VGCollect Forum
General and Gaming => Modern Video Games => Topic started by: gf78 on August 03, 2015, 10:33:20 am
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Well, picked up the New 3DS XL in black this weekend along with the lone game that only works on the "new" system-Xenoblade Chronicles 3D. I figured I would share my likes, dislikes and general thoughts on the system.
PROS
The build quality is great. The system feels very solid and has a nice heft to it without being overly heavy. The subtle pattern in the shell that you can see when you turn it in the light is nice.
The colored A, B, X & Y buttons. It's a small thing, but I always loved the Famicom colors that never made it stateside.
The C-stick. Not really a stick, but more like one of those old laptop "nubs" that you gently push in a direction. I hated it on laptops, but it works well here.
Improved 3D. the 3D does seem to be improved to me. Moving the system a bit doesn't seem to cause the 3D effect to spaz. I'm not sold on 3D as some giant game-changer and from the dwindling support for console titles as well as Blu-Ray releases, I don't think I am the only one. Still, it is nice and an improvement over what the OG 3DS put out.
Backwards compatibility. While I couldn't give a rat's ass about this feature with my consoles, it is very nice that I can play all my DS, 3DS and New 3DS games on one system.
System software/interface. It's clean, easy and not cluttered. It pretty much falls in line with what was on the previous two systems so there is no learning curve.
CONS
Screen resolution. What resolution are the screens running at? Everything is a jagged, pixelated mess. Playing Xenoblade Chronicles, the characters look like they are straight from a PS2 launch title. FMV sequences look better, but are still quite clearly running on a low-res screen. While it's not a deal-breaker to play games in lower resolution like this, it's disappointing that the latest system is still outputting graphics the same as two generations ago (original DS). What exactly does Xenoblade Chronicles require that the vanilla 3DS cannot provide?
C-stick placement. It really seems to me like Nintendo's insistence on the thumbstick and 4-buttons being asymmetrical is a mistake. The Power and Select buttons could have been moved down a bit, or one placed on the left instead of both on the right side of the system. The C-stick could then have been made larger and the A, B, X & Y buttons moved down a little lower. This would have been ideal IMO. While manageable, the layout as-is is a bit funky to get used to.
MicroSD card. Who in the world thought this was a good idea? Making any item in a handheld console only accessible by removing screws is ridiculous. I don't see myself needing more than the 4 gigs included, but heaven help those who decide to download a lot of games.
AC Adapter. Sweet baby Jesus...what in the world were they thinking on this one???? Is Nintendo really that damn cheap that they don't include an AC adapter for a system that requires an AC adapter?! I don't buy the BS excuse that they figure everyone is upgrading so they should already have one. My nephew bought a New 3DS on Friday. I was with him. Wasn't even thinking till we got back to his place and he unpacked it and couldn't find the AC adapter. Well, he wasn't upgrading as he primarily plays with his PSP and Vita. So, back to Gamestop we go to get an AC adapter. And what about those who trade in their previous system? Most stores require the AC adapter so again....you have to buy one separately. Pure. Stupid.
Transferring purchases. I saw this nightmare in person when the New 3DS was being released. Gamers trading in their old system for the new, standing around trying to get their stuff transferred before the exchange is complete. Nintendo's policy on digital titles is ludicrous. If you buy a digital game, you should be able to download it to at least two systems. Just another reason to hate this digital-only hell nightmare that is predicted to be inevitable.
SUMMARY
I'm happy with the system. Despite minor physical shortcomings and a screen resolution straight out of 2K, it's a lot of fun and Nintendo makes great games. Many of the issues like data transfer headaches and lack of bundled AC adapter don't personally affect me as I didn't trade my old system in and I have four AC adapters from the various DSi and 3DS systems I already own. I'm also not planning on needing more storage, so I don't have to worry about scratching the back plate from a slight slip of a screwdriver (that would really piss me off!). It's up in the air what the future holds for the system with rumors that the NX will be a console & handheld hybrid. Will this kill off support for the New 3DS? I sure hope not.
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Since I got my PSVita 3 years ago, despise all the great games I hear there is on DS systems I just could never cope with the screen resolution and quality, so I never had any. Even retro 2D games look gorgeous on the Vita screen.
Too bad they didn't seem to improve on this revision.. :(
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It doesn't come with an AC adapter!? Well I am glad to know now, before I went to buy one and getting pissed.
When I finally buy one, I am not "upgrading" since I never bought one before.
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This topic in general is very interesting to me - I sold my 3DS to a friend of mine because I wanted the new one, and since I had a first model 3DS (not an XL) I thought it would be a nice upgrade. However, I can totally get why people would be mad after moving from a 3DS to a 3DS XL to THEN having to buy the new 3DS just to play some of the games that were out for the system.
That being said, I have some questions for you since you have it now. - How do the older 3DS games look/play on the new handheld? Are they also pixellated? I'm wondering if Chronicles looks that way because it was a port from a Wii game, and while the extra processing helps, it still doesn't look great because the 3DS is roughly between a PS2 and a GameCube in terms of power, if I'm not mistaken.
Also, what's your opinon about the other two buttons on the back; the ZL an ZR buttons? Do those factor into the handheld at all?
And yeah, the transferring purchases thing/ having to buy a new adapter/ the SD card stuff is a little crazy. I didn't have anything on my old 3DS but a digital copy of Metroid II, so it wasn't as bad, but it was still a bummer to have to lose it. I'm also wondering if they will even make more titles for the "new" model. I guess it depends on how well it sells...
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That being said, I have some questions for you since you have it now. - How do the older 3DS games look/play on the new handheld? Are they also pixellated? I'm wondering if Chronicles looks that way because it was a port from a Wii game, and while the extra processing helps, it still doesn't look great because the 3DS is roughly between a PS2 and a GameCube in terms of power, if I'm not mistaken.
Also, what's your opinon about the other two buttons on the back; the ZL an ZR buttons? Do those factor into the handheld at all?
And yeah, the transferring purchases thing/ having to buy a new adapter/ the SD card stuff is a little crazy. I didn't have anything on my old 3DS but a digital copy of Metroid II, so it wasn't as bad, but it was still a bummer to have to lose it. I'm also wondering if they will even make more titles for the "new" model. I guess it depends on how well it sells...
There is no discernible difference in the graphics between playing a game on the 3DS and New 3DS. There is no upscaling, smoothing or any other change. I've actually gone from a standard 3DS to an XL with the New 3DS and if anything, the aliasing and low resolution is more noticeable on the larger screen.
I can't say I've had much use with the two new shoulder buttons. None of the games I have played thus far have made use of them. It seems to me from just handling the system that it's easy to slide your finger over the outermost buttons to reach them. They are also square in shape instead of rectangular like the outermost buttons so you can "feel" which button it is. I guess in order to keep the system flat this was the best placement scenario. Of all the little "niggles" I have with the system, this one doesn't bother me.
It seems odd to me that only one title-Xenoblade Chronicles 3D requires the "new" 3DS. It's obviously not for the graphics or amount of storage needed. The only thing I can think of is it needs the additional RAM that the "new" 3DS has. I don't see this one game as a must-have system-seller like your Mario or Zelda titles, so it's baffling why Nintendo would only release one game specifically for the new system. Where is the incentive to purchase it when the $20 (or more) cheaper model plays every other game out there?
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It doesn't come with an AC adapter!? Well I am glad to know now, before I went to buy one and getting pissed.
When I finally buy one, I am not "upgrading" since I never bought one before.
This is my single biggest beef with the New 3DS. It's pure cheapskate, penny pinching BS that they didn't include an adapter for a system that is recharge-only. I guess their thinking was to keep the system under $200...but how much would that AC adapter cost them? If you pick the system up, add on at least $10 for a generic AC adapter to the cost.
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Since I got my PSVita 3 years ago, despise all the great games I hear there is on DS systems I just could never cope with the screen resolution and quality, so I never had any. Even retro 2D games look gorgeous on the Vita screen.
Too bad they didn't seem to improve on this revision.. :(
Yeah...it has to be the screen resolution itself. The Vita has absolutely stunning resolution whether 2D or 3D. Dragon's Crown looks like a painting and 3D games like Killzone are close to PS3-quality. Comparing a game like Dead or Alive Dimensions on the 3DS to Dead or Alive 5 on the Vita really shows the difference in screen quality.
I also don't get it that Sony makes a profit on every Vita sold and do so with a high resolution display, a bundled game, bundled memory card and an AC adapter in the box. You can also use any standard micro USB adapter to charge your Vita whereas you the New 3DS has a proprietary connector.
Hardware-wise, the Vita blows the New 3DS away in every aspect. Software-wise, the 3DS has the best software. There are some real gems on the Vita and a lot of obscure Japanese titles, but for general retail releases the Vita just gets pummeled. Nothing new at retail. It's a real shame that Sony doesn't seem to care about the Vita. It's a stunning piece of kit that just needs some damn software on the shelves at retailers.
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The only thing making me want one is the new Xenoblade game. But I don't want a single game enough to pay for an all-new console.
You'd think if Nintendo really wants to push this thing, they'd make some exclusive first-party titles.
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The only thing making me want on is the new Xenoblade game. But I don't want a single game enough to pay for an all-new console.
You'd think if Nintendo really wants to push this thing, they'd make some exclusive first-party titles.
That's my thoughts. One game-an obscure RPG at that-isn't going to sell the system. Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Kirby...these are the games that will make people buy it. A new Kingdom Hearts or Dragon Quest? Final Fantasy?
At this point in time (as I stated before), you can get a standard 3DS XL for at least $20 cheaper and play all but one single game. There are also all the cool variations like the retro NES version, Mario, Yoshi, Zelda and other themed systems. With the New 3DS....it's just black or red. The Zelda edition sold out instantly so there's no hope there.
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Xenoblade Chronicles doesn't look much better on the Wii either. I think the PS2 is about on par with it. No charger though? That's ridiculous in this day in age.
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Xenoblade Chronicles doesn't look much better on the Wii either. I think the PS2 is about on par with it. No charger though? That's ridiculous in this day in age.
I'm pretty sure the Wii is about as powerful as the original Xbox, give or take.
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Xenoblade Chronicles doesn't look much better on the Wii either. I think the PS2 is about on par with it. No charger though? That's ridiculous in this day in age.
I'm pretty sure the Wii is about as powerful as the original Xbox, give or take.
That's what they always claim and maybe I just see the Gamecube through rose-tinted glasses and the Wii through turd-tinted glasses, but I always thought Gamecube games looked on-par with Xbox games and the Wii games never looked as good as the Gamecube game.
Maybe it's just because I despise the Wii's waggle-wand-forced motion controls, but that's what I see.
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Xenoblade Chronicles doesn't look much better on the Wii either. I think the PS2 is about on par with it. No charger though? That's ridiculous in this day in age.
I can't begin to describe the stupidity of the charger situation. It would be like selling you a controller with no analog sticks...you gotta buy them separately. You absolutely cannot recharge the New 3DS without a charger. It's a non-changeable, rechargeable battery. I cannot imagine how many people this has pissed off when they got home, opened their system and found they couldn't even recharge the damn thing.
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Xenoblade Chronicles doesn't look much better on the Wii either. I think the PS2 is about on par with it. No charger though? That's ridiculous in this day in age.
I'm pretty sure the Wii is about as powerful as the original Xbox, give or take.
That's what they always claim and maybe I just see the Gamecube through rose-tinted glasses and the Wii through turd-tinted glasses, but I always thought Gamecube games looked on-par with Xbox games and the Wii games never looked as good as the Gamecube game.
Maybe it's just because I despise the Wii's waggle-wand-forced motion controls, but that's what I see.
I agree. I think original Xbox and GameCube looked better than Wii. And I own all 3 consoles. I think Wii was more on par with PS2. Of course Nintendo's first-party titles looked better on Wii than other games, but then so did Sony's first-party titles on PS2.
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You can also use any standard micro USB adapter to charge your Vita whereas you the New 3DS has a proprietary connector.
Even if the cable's end is USB and can be plugged everywhere, the cable's base port used to charge and/or transfer data on the Vita is proprietary as well. A micro USB as it's now standard with smartphones would have been much better and cheaper, it's no biggie though since I don't have to bring the full charger with me, only the cable.
And yeah the Vita screen is fantastic, playing Castlevania SotN with it was like a dream. ;D
I can't begin to describe the stupidity of the charger situation. It would be like selling you a controller with no analog sticks...you gotta buy them separately. You absolutely cannot recharge the New 3DS without a charger. It's a non-changeable, rechargeable battery. I cannot imagine how many people this has pissed off when they got home, opened their system and found they couldn't even recharge the damn thing.
I think their idea was since they use the same charger for every iteration of the console, the probability of people already having one at home raises over the years, so it's more "green" to sell it separately. With this logic they could also do the same with video and AC cables on home consoles but that's not very consumer-friendly to sell consoles in kits. :)
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"More green" my ass. It's so they can sell a full-priced console, and then get you for the charger as well. Pure greed is all it is.
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Xenoblade Chronicles doesn't look much better on the Wii either. I think the PS2 is about on par with it. No charger though? That's ridiculous in this day in age.
I'm pretty sure the Wii is about as powerful as the original Xbox, give or take.
That's what they always claim and maybe I just see the Gamecube through rose-tinted glasses and the Wii through turd-tinted glasses, but I always thought Gamecube games looked on-par with Xbox games and the Wii games never looked as good as the Gamecube game.
Maybe it's just because I despise the Wii's waggle-wand-forced motion controls, but that's what I see.
I agree. I think original Xbox and GameCube looked better than Wii. And I own all 3 consoles. I think Wii was more on par with PS2. Of course Nintendo's first-party titles looked better on Wii than other games, but then so did Sony's first-party titles on PS2.
Very true, straight up specs don't mean much if you don't have the means to deliver it (like a fast car with no wheels). I think the motion controls really hampered what could be done with the Wii as well, and so the games had to take a step down.
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Even if the cable's end is USB and can be plugged everywhere, the cable's base port used to charge and/or transfer data on the Vita is proprietary as well. A micro USB as it's now standard with smartphones would have been much better and cheaper, it's no biggie though since I don't have to bring the full charger with me, only the cable.
Ah...I was talking about the 2000 model Vita. They switched from the proprietary connector to standard micro USB. So any old car charger or phone AC charger works now.
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Very true, straight up specs don't mean much if you don't have the means to deliver it (like a fast car with no wheels). I think the motion controls really hampered what could be done with the Wii as well, and so the games had to take a step down.
It's good to know that I'm not the only one who thinks the Wii's graphics were actually worse than the Gamecube's. :P
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They haven't included an AC adapter in Japan for the 3DS models outside of the original Japanese 3DS. When they released the 3DS XL over there (and in Europe), they explained that most people would be upgrading from the original (considering how popular the original 3DS was, this was a fair assumption IMO) and did not want to charge users for something they didn't need.
Granted, this does not help those customers who trade in their systems. And yes, Gamestop does expect AC adapters with trade-ins of the original 3DS (hopefully they don't with trade-ins of the N3DSXL).
It's not a great policy, but I know that there are at least 3+ of those adapters floating around in my house, and we only have 2 gamers.
I personally wouldn't suggest judging the N3DSXL's screen on Xenoblade Chronicles 3D. I've heard from many that it's a bad looking port and that folks would be much better off playing the original Wii version. I was really excited about it and got the N3DSXL at launch but when I saw footage of the port, I gave up on getting the game. It looks terrible in comparison.
Other games, however, which can also be played on the regular 3DS, still look good. I was really impressed by how Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate looked, for example.
Nintendo has never been big on their graphics, but instead opting to focus accessibility for many. A less expensive system, easier for a wider range of gamers to use, and a much better library of games will always win over something that's much prettier to look it. Vita had a lot of potential but was trying to do too much. Younger users were returning their systems because they didn't know how to use the thing (and their parents certainly weren't going to figure it out). Older users were returning systems because there is no library to support it. The console can't be a success if they can't cover those basics.
I agree with the OP about the placement of the c-stick and general feel about the console and 3D itself. However, the SD card thing doesn't bother me. I don't download many games, though I had some from the Ambassador program. I had already done some research prior to launch of the system and bought a larger MicroSD card to have on hand so I wouldn't have to change cards out (I only had to swap out for a larger card once on my original 3DS). Thank goodness Nintendo is not using proprietary SD cards for storage, unlike Vita's ridiculously priced cards.
If anything, I just think Nintendo did a terrible job of marketing the N3DSXL. It's not an amazing system, but the improvements are nice, including the faster processor. I did a fair bit of research prior to launch and knew about the adapter and what to expect in general. To users new to the Nintendo handheld, though, I can understand the frustration of not having that information be more clear.
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Very true, straight up specs don't mean much if you don't have the means to deliver it (like a fast car with no wheels). I think the motion controls really hampered what could be done with the Wii as well, and so the games had to take a step down.
It's good to know that I'm not the only one who thinks the Wii's graphics were actually worse than the Gamecube's. :P
The GameCube looks amazing! Especially if you can afford that $200+ component cable. >:( Though I guess you could use Wii Component cables...
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The reason why the Wii games don't look as sharp as Gamecube/Xbox is because it has a very stupid image filter that makes images blurry. This looks pretty bad with composite cables, and even with component, there's still some blurriness in some games. Power-wise, it's a bit more powerful than the original xbox, although its missing a few features compared to the OG Xbox. So while there are games that can only be done on Wii, it doesn't look that much better in graphical power, and the image is worse than gamecube. Wii component is also $10-25 compared to $220 for GC component atm.
As for the New 3DS, I'm pretty sure the only reason it was created for XC was because of ram limitations, and cpu speed bottlenecking the gpu. Those two improvements were necessary to run Xenoblade Chronicles on New 3DS. It's going to be more like a DSi upgrade though, so that's why they didn't really improve on parts, especially since they're making huge profit margins off of the original 3DS already. It doesn't help that they aren't marketing it well Hopefully their next handheld will be able to get HD resolution.
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Ah...I was talking about the 2000 model Vita. They switched from the proprietary connector to standard micro USB. So any old car charger or phone AC charger works now.
Good stuff, didn't know about that!
I still prefer model 1's OLED screen though - that's why I got a second model 1 console before they ran out of stock when the 2000 released, in case my actual console dies I'll still have a spare one with the glorious OLED screen.
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^ I never knew that about the 2000. I wanted that model or the 3000 just because you could hook those up to a T.V.
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^ I never knew that about the 2000. I wanted that model or the 3000 just because you could hook those up to a T.V.
Your thinking about the PSP, not the Vita. No model of Vita can connect directly to your tv.
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^ I never knew that about the 2000. I wanted that model or the 3000 just because you could hook those up to a T.V.
Your thinking about the PSP, not the Vita. No model of Vita can connect directly to your tv.
Oops, yeah, I read PSP when I saw that, my bad.
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The reason why the Wii games don't look as sharp as Gamecube/Xbox is because it has a very stupid image filter that makes images blurry. This looks pretty bad with composite cables, and even with component, there's still some blurriness in some games. Power-wise, it's a bit more powerful than the original xbox, although its missing a few features compared to the OG Xbox. So while there are games that can only be done on Wii, it doesn't look that much better in graphical power, and the image is worse than gamecube. Wii component is also $10-25 compared to $220 for GC component atm.
As for the New 3DS, I'm pretty sure the only reason it was created for XC was because of ram limitations, and cpu speed bottlenecking the gpu. Those two improvements were necessary to run Xenoblade Chronicles on New 3DS. It's going to be more like a DSi upgrade though, so that's why they didn't really improve on parts, especially since they're making huge profit margins off of the original 3DS already. It doesn't help that they aren't marketing it well Hopefully their next handheld will be able to get HD resolution.
That's what I was thinking about the New 3DS was the RAM and possibly CPU speed.
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They haven't included an AC adapter in Japan for the 3DS models outside of the original Japanese 3DS. When they released the 3DS XL over there (and in Europe), they explained that most people would be upgrading from the original (considering how popular the original 3DS was, this was a fair assumption IMO) and did not want to charge users for something they didn't need.
Granted, this does not help those customers who trade in their systems. And yes, Gamestop does expect AC adapters with trade-ins of the original 3DS (hopefully they don't with trade-ins of the N3DSXL).
It's not a great policy, but I know that there are at least 3+ of those adapters floating around in my house, and we only have 2 gamers.
I personally wouldn't suggest judging the N3DSXL's screen on Xenoblade Chronicles 3D. I've heard from many that it's a bad looking port and that folks would be much better off playing the original Wii version. I was really excited about it and got the N3DSXL at launch but when I saw footage of the port, I gave up on getting the game. It looks terrible in comparison.
Other games, however, which can also be played on the regular 3DS, still look good. I was really impressed by how Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate looked, for example.
Nintendo has never been big on their graphics, but instead opting to focus accessibility for many. A less expensive system, easier for a wider range of gamers to use, and a much better library of games will always win over something that's much prettier to look it. Vita had a lot of potential but was trying to do too much. Younger users were returning their systems because they didn't know how to use the thing (and their parents certainly weren't going to figure it out). Older users were returning systems because there is no library to support it. The console can't be a success if they can't cover those basics.
I agree with the OP about the placement of the c-stick and general feel about the console and 3D itself. However, the SD card thing doesn't bother me. I don't download many games, though I had some from the Ambassador program. I had already done some research prior to launch of the system and bought a larger MicroSD card to have on hand so I wouldn't have to change cards out (I only had to swap out for a larger card once on my original 3DS). Thank goodness Nintendo is not using proprietary SD cards for storage, unlike Vita's ridiculously priced cards.
If anything, I just think Nintendo did a terrible job of marketing the N3DSXL. It's not an amazing system, but the improvements are nice, including the faster processor. I did a fair bit of research prior to launch and knew about the adapter and what to expect in general. To users new to the Nintendo handheld, though, I can understand the frustration of not having that information be more clear.
Hadn't heard that Xeno was a bad looking port before. I just figured it would be the only way own this game without spending eighty bucks. ::)
I think we agree on most points with the New 3DS. Things that would drive someone insane like the MicroSD card slot placement and lack of bundled AC adapter didn't affect me. Nor the problems with transferring your data since I'm not trading my old system in. It just seems ridiculous to me that Nintendo hasn't improved the display. If they went with a HD display, most of that aliasing would be gone. The games would inherently look better simply because the display would be pushing more pixels. I know Nintendo doesn't want to compete in the "specs rat race" but I can't see the cost being so significant that an HD display and bundled AC adapter would financially hurt them. Especially when every single smartphone since the iPhone 3GS has a better display than a 2015 handheld console.
As far as the Vita, I agree with you that game library trumps everything else. I disagree with ease of use though. To me, Vita is a pretty simple system to understand and use. I'm glad I have both as I have my bases covered regardless of what system a game comes out on.
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I forgot to add two items to the CON section.
Commercials. Those awful, awful commercials.
Name. Whoever at Nintendo is in charge of naming their new systems needs to be fired. like...yesterday. Want to know how to confuse potential customers? Name your new systems Wii U and New 3DS. The first sounds like a new controller add-on and the second is just stupid. Go into Gamestop and ask for a new 3DS. Are you talking about the "New" 3DS, or that you want an unused , new condition 3DS?
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I disagree with ease of use though. To me, Vita is a pretty simple system to understand and use. I'm glad I have both as I have my bases covered regardless of what system a game comes out on.
I didn't really think about the system being awkward to use until I went into a used game shop, and a kid and his mom were trading in stuff so he could get a GBA SP, I think. They said they had gotten him a Vita a while back but immediately returned it because they were really confused by the backscreen and how to operate it in general. He just wanted something simple, where all you do is plug in a game and play. From that standpoint, a lot of the modern consoles fail. I'm personally tired of modern consoles trying to be a one-stop shop for all your entertainment needs.
I haven't played on the Vita myself, but the bf has one. I do love my PSTV, though. Navigating the "dashboard" screens or whatever still confuse me, but once I am actually playing games, it's a good microconsole :)
I still encourage folks to get Vita games and still hold on to the hope that more Vita support will come down the line! We'll see... :-[
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I didn't really think about the system being awkward to use until I went into a used game shop, and a kid and his mom were trading in stuff so he could get a GBA SP, I think. They said they had gotten him a Vita a while back but immediately returned it because they were really confused by the backscreen and how to operate it in general. He just wanted something simple, where all you do is plug in a game and play. From that standpoint, a lot of the modern consoles fail. I'm personally tired of modern consoles trying to be a one-stop shop for all your entertainment needs.
I haven't played on the Vita myself, but the bf has one. I do love my PSTV, though. Navigating the "dashboard" screens or whatever still confuse me, but once I am actually playing games, it's a good microconsole :)
I still encourage folks to get Vita games and still hold on to the hope that more Vita support will come down the line! We'll see... :-[
Weird. I would figure that juggling two screens, a stylus and blowing into the microphone would be more confusing. But that's just me.
The dashboard on the PSTV is stupid. It's exactly like what is on the Vita...but that is made for a touch interface. It's awkward trying to use it on a television.
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Very true, straight up specs don't mean much if you don't have the means to deliver it (like a fast car with no wheels). I think the motion controls really hampered what could be done with the Wii as well, and so the games had to take a step down.
It's good to know that I'm not the only one who thinks the Wii's graphics were actually worse than the Gamecube's. :P
I think Mario Kart Double Dash's graphics greatly outdo Mario Kart Wii's.
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Xenoblade Chronicles doesn't look much better on the Wii either. I think the PS2 is about on par with it. No charger though? That's ridiculous in this day in age.
I'm pretty sure the Wii is about as powerful as the original Xbox, give or take.
That's what they always claim and maybe I just see the Gamecube through rose-tinted glasses and the Wii through turd-tinted glasses, but I always thought Gamecube games looked on-par with Xbox games and the Wii games never looked as good as the Gamecube game.
Maybe it's just because I despise the Wii's waggle-wand-forced motion controls, but that's what I see.
I agree. I think original Xbox and GameCube looked better than Wii. And I own all 3 consoles. I think Wii was more on par with PS2. Of course Nintendo's first-party titles looked better on Wii than other games, but then so did Sony's first-party titles on PS2.
Very true, straight up specs don't mean much if you don't have the means to deliver it (like a fast car with no wheels). I think the motion controls really hampered what could be done with the Wii as well, and so the games had to take a step down.
I kind of disagree with that. The number of quality games on the Wii probably is right on par with the number on GameCube, in fact it might exceed it. There is a lot of shovelware on the console but that can be said for the GameCube too. Motion controls or not, I don't think the games were hampered by it by design. I just don't think bad developers like EA knew how to use it.
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Weird. I would figure that juggling two screens, a stylus and blowing into the microphone would be more confusing. But that's just me.
Haha, fair enough, but the DS started that back in 2004 (ugh, over 10 years ago :-[ ), and maybe a handful of games these days still implement the microphone feature. A good portion don't use the stylus either.
I also wasn't sure about the double screen back in 2004, but it makes a lot of logical sense now, and I rather enjoy it. It's a good way to expand screen real estate without making the system less portable-friendly. And I think it created a lot of interesting game dev design choices outside of the usual 1-screen format (i.e. Etrian Odyssey, Elite Beat Agents, Rhythm Heaven, Hotel Dusk).
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I kind of disagree with that. The number of quality games on the Wii probably is right on par with the number on GameCube, in fact it might exceed it. There is a lot of shovelware on the console but that can be said for the GameCube too. Motion controls or not, I don't think the games were hampered by it by design. I just don't think bad developers like EA knew how to use it.
You may be right; I can't speak to the quality of Wii games EDIT: (in terms of graphical fidelity as opposed to the video output, and Maximo covered how the Wii's video output isn't that great) But concerning the experience of playing a Wii game I will at least say that: how many people prefer to play Smash Bros. Brawl with a GC controller instead of the Wii mote? Or Mario Kart Wii with a GC controller instead of a Wii mote/steering wheel? Do you think that Brawl/Mario Kart Wii would still be just as good if there was no option to use a GameCube controller?
I think games like that speak to my point: The games are/ may be of good quality yes, but are hampered by a bad delivery - motion controls. There are definitely exceptions though - like Resident Evil 4 (and probably others). But I think that out of however many quality games there are on the Wii, a lot of them (at least some of them) are held back by motion controls. I do need to play more stuff on the Wii though to form my opinion a little better :D
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You may be right; I can't speak to the quality of Wii games since I don't own one myself, but I will at least say that: how many people prefer to play Smash Bros. Brawl with a GC controller instead of the Wii mote? Or Mario Kart Wii with a GC controller instead of a Wii mote/steering wheel? Do you think that Brawl/Mario Kart Wii would still be just as good if there was no option to use a GameCube controller?
I think games like that speak to my point: The games are/ may be of good quality yes, but are hampered by a bad delivery - motion controls. There are definitely exceptions though - like Resident Evil 4 (and probably others). But I think that out of however many quality games there are on the Wii, a lot of them (at least some of them) are held back by motion controls. I do need to play more stuff on the Wii though to form my opinion a little better :D
For me, the Wii's waggle-wand motion controls absolutely destroyed my enjoyment of the games on it. The only two "AAA" games on the system that I can really stand to play are New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Donkey Kong Country Returns. You just turn the Wiimote sideways and play (aside from the occasional shaking motion). There are other games that I play on it, but the motion controls cast a dark cloud over every facet of the system for me. Knowing that I can't play Zelda Twilight Princess or Mario Galaxy with normal controls ruined them for me. Didn't even want to play them. Why can't I just hit "X" to swing Link's sword instead of shaking a damn stick? I hate even navigating the dashboard at startup with that damn remote. Couple it with the graphics that were worse than it's predecessor and an ugly ass interface that looks like a 2-year-old designed it and it's my most hated Nintendo system. Well, I should say that the only other Nintendo system I have no love for is the N64. NES, SNES, Gamecube and Wii U are great.
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I kind of disagree with that. The number of quality games on the Wii probably is right on par with the number on GameCube, in fact it might exceed it. There is a lot of shovelware on the console but that can be said for the GameCube too. Motion controls or not, I don't think the games were hampered by it by design. I just don't think bad developers like EA knew how to use it.
You may be right; I can't speak to the quality of Wii games EDIT: (in terms of graphical fidelity as opposed to the video output, and Maximo covered how the Wii's video output isn't that great) But concerning the experience of playing a Wii game I will at least say that: how many people prefer to play Smash Bros. Brawl with a GC controller instead of the Wii mote? Or Mario Kart Wii with a GC controller instead of a Wii mote/steering wheel? Do you think that Brawl/Mario Kart Wii would still be just as good if there was no option to use a GameCube controller?
I think games like that speak to my point: The games are/ may be of good quality yes, but are hampered by a bad delivery - motion controls. There are definitely exceptions though - like Resident Evil 4 (and probably others). But I think that out of however many quality games there are on the Wii, a lot of them (at least some of them) are held back by motion controls. I do need to play more stuff on the Wii though to form my opinion a little better :D
Those are some pretty good points. I think motion is better in some cases like Pikmin and Zelda: Twilight Princess. Even Mario Kart Wii was more enjoyable (for me at least) with a Wii remote. Smash Bros? Well I don't think they would have even developed it if they didn't have traditional control in mind.
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For me, the Wii's waggle-wand motion controls absolutely destroyed my enjoyment of the games on it.
Same experience here, playing Skyward Sword, Metroid Prime trilogy or even this cool Silent Hill game on the Wii got me the fun half-spoiled by the mandatory motion controls. I wish those were playable with a GameCube controller.
I'm just sick of it, you have no accuracy and no comfort when playing with those. We now have a technology that allows us to build high-end controllers that have very accurate response to your inputs, the Dual Shock 4 controller is an amazing opposite example. Waving the wiimote and try to break an enemy's guard or achieve a parry in Zelda SS after playing Zelda TP with a GC controller was like switching from a SANWA arcade set to an Atari 2600's stick. You have to play slow paced and you succeed like 60% of the time to do what was intended.
For the Wii U I couldn't care less about the Gamepad screen, I wish there was just a pro controller, it's a nice controller, very lightweight and with a good battery duration. I'm glad that they didn't use the Gamepad at all for Yoshi's Wooly World, I'm having a lot of fun on this game, good old platforming and focus on traditional gameplay. Now I just hope they won't try to justify the Gamepad's use too much in the next Zelda, if they intend to release it on the NX maybe they'll come back to their senses and make the NX traditional controls so no silly features will be mandatory in the game.
As for the next Starfox: If they wouldn't have tried to justify the Gamepad usefulness with the dual point of view thing that requires to render the game twice in 60Hz maybe Platinum Games could make a much better looking game, but the silly useless feature comes in the way and they really seem to think it has a real gameplay value? You know, like I'm watching both screens at the same time whiel I'm shooting...
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Xenoblade Chronicles is just the worst on 3DS and I don't think it has anything to do with the games screen. It runs pretty poorly in busy spots like boss fights, textures are awful, and I think it's simply comes down to they tried to hard to shrink down a Wii game, hence why it has almost no extra polish or features cause they couldn't add anything more or didn't have the time. I would almost call it a bad port. It's playable, but I was incredibly unimpressed and I got rid of it after a few hours of play. Also had bad amiibo support lol
I like the New 3DS XL, but I'm someone that came into it from a 2DS, cause I wanted just a simple, easy way to play 3DS games, cause 3D is a useless function, and it's way cheaper. The leap from that to this was pretty fantastic, and I'm happy with it. The extra nub analog could've been way better though and they really dropped the ball on its design, but I'm glad I don't have to strap my 3DS into a secondary analog station to play something like Majora's Mask and it shows how big of an error it was to not create the 3DS with a second stick in the first place.
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I like the New 3DS XL, but I'm someone that came into it from a 2DS, cause I wanted just a simple, easy way to play 3DS games, cause 3D is a useless function, and it's way cheaper. The leap from that to this was pretty fantastic, and I'm happy with it. The extra nub analog could've been way better though and they really dropped the ball on its design, but I'm glad I don't have to strap my 3DS into a secondary analog station to play something like Majora's Mask and it shows how big of an error it was to not create the 3DS with a second stick in the first place.
To me, it boils down to Nintendo being stubborn and refusing to go with the flow. It goes all the way back to the NES. Nintendo stubbornly refused to release a new system. The Genesis began mopping the floor with them and they finally, begrudgingly came out with the SNES (another fantastic system) that they marketed as being for more "experienced" players. Yeah...they really did that.
Then they refused to go with CD-ROM format with the N64 which pretty much cost them all of their 3rd party support to PlayStation.
Next up, they finally release a system with an optical drive, but make it a 1.5 gig proprietary mini-disc in a system shaped like a purple purse complete with a handle. I love the Gamecube, but it was yet another bone-headed maneuver. 3rd party support quickly dried up as the storage wasn't sufficient for their needs.
Moving on, they release the Wii and force crappy motion controls on everyone for nearly every game, regardless if it would play better with a standard controller.
Which brings us to the Wii U. A system that arrived five years too late with a big tablet controller that most people don't want. Again, I love the Wii U and I actually use the tablet screen to game in bed or when someone is watching the boob-tube, but combined with being an underpowered system, 3rd party support came to an abrupt halt less than a year in and 1st party offerings barely drip in.
I love Nintendo and some of the innovation they bring to the table. But as much as they add to gaming, they take as much or more away by forcing goofy stuff on us that we don't want. Don't tell me how I have to play a game, give it to me and allow me to play it.
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I love Nintendo and some of the innovation they bring to the table. But as much as they add to gaming, they take as much or more away by forcing goofy stuff on us that we don't want. Don't tell me how I have to play a game, give it to me and allow me to play it.
As silly as I originally thought the original DS was, I actually thought it did a great job of adding an easy innovative feature for devs. Being able to utilize two screens, a touch screen, microphone, and streetpass created some really interesting games. I spent many, many hours on Nintendogs, Elite Beat Agents, The World Ends With You, and so many other games that wouldn't have worked as well on a traditional home or handheld console.
I adored the DS and still do. As silly as some things Nintendo decides to do, I'll always love what they gave me with the DS.
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I just wish they would hurry up and announce some new colors for the device. :(
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I love Nintendo and some of the innovation they bring to the table. But as much as they add to gaming, they take as much or more away by forcing goofy stuff on us that we don't want. Don't tell me how I have to play a game, give it to me and allow me to play it.
As silly as I originally thought the original DS was, I actually thought it did a great job of adding an easy innovative feature for devs. Being able to utilize two screens, a touch screen, microphone, and streetpass created some really interesting games. I spent many, many hours on Nintendogs, Elite Beat Agents, The World Ends With You, and so many other games that wouldn't have worked as well on a traditional home or handheld console.
I adored the DS and still do. As silly as some things Nintendo decides to do, I'll always love what they gave me with the DS.
I agree with your sentiments when it comes to the DS and Nintendo hand-held systems in general. They are fun, solid little devices that get a pretty good variety of games. And hey...3rd parties actually put stuff out on them! It's why I have a GameBoy, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance, DS, DSi, 3DS and New 3DS.
After I complete my "Square-25" collection (all 25 games by Squaresoft on the original PlayStation), I'm going after the Square titles I am missing on the Nintendo handhelds.
The dual-screens work great and do add to games that are built around that feature.