i do think he has a point i was considering  getting one since i had the ds but then when they said its region locked and i import my games and battery life it became of low interest when i also heard it could damage my eye and i already have to wear glasses it became a no no.

Well, after the recent news, the 3DS fell from a 10/10 system to a turn a 9/10 system.

What does that tell us? Sure, an universal achievement system would be great, a longer battery life would be better, but that's what the 3DSi is for, right? the 3DS is still a great handheld, and it will be the first Nintendo handheld I defintely get on launch.

and btw: Region-locked games is nothing new. In fact, most systems are region-locked. the fact that the PS3 was region-free was the exception, not the other way around.

AFAIK every Nintendo Handheld was regionfree. Only Exception is the DSi. Some games (like Pokemon Black/White) are region locked on the DSi.

On Topic: Nice work Rol.

That is correct, but as handhelds get more and more complicated/advanced, it's bound to happen. They're becoming full-fledged consoles.

But the PS3 is the most complicated/advanced console available. And it's regionfree.

I would say complexity and regionfree are not corelated. There might be reasons to make the 3DS regionlocked. But I doubt it's because it is too complex/advanced.

No, you may not.

January 13, 2011 - We learned a lot of new information concerning the 3DS at Nintendo's event in Japan a few days ago. Launch date, pricing of the hardware and the games as well as some unique features besides the much touted 3D effect that doesn't require the use of special glasses. With this in mind, analysts started to speak up their minds and Sebastian Kramer from the market research firm NTH* happened to be very blunt about the current state of Nintendo's next generation handheld: "The 3DS went from hot to not in a matter of days."

What led him to this conclusion? Well, he explains it quite well: "Nintendo seems to be very comfortable with the 3DS, a little bit too much for my taste. Since we can't expect Sony's PSP2 to launch before the end of this year, Nintendo probably thinks it can get away with annoyances like friend codes. They don't seem to be interested in creating a proper online experience."

"Another key feature they are missing is an overarching achievement system like the ones you can find on the Xbox 360 or PS3. Our research indicates that modern gamers rather play a mediocre game with achievements than a great game that comes without those."

Those sure are some harsh words, but who are we to question the data of an experienced analyst? Kramer continues: "There's also the issue of low battery life which is three to five hours for 3DS games, although it has yet to be confirmed under which conditions specifically those numbers apply. Normally I wouldn't jump to conclusions, but in Nintendo's case I gladly make an exception. They messed up big time."

The bad news don't stop just here, the 3DS will also be region locked. Despite all of this, it should be noted that the 3DS still offers a very promising lineup of games with virtually every important third party publisher supporting Nintendo's portable console right out of the gate. However, Sebastian Kramer is quick to debunk the importance of software: "I have to agree with my colleague Michael Pachter, the 3DS might be a tough sell to parents, because it doesn't come with a phone."

*NTH (Now that's hardcore) is a fictive market research firm that collects its data primarily from internet message boards.