Here Are the Nintendo 3DS's Biggest Mistakes

It was a great day when the Nintendo 3DS went on sale in Japan on February 26. It was also a great day when it launched in North America the following month. Shame the rest of the 3DS’s timeline hasn’t been so great. It’s been awful.(new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=995c4c7d-194f-4077-b0a0-7ad466eb737c&cid=872d12ce-453b-4870-845f-955919887e1b'; cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "995c4c7d-194f-4077-b0a0-7ad466eb737c" }).render("79703296e5134c75a2db6e1b64762017"); }); Here is a list [[link]] of Nintendo’s 3DS blunders (so far). Mistake 1: Satoru Iwata mentioned a DS successor to the Asahi Shimbun. Nintendo later said Iwata’s comments were “misinterpreted”. The Asahi Shimbun stood by its story, saying it was correct. This looked messy. https://kotaku.com/report-new-zelda-out-by-end-of-2010-first-ds-successo-5441242 Mistake 2: Nintendo suddenly announced it was working on a Nintendo DS successor via a rushed press release. The press release revealed the successor had the temporary name “Nintendo 3DS”. Apparently, Nintendo was worried a Japanese news outlet was going to break the news. Even though this had already happened. https://kotaku.com/nintendo-announces-new-hardware-the-nintendo-3ds-5499697 Mistake 3: Nintendo issued a health warning for players under six about the optional 3D effect, echoing sentiments made to Kotaku at E3 by Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. The warning itself was not a mistake; however, it lead some to wonder how family-friendly the 3DS was. https://kotaku.com/nintendos-3ds-warning-for-kids-under-six-years-old-5719485 Mistake 4: 3D in gaming handhelds is largely untested on a mass market scale. Nintendo took the leap, and in the process, made some people sick https://kotaku.com/the-3ds-might-be-making-japan-sick-5736257 Mistake 5: The 3DS is a power drain, and the battery life is weak—weaker than the Nintendo DS’s, making it appear regressive. https://kotaku.com/the-3ds-battery-wont-last-as-long-as-the-ds-5658712 Mistake 6: In Japan, Nintendo priced the 3DS at ¥25,000. For a company that has spent this console generation triumphing value for money, the high price seemed out of character. Ultimately, the 3ds got a sudden (and unusual) price drop. https://kotaku.com/nintendo-explains-the-nintendo-3dss-price-point-5652803 Mistake 7: In the U.S., Nintendo priced the portable at $249.99. Like Japan, the international price was cut. Nintendo did offer free games to those who purchased the machine before the price cut, a smart move. https://kotaku.com/how-does-the-nintendo-3ds-price-stack-up-5737948 Mistake 8: Save for Nintendogs + Cats, Nintendo didn’t have the games and demos it showed at the 2010 E3 gaming expo available at launch. https://kotaku.com/hands-on-with-seven-nintendo-3ds-games-and-gadgets-5564204 Mistake 9: The launch games weren’t so good. Actually, most of them stunk. https://kotaku.com/are-the-3ds-launch-games-up-to-snuff-5733452 Mistake 10: The games are region locked, and that sucks. The DS’ games weren’t, and that was awesome. Mistake 11: The 3DS e-Shop was delayed (twice) and was not ready at launch. This only added to the perception the handheld had been rushed. https://kotaku.com/the-3ds-e-shop-has-been-delayed-5801121 Mistake 12: Countless game delays and cancellations. Not all of the delays and cancellations were Nintendo’s fault, of course, but they still had a negative impact on the 3DS’ launch. https://kotaku.com/whats-with-all-the-cancelled-3ds-games-5822519 Mistake 13: The new add-on 3DS thumbstick looks tacked-on, and it makes the 3DS seem like it wasn’t thought-out. It also doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the current model. Why buy one now when an inevitable redesign seems right around the corner? https://kotaku.com/nintendo-3ds-circle-pad-add-on-is-real-heres-your-firs-5837814 Nintendo’s rollout for the 3DS is one of the sloppiest product launches in recent memory. Nintendo, a company that prides itself [[link]] on polish and perfection, seems to have bungled the 3DS. But there’s still hope. Nintendo has big titles waiting in the wings, and next week, the Kyoto-based game maker is holding a 3DS press conference. Nintendo can still right all its wrongs. Look at how the DS Lite improved the DS and ended up one of the best consoles [[link]] this generation. The same thing can happen again. (Top photo: Nintendo & Luke Plunkett) You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.