When the 3DS first released on March 27, there was something of a revolution here at IGN. Every day, before and after work, those of us who had gotten our systems at launch would congregate for "Street Pass walk around." 

Basically, we'd all get together and walk around the office, laughing and joking as we tried to pick up as many Street Passes as we could. We'd compare hats and puzzle pieces, exchange funny messages -- it was amazing. As the days passed, our little group grew. Other co-workers wanted to get in on the fun we were having with the system's surprisingly addictive features. 

Fast forward to April. The fervor was beginning to die down. After a few weeks of daily Street Passes at the office and a couple of conventions (most notably WonderCon), most of us had already gotten all the hats and completed all the puzzles. We'd laughed as much as we could about Sam Claiborn's ALF Mii, and even reached our maximum coin allotment of 300 coins. 

As of today my 3DS has been collecting dust for weeks. So why the drastic change? Why is a system that was once my constant companion now a subject of resentment? And is there hope on the horizon? 


Leading up to the system's launch, no one was more excited than me to get my hands on a 3DS. While I'd gotten to toy around with the system at the office, there's nothing quite like having a portable of your very own -- one you can bond with and really grow to love. I've always had a special relationship with my portable gaming devices, so I was terribly excited to experience the future of the medium. 

While it's painfully true that none of the launch games were exactly must-have purchases, I was still optimistic, especially since the included software was more than enough to keep my interest until the real goods arrived. After all, the AR games were tons of fun, and taking 3D pictures of my apartment, my friends, my Nintendog and Nintencat (and all of my newly made Miis doing funny dances) was more fun than I had anticipated. 


Besides, Pilotwings Resort and Steel Diver each had their charms, Super Street Fight IV 3D was pretty good, Super Monkey Ball 3D was fun to monkey around with, and Nintendogs plus Cats was rather cute too. 

All in all I was satisfied with my purchase. It wasn't a perfect launch, not by a mile, but I just knew the lack of software was only temporary. As the weeks wore on, I played through all the 3DS games I could get my hands on (pretty much all of them), all the while keeping my chin up, awaiting news on the e-shop and the titles I had bought the system for. 


"More games are coming," I kept telling myself. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D's on the way, as are a whole host of other awesome games, and there was bound to be some great third party software to keep me occupied in the meantime, right? 

Wrong. 

It's been nearly two months since the 3DS came into my life, and my former excitement has been replaced with frustration and resentment. While the little bit of eyestrain I experienced at first went away completely once my eyes had adjusted to the 3D effect, it didn't really matter by that point. Even though I was lucky enough to have access to all the 3DS games I was interested in, there just weren't many that I actually wanted to play. 

It didn't take me long to get perfect files on both Pilotwings and Steel Diver. I had already unlocked and purchased the Mario house in Nintendogs plus Cats, gotten top honors in all of the competitions and bought all the puppy scarves I could ever want. I had also busted as many moves as I cared to bust and had flat run-out of things to do with the included software. 


Already out of fun things to do, I begrudgingly set aside my shiny, new system (which had lost its charge days ago) and returned to my DSi XL. The sad truth was that playing DS games was the only thing left to do on my new portable, but it not only frustrated me to play them on my 3DS, they also didn't look as good as they did on my XL. 

So why did Nintendo leave us high and dry? It all came down to some bad planning. Before the 3DS launched, we were told that the "launch window" (between the system's release and Nintendo's E3 conference in June) would give the spotlight to third party publishers. But the third parties didn't step up, leaving 3DS owners twiddling their thumbs with an essentially useless system cluttering up their pockets. 


As a result of this lack of both first or third party support during the launch window, very few games have released for the system in the two months since March 27 -- and most of the ones that did weren't all that great. To top it off, the e-shop that was supposed to be available in May (and will allow 3DS owners the chance to download Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Gear titles, as well as 3D versions of classic Nintendo games, DSiWare, original 3DSWare titles, and game demos) was pushed to June 6. This was a real kick in the pants to those of us who thought we'd at least have that to tide us over during this bleak launch window. 

As optimistic as I was in the beginning, I'm now an extremely dissatisfied customer. So what does the Big N have planned to renew my interest and make me proud of my expensive new portable again? As it turns out, quite a bit. 


While I've been pretty down about my 3DS (and have even harbored regrets about buying it at launch), I'm hopeful that all of my suffering will soon be over. After this horrific launch window has finally passed, there's a lot to look forward to. It all starts with the e-shop's launch on June 6 (featuring a free demo version of Mega Man Legends 3, and hopefully either Super Mario Land or Link's Awakening available to purchase as well). After that, Nintendo looks to be on track to set things right with Ocarina of Time 3D and Resident Evil: Mercenaries following soon after. Super Mario 3DS and Mario Kart 3D are also set to release by the end of the year. 

After that, the sky's the limit. We already know Animal Crossing 3D and Kid Icarus: Uprising are on the way, as well as Resident Evil: Revelations. A 3D Kingdom Hearts title and a 3D port of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater are also in the works, plus whatever else Nintendo has up their sleeves for E3. 


From what we've seen, the list of in-development games is promising, though a few solid release dates would help to soothe the wounds of a jilted Nintendo fan. And if Nintendo's deal with Best Buy (which will allow 3DS owners access to exclusive gaming extras as well as other undisclosed content using the system's SpotPass feature) actually turns out to be something worthwhile, I might just have a reason to plug my aqua blue device back in. 


The truth is that Nintendo dropped the ball with the 3DS launch. The system came out too soon and the software wasn't there. Having just been burned by the 3DS, I'm skeptical, but with the number of must-play titles headed my way, I can't help but to want to believe. I'm dying to love my 3DS the way I loved my DS, and my Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy before that. All I need is a reason to, and so far I haven't been given one. 

So here's hoping Nintendo brings the goods I've been holding out for, otherwise they'll have a horde of angry portable enthusiasts on their hands, with me at the lead. Until then, my 3DS can stay where it is -- sad and lonely on my coffee table. 


What do you think of the 3DS' launch strategy? If you bought one at launch, what has your experience been with it so far? Should they have waited to release the system until there was more software? What title is going to make you purchase a 3DS, or bust out the one you already have? Let us know in the comments section below!http://ds.ign.com/articles/116/1168976p1.html

Nintendo did drop the ball on releasing the system too fast.  But I still think the author is whining unnecessarily.  Even the DS didn't have a great launch.  Nintendo will recover... but will they be able to do it before they lose much of their marketshare to NGP and Apple?  That is the question.

I don't know but doesn't every gaming system have this problem at launch and for months after launch?

It takes time for great games to start coming out consistently (took PS3 almost a year after launch to get this coming) for "most" systems...some never do get great games coming out consistently.

Followed by:

Nintendo 3DS: The Successful post-Launch

@OP  why did you even buy the system at laucnch??? YOu must have known what games were coming out in the first 2 months

Personally, I believe that Nintendo launched the 3DS when they did in order to build momentum running up to this year's holiday buying rush. The 3DS is a "see-it-to-believe-it" type of tech, where the only way to promote it fully is for people to get some hands-on time with it. This type of marketing takes patience, building slowly, yet has the potential to get the hype, and the demand, up to insane levels, like with the Wii.

And the Wii was a similar piece of tech, where we really needed to experience it first hand to get an idea just how innovative it was. But the 3DS has a distinct difference from the Wii in this area: the Wii can have up to four people playing it at the time, with others watching, while the 3DS can only have ONE person experiencing the "WOW!" factor at time. This one difference greatly limits the "see-it-to-believe-it" factor with the 3DS, especially since handhelds are often played solo and not in groups. And I wonder if this is why Starfox 3DS will not have online multiplayer, in order to promote people sitting around with their friends and playing against each other in living rooms, dorm rooms, cafes, lounges, cafeterias, anywhere where others will see the fun they are having and be inquisitive about what they are doing and what the excitement is all about? Sounds like marketing to me.

Anyway, with the NGP launching 6-12 months from now, and having very easily understood assets (high res screen, tons of power, touch screen, apps, etc.), it makes perfect sense to me that Nintendo decided to launch the 3DS earlier than they would have preferred in order to get the "word-of-mouth" and "see-it-to-believe-it" marketing machine running, because the 3DS DOES NOT have easily understood assets and cannot be properly promoted via a tv/print ad or spec sheet. The 3DS is an outstanding machine, with outstanding features, and I bet Nintendo wanted to make sure that they had plenty of time to build the hype this year so that when the NGP and Christmas came around the games, and the "word-of-mouth" marketing, would do all the work to insure that the buzz was at a high level. 

 

oniyide said: @OP  why did you even buy the system at laucnch??? YOu must have known what games were coming out in the first 2 months

i didnt lol, this was by ign

oniyide said: @OP  why did you even buy the system at laucnch??? YOu must have known what games were coming out in the first 2 months

YEAH LOL @ Radiantshadow who was secretely an IGN editor all this time!!!!!!!!!!!!§8217389173983791273

darthdevidem01 said: oniyide said: @OP  why did you even buy the system at laucnch??? YOu must have known what games were coming out in the first 2 months YEAH LOL @ Radiantshadow who was secretely an IGN editor all this time!!!!!!!!!!!!§8217389173983791273

infamous 2 insta 10 coming up!

darthdevidem01 said: I don't know but doesn't every gaming system have this problem at launch and for months after launch? It takes time for great games to start coming out consistently (took PS3 almost a year after launch to get this coming) for "most" systems...some never do get great games coming out consistently.

That's what I've been thinking. People always compare launch's to some mythical system that launched with 10 AAA games and never had any issues. Most systems launch with 1-2 games worth playing and a couple other games to fill shelf space. What game besides Mario 64 was REALLY worth buying 64 at launch? PS3 had Resistance and not much else, and we've already talked about the dismal first 6 months of software for the original DS. It takes time. I wish every game I wanted for 3DS was out right this second too, but that doesn't mean Nintendo failed.