Dear Nintendo:
It has been almost 6 months since the Nintendo 3DS was released and even though I am very happy with my system, it seems the public perception is different. And even though you went as far as to announce a price drop on a system that is nowhere near obsolescence to change that notion... Well, I worry. Let me tell you why.
If I had it my way I'd buy every console and every game for it, then I'd wipe my butt with any title that was anything short of perfect, just like they do in video game magazines. But that is not the case. Before I buy a game I have to know if I like it first, because otherwise it's wasted money. When it comes to hardware, I like to research it thoroughly, but I also get a feeling I must buy it as close to launch as possible in order to get the most time out of it.
I have not been this hyped about a video game system since the days of the Dreamcast, and we all know what happened to it; it was discontinued in 2 years. The reason I liked it was because of all the innovations it had made, just like with the 3DS. Now, I know what killed the DC was mostly piracy, but I can't stop feeling that the world simply wasn't ready its awesomeness. Thus, an entirely pathological fear that the 3DS might fail simply because the consumers will reject it's not what they're used to.
Now, when the rumors started popping up before launch that the 3D effect would give users headaches (or make their heads explode if they are under 18) I really started to freak out. Bad news travel faster than good news, so you made a huge gamble with the 3D if they knew there would be anything "not good" about it. I wondered: if you took such a risk, you must have one helluva plan! Yeah, you have an ace up their sleeve. I mean c'mon, you started out as a playing card manufacturer, right?
Hardware-wise, one thing that had me very excited was the fact that the 3DS would be the first commercially available 3D camera. I'm not really a camera guy, but you had the market for yourselves. You could have sold the system as a 3D camera with social network integration and that alone would sell 3DS systems to non-gamers, but you didn't. Now there's a dedicated 3d camera out there, plus a phone with a 3d camera. So unless you can figure out a way to hand out 3DS systems for free in exchange for a 2 year contract, smartphones that cost thrice as much will still be considered cheaper. Now not only is there a competition, they've got us beat both in price and picture quality. First missed opportunity.
When the web browser was released it was a huge disappointment for me. To me the DSi browser was perfect and at times more comfortable to use than even my PC. I couldn't wait to see what they would do with a higher resolution screen. What did they do? They changed the whole thing. It sucks now.
Now, on the software side, I thought the system would definitely outperform your previous handhelds thanks to the increased third party support. The old DS had a worse line-up at launch and it sold like hotcakes (remember how they made fun of how it had two screens?) eventually! As a matter of fact, when I learned that there would be no mandatory Mario game at launch, I thought that maybe you were purposely letting third party developers have this shelf space to increase their trust or something. The promised launch line-up was certainly impressive, but it has been months already and only a handful of good games are available, most of them direct ports of old games. Good games, but old. Way to play it safe, Nintendo!
Is the complexity of the system keeping developers away? Back in the day, when a new system was released, developers only needed to make more detailed graphics in order to move to the next generation. Could it be that designing for 3D displays is that much harder? Are they totally stumped by the whole "streetpass" concept? I seriously just don't get it. Developers should be over the 3DS like a giant turtle/dragon over a princess. And your people should be hard at work enticing developers to hop on board.
Then the e-shop was released and with it a ray of hope. But week after week you kept releasing only DSi games; with the exception of a few emulated Game Boy titles or 3D classics (more ports, UGH!). Playing retro games is one thing, but I don't see the appeal of playing a low-res DSi game stretched to fit the 3DS screen.
Now, going back to the first paragraph; I am very satisfied with my system. I own three awesome games for it and I've got more than enough play time left in them to last until the next killer app comes out. Not to mention two or three games currently available that I want. In the meantime I can also play my old DS games, ExiteBike 3D, those 20 games I will be getting as part of the ambassador program or go back to the preinstalled software.
Whenever I hear someone complain about the poor selection of games available I just want to smack 'em on the back of the head. This is what happens when people that get paid to play games tell the people that have to pay for the games what they should like. Sure, the average videogame magazine editor burns through 10 games a day, but what about the consumer? A good game, in average, takes about a month to beat, not counting any replay value it may have. According to Metacritic, right now there are six 3DS games with ratings ranging from “generally favorable” to “Universally acclaimed”. So there you have it: one “killer app” per month, if played at an average human pace. Then there are all the other games that got OK reviews; only five were found “generally unfavorable” or below, so I’m sure there’s something there for everyone.
More than once have I heard that the system's competition is smartphones. I don't see how anyone would compare a dedicated gaming system to a Swiss-army peripheral that only handles mediocre games; to me it would be like comparing a formula 1 racecar to a hybrid SUV. They both have their places, and while the SUV will be less expensive and more practical in most cases, if you want to race, the choice is clear.
The last time Iwata San tried to warn the world about how disposable $0.99 games would devaluate mobile games, nobody listened. Now people are talking about the death of dedicated handheld gaming platforms.
In my opinion, what you need to do is to continue pushing this message. People need to be shown, not told, the "Wal-Mart effect" these crap games are having. They need to understand that if they continue to buy disposable games then real games will simply stop being made. You need to put ads on the air addressing this directly. But you can't have a man in a suit deliver the message, nobody liked it when you did that the last time. Instead deliver the message from the gamer's point of view.
On the other hand you need to make players realize you do have options for simple, low cost games that don't come off as "cheap". Show the world this e-shop you have! You need to get these minigames on TV as well. You need to have retailers put prepaid e-shop cards next to the 3DS games shelf. Have game-specific cards for sale at retail, only to give the games visibility.
Third, the 3DS e-shop needs more quality games. You need to start making some genuine first-party offerings on this platform. Make high-res versions of top-selling DS games available on the e-shop. Make new first-party IP and try to secure 3D versions of popular smartphone games. We need an “Angry Birds” killer there! Get in the game!
And finally, you need to lower the prices on all platforms. Retail games should be at most $30, and e-shop titles could drop a buck or two, specially outdated DSi ware games. Just don't drop 'em all the way down to "dirt cheap". This would be counter-productive on the devaluation argument, but all games have their prices lowered eventually, so I don't see why downloadable games can't.
Once more, I am happy with my 3DS and I still recommend it, even more so now that it's cheaper. Sure, I felt ripped off when I first heard of the price drop, but today I feel it's a good thing (even without the Ambassador Program bonuses) because I understand that I won't see the system's true potential if it doesn't sell well. But not everybody sees it this way, and you need to work on that.
Sincerely:
Your greatest fanboy
