The Nintendo 3DS’ First Year Report Card – Happy Birthday

One year ago the Nintendo 3DS was released in Australia, and in that year the Nintendo 3DS has been on a metaphorical rollercoaster of a ride. No one expected the 3DS to take over from the Nintendo DS immediately (apart from Nintendo, that is), though before launch it might have seemed that way. The Nintendo 3DS was hyped by the fans and the media, and for some time seemed untouchable.

Because of that (and partially just because they could), Nintendo launched the 3DS at a price that Nintendo admitted could have been cheaper, but instead chose to ride the wave of hype. Of course, this is something they would eventually come to regret. The hype quelled as the launch got closer and despite the 3DS being an amazing piece of kit, nothing seemed to go right for the system. At least, for a while.

The Launch

The launch of the Nintendo 3DS was greatly received. The pricing wasn’t the best but good competition between retailers kept prices down and allowed lots of people to pick up a bargain. Unfortunately, the 3DS didn’t launch with all that it promised, and launch games were sparse. Nintendo had only the Nintendogs titles on offer and Capcom’s Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition for day one. Not bad games by any stretch; but not that appealing either.

Crowds turned out at the launch at EB Games Swanston Street

Third parties were given a chance to shine on launch and Ubisoft as usual took up that challenge and had 6 games available for day one. Konami, EA, Warner and Namco all had a singluar title as well. Not all of the titles will be forever remembered as spectacular, but it’s the titles that followed up after launch that were a problem.

The Lull

[pullquote_right] Between launch and early June owners of the 3DS were fed scraps. [/pullquote_right]In Australia, Nintendo did something weird: they didn’t release Steel Diver and Pilotwings Resort at launch. Pilotwings fans didn’t have to wait long, Pilotwings was released just two weeks later, so it could be argued that for those itching for something else to play two weeks after launch, Pilotwings hit at the right time. The delay of Steel Diver, however, was a peculiar one. Steel Diver was the perfect ‘launch’ game. It’s not too in-depth (or is it? – ha!) and its a great companion title to buy when you pick up the console, but we didn’t get it until May- two months after launch. Apart from a few third-party titles there was only a tiny handful of post-launch titles in Australia. Things were looking boring for 3DS owners, and there was no real incentive for non-3DS owners to join the absence of fun. That is, until June rolled around.

The eShop and E3 2011

The start of June was a busy time for the Nintendo 3DS. E3 was in the first few weeks of the month, and apart from a retread of a lot of games we already knew about, a few choice games including Luigi’s Mansion 2 were revealed for the first time. The much loved GameCube classic was finally getting a sequel, and it looked brilliant. The focus, though, was on the Wii U.

It sure is great to see Luigi getting another outing.

The Wii U, Nintendo’s latest console. It’s not surprising that people would be excited for it, but the showing Nintendo put on for that was underwelming to say the least. Most people were assuming well into the conference that it was just a new Wii controller! Nor did they show off any real games for the system. Still nearly a year later we haven’t seen anything real. Perhaps Nintendo should have devoted more time for the Nintendo 3DS at E3 2011?

The Ocarina of Time

The middle of the year hit and it was time for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Everyone had hoped it would be ready for launch, but the extra time must have been well spent- the game port was perfect. It not only redid the graphics and kept the charm of the original but also made use of the Nintendo 3DS with the touchscreen, second screen and gyroscopic control.

Portable Ocarina of Time, I've never had so little sleep.

The game hit at the perfect time. It was a great reason for people who never played the original to pick up a 3DS and for the hardcore fans who wanted to play it again it was well worth paying for. Unfortunately, despite Ocarina of Time, the Flame Red colour and smaller games like Resident Evil Mercenaries and Cubic Ninja  filling in the gaps it just wasn’t enough. The launch hype of the 3DS had faded. Ocarina of Time was great, but people wanted more – it wasn’t enough for people to pay $350 for a 3DS console. So Nintendo had to do something.

The Price Drop

[pullquote_right]A $100 price drop so soon after launch? Was Nintendo crazy?[/pullquote_right]Then it all happened. A simple press release Nintendo put out on Twitter and on its Japanese site. Nintendo Europe, America and Australia followed. $100AU was to be dropped off the Nintendo 3DS price, though not instantly. Nintendo gave everyone the choice of buying one now at the higher price, or waiting for the drop. So why would you buy at the higher price? Well Nintendo, as a gesture of good faith to early Nintendo 3DS owners (now dubbed ‘Ambassadors’), offered buyers 20 free games. These free games were a selection of 10 NES Games and 10 Game Boy Advance games. The NES games didn’t take that long to arrive but it was near the end of 2011 before the Game Boy Advance games came. Nintendo also said that they had no intention of releasing the Game Boy Advance games on the eShop at any time and so far it hasn’t happened. The Ambassadors move was applauded by most. Some people would prefer just to have their $100 back, but it wasn’t to be so.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata also took the 3DS Price Drop with great humility. He even wrote an open apology letter to Nintendo 3DS owners, an unprecedented move from a CEO;

[quote]”We are all too keenly aware that those of you who supported us by purchasing the 3DS in the beginning may feel betrayed and criticize this decision,”

“This unprecedented timing for a price cut is because the situation has changed greatly since we originally launched the 3DS. We decided it was necessary to take this drastic step in order to ensure that large numbers of users will continue to enjoy the 3DS in the future.”

“Those customers who purchased the 3DS at the very beginning are extremely important to us, We know that there is nothing we can do to completely make up for the feeling that you are being punished for buying the system early.” – Satoru Iwata[/quote]

He took full responsiblity for the situation that the 3DS (and Nintendo) was in. The performance of the Nintendo 3DS was unacceptable to him, and so the price drop had to happen. But would it pay off?

So two weeks after the announcement the price drop happened, and the unthinkable with it. The 3DS began to sell. Sales reports took a while to come in but it was immediately noticeable in Japan where they have weekly updates for sales. America was next, and reports of good sales in Europe and Australia lifted the public opinion of the Nintendo 3DS. It went from doom and gloom articles every week, to something else entirely.

The rest of August went by without too many changes. The price drop had done its work, and the 3DS was selling. Nintendo then announced for early September that another conference was coming and they were promising big things. This was the big turning point- it was all up from here, we just didn’t know it yet.]

The Change

September was the transition month for the 3DS. With the system selling more and more each week Nintendo were back on track. But this wasn’t Nintendo’s last move, no, on the 13th of September Nintendo held a conference. This conference revealed a ton of games, including Mario Power Tennis, but that came second to the exposition that Nintendo had scored the Monster Hunter franchise. The Monster Hunter series is huge in Japan, single-handedly keeping the PSP alive in the country. So not only were Nintendo bringing a remixed version Monster Hunter Tri to the 3DS, but also the next big game in the series: Monster Hunter 4. The silver bullet for the 3DS to get back on top? No, it was one of three for 2012.

Nintendo showed off a LOT of games.

Then there was the Slide Extension, Slide Pad or what eventually was known as the Circle Pad Pro. This add-on for the Nintendo 3DS gave what many had been asking for for awhile. Dual Analog controls and with the Vita only a couple of months away – it really needed it! Well, that’s what’s people thought. So far the addon has been recived well with a handful of games supporting it. Whether or not it continues to get used into 2012 remains to be seen.

The Games

Then, finally, the games started to come. In October there was Tetris and Skylanders, the eShop pulled no punches with great Virtual Console titles and then the start of the original games. Freaky Forms was the first, the proof that Nintendo maybe care about digital distribution this time around. Sure, it’s only one game, but then it was followed up the next month by Pullblox (aka Pushmo). Two games don’t seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but these were the start of something that’s still continuing to evolve.

Then it was time for the triple header. Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, and in Japan: Monster Hunter Tri G. These three games sealed the end of 2012 for Nintendo and the 3DS in a tight little bow.  Third parties too added some great titles in this period. Shinobi, Cave Story 3D, Need for Speed The Run, Sonic Generations. Nintendo then went and updated the firmware, added another StreetPass quest, more puzzles and new fuctions to the system, such as 3D video recording. Game Boy Advance Ambassador games were also finally delivered.

Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Monster Hunter Tri G. Still selling consoles.

It doesn’t matter when you bought a Nintendo 3DS. These games, the eShop games and the system update finally made it feel like it was worth owning a Nintendo 3DS. Before that, a few games might have drawn you to the console but the brilliance of Super Mario 3D Land nd the insane fun and online additions to Mario Kart 7 made it feel complete.

2012 so far…

2012 has been great for the 3DS so far. The first three months have seen continued fun coming from the eShop and last year’s titles but also great follow ups from third parties. We’ve seen Tekken, Resident Evil: Revelations and Metal Gear Solid 3D Snake Eater hit the console, and the eShop has grown with great titles like Dillon’s Rolling Western.

This week has seen the release of Kid Icarus: Uprising, one of the first games Nintendo showed off for the system. It took nearly two years to get it but it’s here and we liked it.

After a stellar Christmas period it was inevitable that Nintendo wouldn’t (and some might argue shouldn’t) keep up the releases. With the hardware, Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land and Monster Hunter selling why would they need to? However, while January was relaxed, February started to push the steam train back into action.

The Nintendo 3DS sits in a great position on its first birthday. There are challanges from different fronts, there always will be. Nintendo have the Wii U coming out this year which will divide their attention, but ultimately whatever happens to the Nintendo 3DS in 2012 and in the future, it’s going to be an exciting ride.