Nintendo’s 3DS was a major hit at E3 last month, and the immediate response from developers was a show of enthralled support. The initial lineup of titles was quite encouraging, as consumers will get to play some of the most recognized franchises in 3D. JC Connors of Griptonite Games believes that the 3DS needs to be treated as though it were a console, not a new handheld device.
"Certainly, the video game market has changed a lot over the last year," he suggests. "You know, a lot of the casual games that really bombarded the DS marketplace have now moved onto other platforms like the iPhone, so I think everyone looks at this as an opportunity to kind of bring something special back to the gamers."
The DS has traditionally been viewed as a development platform for Nintendo, a haven for first-party and casual audiences. The new 3DS, however, offers up a new dimension in what is capable from a mobile perspective. Besides the 3D capability, there is the new analog stick that has been added.
“Everyone looked at the 3DS with just how powerful it was, and the new features, the analog stick and the 3D, as an opportunity to bring almost console-level quality games to this handheld because they could," he says. "On the DS, you really couldn't."
“And that's something that we've learned over the last six months. You can't treat this machine as just a DS plus," Connors continues. "You almost have to treat it like a console, because many of the things it can do are things that consoles can do. So, you know, why not bring a more 'gamer' experience to that platform, if it can do really well with it?"
[Thanks Gamasutra]
3 Comments
2 months ago
This is encouraging to hear, but I hope developers in general remember that the 3DS is still a portable and that saving should be an always available option, and that gameplay sections should be designed so that they can be completed in 10-30 minutes because of the pick up and play nature of portables. The PSP has already offered nearly console quality experiences for portables, and yet it didn't turn out to be a winning formula for them. I realize the inherent difficulty in breaking into Nintendo's handheld turf, and the PSP is the only system to try and remain standing since 1989. Yet clearly the PSP is a distant second place to DS (worldwide, not Japan) and it did have the formidable Playstation legacy and branding behind it, as well as an industry perception that it would crush the DS with it's multimedia features and processing power back in 2004. Of course, that perception was mistaken, yet the same perception was held in regards to the Wii vs. the PS3 in 2006. I have to admit, I think that took everyone by surprise. I had been reading weekly and monthly sales figures for years pointing out the PSone and PS2's dominance in the marketplace for both hardware and software, so the notion that the Wii could totally "upend the teatable" was unfathomable at the time. It's amazing the power that innovative ideas still hold to change the marketplace. But in conclusion, I must say that I am still very excited for 3DS and the potential it offers to create innovative, quirky experiences, as well as console quality masterpieces, from 1st and 3rd parties alike.
2 months ago
F-Zero 3D
2 months ago
For the record, the DS "not being able to bring console-level quality games" is complete bullocks. Haven't you ever played Super Mario 64 DS? Notice how IT'S graphics were BETTER than the original.
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