Nintendo 3DS: My thoughts after the E3 announcement

I find it really weird I have not written anything about the Nintendo 3DS, considering I’m a total nerd over it. I blame work. Anyway, at this point you probably know everything there is to be known about the Nintendo 3DS since it was announced in E3 this year, but what I want to share with you (as I generally do in this blog) is my thoughts on the subject, particularly some ideas that (I’m pretty sure someone from Nintendo will read this) I know will make the difference between this machine turning out to be the next Game Boy or the next Virtual Boy – in a convenient outline format!

1. Take advantage of new media – Given that the 3DS will be the first commercially available 3D camera Nintendo should be the pioneer in this type of media just like Sony did with the DVD , UMD and Blu-Ray
   1. Establish a standard format for 3D images and videos among all platforms
      1. Include a means of sharing 3D images with non-3DS users
      2. Emphasize in social networks
      3. Allow users to upload 3D videos to YouTube or other video sharing services
   2. Sell movies through the 3DS store
1. Killer Apps
   1. In order to compete with the iPhone, the 3DS will need a vast library of free or cheap software besides games
      1. The 3DS store should be ridiculously accessible to both owners and developers
      2. Developers should be enticed with the ability of making 3D applications for everyday use
   2. New games
      1. Besides the already obscene launch lineup, Nintendo should continue to bring forth popular first and third-party franchises as new installments rather than 3d remakes
      2. Until other 3D handhelds come into the market, seize the opportunity to score as many exclusives as possible
      3. Enhanced Reality
         1. I
         2. Want
         3. It
         4. NOW
   3. 3D-ified Classics – sell them cheap in a 3D Virtual Console of sorts
      1. 16 bit + enhanced parallax scrolling
      2. 16 bit + enhanced Mode 7 graphics
      3. SNES FX chip
      4. Virtual Boy
      5. Early 32/62 bit era games that didn’t work that well due to lack of depth perception but would’ve otherwise been awesome (Jumping Flash! comes to mind)
1. Full online potential
   1. No more friend codes
   2. Absolutely NO friend codes
   3. In-console friend roster
      1. Mii support
      2. Instant messaging
      3. Automatically detect and connect to WiFi
      4. Live notifications of who’s online and what games they’re playing
         1. Ability to join instantly
   4. Get rid of those damned friend codes
   5. Online 3D Mii-based worldwide Pictochat

That’s all I can think of for the moment. While most of these concepts are pretty obvious, it’s only a matter of time until we see if Nintendo will take advantage of the full potential of this amazing device. What do you think? Go ahead and post a comment or two! In the meantime I’ll be saving money to preorder mine.