When Nintendo unveiled the 3DS, the system’s stereoscopic 3D feature was one of its standout qualities. The functionality has seen a lesser emphasis as of late though, culminating with the launch of the 2DS last month – a system which ditches 3D entirely.
During Nintendo’s investor Q&A last week, an attendee asked if the handheld’s arrival means “Nintendo is perhaps wavering a bit on its initial plans.” The person also questioned whether the 2DS was a part of president Satoru Iwata’s original vision.
Iwata responded by mentioning that development of the 2DS “began a long time ago.” Nintendo “realized beforehand that it would be difficult to maximize the sales potential of Nintendo 3DS without an entry-level product ready in time for the release of a new Pokémon title.” Given the different price options for the 3DS, the yen’s value at the time, and ability to offer another option for the 3DS platform, Nintendo believed the 2DS was a smart move to make.
Iwata also confirmed that the 3DS and 3DS XL will stil be sold, and Nintendo is “not saying that we will abandon 3D or cease to make new propositions in 3D.”
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata discussed the topic of “smart devices” – encompassing smartphones and tables – during the company’s latest financial results briefing Q&A.
Iwata acknowledged that people now tend to play smartphones in instances such as traveling by train whereas they were previously playing a handheld system. However, despite the rise in smart device popularity, he believes reports that the handheld market is shrinking are very much exaggerated.
Iwata pointed to strong sales of the 3DS in his argument. The system managed to sell 5.5 million units in 2012, and Nintendo expects similar sales this year. That being said, Iwata did note that 3DS momentum hasn’t been as strong in the US and Europe compared to Japan.
Elsewhere in his comments, Iwata mentioned how Nintendo is looking to take advantage of smart devices for its own benefit. Iwata is in favor of promoting the company’s own products through smartphones, for example, and said many people tend to watch Nintendo Directs on these devices.
Head past the break for Iwata’s full comments.
Nintendo has been doing some interesting things in the digital space. As an example, Wii Sports Club offers different price points, Pokemon Bank will carry an annual 500 yen fee, and the company has even started to dabble with the free-to-play model.
One analyst asked about these products and its digital business in general during Nintendo’s financial results briefing Q&A last week. Satoru Iwata commented with a very lengthy response, which you can find below.
Update (11/11/13): Teaser site was fir a mobile title.
Earlier today, Namco Bandai went live with a new Japanese teaser site. You can find it here.
The site doesn’t offer many clues other than the words “break burst”. We’ll find out what’s being teased here in six days.
Actos Games’ puzzle RPG “Apexicon” has a shot at coming to Wii U. The Wii U version will be made, thanks to the Nintendo Web Framework, if Kickstarter funds reach $20,000.
The game itself needs $15,000 in donations in order to reach its target goal. The Kickstarter ends on December 1st.
You can check out the official Kickstarter page here.
In Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, players can rate each of the game’s missions. Users are given the option of handing out up to five stars.
Ubisoft Motreal user research project manager Jonathan Dankoff told NowGamer that the data provided will assist the company in improving future titles. He said:
“Ubisoft is actually using all of this data to improve future games. Ubisoft has been using data tracking to improve our titles for a while, but this is the first time we will be able to match gameplay metrics to player appreciation in order to dig even deeper into player behavior.
“The combination of the two data sources will give us incredible insight into how players are interacting with our game and guide future development teams to create missions that appeal to our players even more.”
Wondering which mission is Assassin’s Creed IV’s highest-rated thus far? Dankoff revealed:
“We’re still in the early stages of collecting data, but already at this stage it’s impressive to see how closely the mission ratings mirror the results from our own pre-launch playtest sessions. The current favorite mission decided by our fans is Sequence 02 Memory 06: The Treasure Fleet, but I look forward to seeing how the data evolves as more people play!”
Call of Duty: Ghosts has finally arrived, and so have the reviews. You can get an idea as to how the new shooter is sitting with critics in our reviews roundup below.
CVG – 7 / 10
Destructoid – 5 / 10
DigitalSpy – 4 / 5
EDGE – 7 / 10
Eurogamer – 7 / 10
GameSpot – 8 / 10
GamesRadar – 4 / 5
GiantBomb – 3 / 5
IGN – 8.8 / 10
Joystiq – 3.5 / 5
Kotaku
NowGamer – 7.5 / 10
Polygon – 6.5 / 10
USGamer – 3 / 5
VideoGamer – 7 / 10
