations in terms of what I felt was needed as part of a 3DS ‘refresh’ to push the platform through to the end of its generation.

I only pre ordered the wiiu version but will be picking this one up as well :)

GOOD NEWS: 1.4% of Porn Hub game console traffic is through 3DS

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