The DS gazes also into you

[Farmer]

thus continuing that awful trend from the GBA era

Couple this with the tiresome trend of putting Super/64/Advance/3D in titles.

[Team Mecha]

Maybe there's just nothing to this, but notice that small Mario doesn't have his hat...

The luma stole Mario's hat at the end of SMG2.

Yeah that's right, continuity in a Mario platformer.

[Locit]

Your nose must have confused it.

I'm just stunned he knows two other people willing to let him photograph them.

Preemptive follow-up joke: I'm just stunned he knows two other people.

[The Doc]

I'm fairly certain they're going to release a better, more streamlined version of this console in a few years (definitely a sleeker design, perhaps more features and better backwards compatibility with DSiWare). Not to mention, I just plain don't give a shit about 3D technology. I swear we got rid of this trend back in the 80s, by the way...

[Edgerock]

I'm fairly certain they're going to release a better, more streamlined version of this console in a few years (definitely a sleeker design, perhaps more features and better backwards compatibility with DSiWare). Not to mention, I just plain don't give a shit about 3D technology. I swear we got rid of this trend back in the 80s, by the way...

Actually... Miyamoto hints at a 3DS XL instead of a "Lite," revision in this IGN interview:

http://ds.ign.com/articles/110/1104396p1.html

"I think there's still a bit of a gap between what you can do on a portable device and a home console device, so I can't say for certain that there wouldn't be, say, a Nintendo 3DS XL at some point in the future, and I wonder how big that XL would need to be in order for it to replace something like a home console, and that's a line that's very difficult to judge at this point in time. "

So... yeah, there definitely won't be a smaller revision. If you've looked inside the 3DS it is packed completely full. As long as they use clamshell there won't be anything smaller.

[Segaholic2]

So... yeah, there definitely won't be a smaller revision. If you've looked inside the 3DS it is packed completely full. As long as they use clamshell there won't be anything smaller.

You must be completely naive if you think this "limitation" precludes a smaller hardware revision.

[Delphine]

So... yeah, there definitely won't be a smaller revision. If you've looked inside the 3DS it is packed completely full. As long as they use clamshell there won't be anything smaller.

Nope, there's no way they could possibly develop a smaller version. Impossible.

[j-man]

Holy shit, it really is just a series of tubes!

[Crisis]

My computer scientist friend says that the hardware is going through a period of forced innovation because processor size is more or less at a standstill. That said, Apple just released a thinner, lighter version of the iPad with a dual core processor and the same battery life, which my computer scientist friend can't explain without allowing for the invocation of voodoo.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

I predict that within 100 years, 3DSes will be twice as powerful, 10,000 times larger, and so expensive that only the five richest kings of Europe will own them.

[G.Silver]

My computer scientist friend says that the hardware is going through a period of forced innovation because processor size is more or less at a standstill. That said, Apple just released a thinner, lighter version of the iPad with a dual core processor and the same battery life, which my computer scientist friend can't explain without allowing for the invocation of voodoo.

I think you just explained the mystery yourself? Even if current processor size is stagnating, it's pretty unlikely that the 3DS or original iPad were using the smallest possible components. So long as they keep "forcing innovation" to sustain a market that's based on planned obsolescence, the smaller, more expensive components they avoided the first time (or even second time) are still going to get cheaper, allowing Apple and Nintendo to make a smaller product, at least for the time being.

[Farmer]

My computer scientist friend says that the hardware is going through a period of forced innovation because processor size is more or less at a standstill.

A magazine article I read recently claimed that the slowdown in processing power increases is due to the average consumer's use-it-twice-a-week-for-eBay computer - where the big money is - being 'fast enough' for non-enthusiasts to do their business.
That said, we'll always have hardware innovation when bigger numbers look good on the box.

[Isuka]

I think there's still a bit of a gap between what you can do on a portable device and a home console device, so I can't say for certain that there wouldn't be, say, a Nintendo 3DS XL at some point in the future, and I wonder how big that XL would need to be in order for it to replace something like a home console, and that's a line that's very difficult to judge at this point in time.

Miyamoto is officially the funniest troll ever.

[Arcade]

Well, I might get this thing in two years... when there actually GAMES for it, I am not falling in the trap of critics praising games just because there are only a few for the console, that's the reason I bought Mario& Luigi partners in time and it was a real mistake...

[Dr. BUGMAN]

http://www.dragonquest.jp/slamori3ds/

S'getting harder to not want a 3DS. *sigh*

EDIT: for those who don't speak Moon, it's Rocket Slime 2

[K2J]

I got it today. Pretty cool, although more for the camera's augmented reality features than the 3D, which is still pretty cool. Reminds me a lot of the Gameboy Camera, only more user-friendly.

Are we doing the Friend Code passing thing now that it's system-specific instead of game-specific? Mine's 1762-2673-7082.

[Farmer]

Are we doing the Friend Code passing thing now that it's system-specific instead of game-specific? Mine's 1762-2673-7082.

That's longer than my phone number. Have I not missed something, or is there a reason why Nintendo haven't implemented usernames yet?

[FlashTHD]

That's longer than my phone number.

As if you have to memorize it.

Seriously, if people think non-game-specific friend codes are such a horrendous nuisance, they haven't played enough games that use password saves. Maybe go back and play Super Monaco GP for some real perspective on what stinks!

[Neo]

That's longer than my phone number. Have I not missed something, or is there a reason why Nintendo haven't implemented usernames yet?

Friend Codes are better than usernames when you consider the situation where someone has already taken your desired handle. Everybody gets the short end of the stick!

[gr4yJ4Y]

I didn't get a 3nogamesDS, but I did played around with a friend's. The augmented reality was pretty awesome and I've never played a game where you physically have to move both yourself and the system to aim. I know stuff like that has been around for a while on certain phones, but this is the first time I've tried it. I wonder how many people will trip over chairs and steps for this.

The 3D does add a certain something to the picture. You get used to it and when you turn it off you kind of miss it. The picture seems less visually interesting in 2D, but quite a bit brighter. The 3D is so hit or miss based on how the system is positioned. If the system isn't in just the right position at the right distance it gets all blurry. It's probably easy to get used to, but there is a bit of a adjusting curve.

[Farmer]

Friend Codes are better than usernames when you consider the situation where someone has already taken your desired handle. Everybody gets the short end of the stick!

I found out very quickly after adopting this name that "Farmer" is a character in Dragonball Z and is taken everywhere. Still, better to add some numbers to the end than have a username like "GunKillaGuy66667Weed_\|/_".

Also, I can only remember my phone number because it spells "BOOBIES" in a turn-the-calculator-upside-down way.

[K2J]

Nintendo hasn't implemented Steam/XBLA/PSN-like handles because they want to protect the childrens (this doesn't stop them from creating StreetPass...), but luckily, this time around, you just need to do it once. From then on, your friends are all referred to by their hardware's name.

[Team Mecha]

I only ever play random matches in any online game anyway.

Since my DS died a horrible, tragic & mysteriously sticky death months ago, I went ahead & got one yesterday. I can't see 3D & the launch line-up sucks but at least now I can play Poke'mon Black now without having to borrow my mom's pink lite. The one game I did get with it is of course SSF4, a game that only appeals to anyone who never bothered to get the console version in the 2 years it's been out & is so hopeless at fighting games that he needs instant-combos buttons. So basically a SF for anyone except actual fans of SF, hence it was the perfect pick for me (Dudley's my new favorite character).

I'm interested in picking up SM64DS for cheap & seeing if the circle pad actually makes it playable.

[Green Gibbon!]

I can't see 3D

Wait, what?

[Crowbar]

Weirdly, right after I had a nightmare about having actually bought one (not making that up) I got to play one yesterday.

It's a neat tech demo and toy, but it's not videogames yet. The 3D wasn't too bad, but the AR stuff doesn't enthuse me at all and I see no real possibility for that to produce actual games. And at the end of the day, there's just not really any appealing software for it. Given that I still haven't committed to owning a Wii, I will probably not be bothering for a very long time, if at all.