Yeah sadly the NGP likely will cost an arm and a leg. And this combined with Sony's hard on for putting home console experiences on their portables (ie. Uncharted) when the market has already determined that people don't want to play home console experiences on the go anymore (look at the huge sales drop from God of War Chains of Olympus to Ghost of Sparta) makes me facepalm.

As someone who can't see in 3D very well (it's an eye condition that I'm stuck with. I didn't find out until I was an adult. Way too late) And someone like 12% of people in the UK can't see in stereoscopic 3D very well. This is a very big problem. And the whole 3D eyestrain/headaches/illness thing is not a myth. So add those numbers on top of the 12%. Nintendo is alienating a shitload of people. How would you feel if Nintendo charged you $250 for a 3DS and you couldn't even see the 3D or the 3D made you sick? Wouldn't you feel pissed too? Nintendo is going to be needlessly losing a lot of customers for going with this 3D thing. Even 3D movies have cheaper 2D versions available for those that don't want 3D for one reason or another. And 3D movies are a fad that I want to see die in a blaze of glory. Hollywood is complete garbage these days. Avatar sucked. Take away all the effects and it's a crappy Pocahontas clone. Hollywood right now and Avatar and it's bastard spawn reminds me of the AAA big budget blockbuster HD gaming industry. My friends are less and less interested in watching movies these days because Hollywood has turned into complete garbage lately.

I really do feel that I'm just going to sit out this gen. Going to stick with my DS Lite, PSP-3000 and Android Smartphone. Nintendo has shown they don't care about the mass market anymore. $250 dedicated gaming handheld. Alienating 12% of people who can't even see in 3D. And many more that get eyestrain/headaches/sick from it. Focusing more on home console experiences than pick up and play. Relying on a gimmick that won't be a novelty anymore when the glasses-free 3D HTC Evo 3D smartphone and other 3D smartphones hit the market.

Nintendo seems to think, "oh but NGP isn't a proper alternative so you're going to buy Nintendo whether you like it or not" But we've already seen people shift to smartphone gaming in a huge way. http://www.mobile88.com/news/read.asp?file=/2011/4/19/20110418192208&phone=iOS-Android-gaming-increase-market-share-US iOS/Android have 34% market share of US portable game software revenue while Nintendo DS is down to 57%. So much for the "it haz no buttonz!" talking point. Smartphone gaming is suited for pick up and play and the games are dirt cheap while 3DS games are $40. Nintendo is already being disrupted to an extent by smartphones because the mass market would rather $1-5 pick up and play games than $30 pick up and play games. And with the 3DS, I expect Nintendo will be further disrupted because the mass market will certainly pick $1-5 pick up and play games than $40 home console games on the go. And personally I don't even bother take my DS Lite with me on the go because I'd look like a dork being an adult male playing a DS in public. And I am leaving my PSP behind more and more often because I find that playing PSP games on the go are more stressful (I prefer to play them at home curled up in my bed or relaxing on a couch or something where I can give the game my full attention and not be distracted by my outside environment) than the simpler, pick up and play smartphone games and it's one less device to carry around. So I have less and less need for a dedicated gaming handheld. And since there are still boatloads more games on the DS and PSP I want to play, I see no reason to switch.

I'm not going to expect Nintendo hardcores to understand the feeling of betrayal. Because they will buy everything Nintendo  except the Virtual Boy. Even if they couldn't see in 3D or it made them sick. I'm not going to say I won't get a 3DS. But I'm a lot less enthused about it than I was for the GBA and DS. I got so sick and tired of videogames late in the PS1's lifespan (I was burnt out and my interests roamed elsewhere) but during those years I loved the GBA. I grew up with 8-bit and 16-bit and GBA brought me back to those days. So did the DS. But the touchscreen also added another nice dimension and I loved Ace Attorney, Hotel Dusk, Time Hollow, Miami Law, Jake Hunter etc. since they reminded me of the point-and-click adventures (I mostly prefer the narrative-heavy Japanese stuff. Not so much the puzzle-oriented, pixel-hunting western style) and visual novels I played on the PC. 

Ouch, that's a low blow Rol! Seriously though, was this response necessary? What is funny/incoherent about this?

Anyway, like I said, I'm still gonna wait and see what happens with both platforms from here, I'm just giving my take on the situation as of now.  If E3 has some mindblowing stuff for 3DS, I could still opt for that platform. But even DS had more promise for me after its first couple months, not to mention it was cheaper.

I just think it sucks that both consoles are likely going to be $250 or more. I thought handheld gaming systems were supposed to be cheap?

LBP and MH are not announced for NGP. MH was just an announcement that MHP3rd would be on PSN and thus downloadable for NGP as well, and LBP was not announced in any form. 

Don't see why you can't own two platforms, but the 3DS's library is obviously weak at the moment, as is generally true of any system at launch. For reference see the first 6 months of the 360, PS3, Wii, DS, and PSP.

to each his own, i suggest getting a good smartphone if you want your pick up and play games. IMHO i dont care for them on my dedicated portable console, so i like the direction Ninty is going, if i want to train my brain, theres an app for that. Ninty will have you covered on that anyway, there is a DSiware store. And people complaning about 3d hurting their eyes, turn it off. 

I have crappy vision and wear glasses, the only time I've had an issue of headache or eye strain was when playing a game for 5 hours straight on me off day.

Which happens to be natural and occurred when I spend the same amount of time play game non stop.

Either way, I'm guessing once more games come out and the online service is finally up and running the 3DS will find a much more stable appeal to most. Right now, the only real drive is either SSF4 or viewing how the "3D" works without glasses before they start releasing on cell phones later this year.

Either way, does it make sense to compare it to a system that hasn't even been released or its games not yet playable?

sorry, but this long comment is full of strange numbers: "12% of people in the UK can't see in stereoscopic 3D very well"; really? what's the definition of not very well? i can't believe this. link? and then argumenting with gimmick, but everybody will copy? costs of glassless 3DTVs? i'm not getting this, sorry.

and the swift of people from handheld to mobile phone games is the wrong interpretation of the source.

They stated that the market share of handhelds declined compared to mobile games. But without decreasing absolute sales of hanheld games, it could very well be due to new gamers on mobiles, not switchers.

And these games on mobiles are so f***** cheap because most of the "true games" are ports of DS, PSP, so without handhelds no cheap ports, imo.

"I'd look like a dork being an adult male playing a DS"....

well, perhaps you not only look like a dork playing your 600$ phone but you are one, if you would pay the money for the newest phone just for playing cheap ports; looking like a business man with you phone, or what... gamer is gamer and you should be proud being a gamer, not hidden behind a phone acting like a complete schizophrenic.

imo

In response to this:

"Company A doesn't give me what I want, so I will buy company B's product even though they won't give me what I want either."

You're over simplifying if you think that is the case with me. I AM interested in some of the games announced for NGP, it isn't just a grudge thing as you claim. But as I said, if Sony makes the platform a ridiculous price, which I would wager they will, then I'll probably just say "eff you" to both, and sit this this gen of handhelds out for awhile.

Perhaps I did make this topic too early. I was just mouthing off based off what I've seen thus far. I have grown a little annoyed that Nintendo seems to have forgotten what brought them their massive Wii and DS success, and that they seem to be reverting back to their N64/Gamecube style of games. But who knows, after E3, Nintendo could totally wow me and silence many of my doubts. Either way, I will probably wait for a pricecut, as $250 is pushing it for a handheld.

What can I say, I just love to play devil's advocate..

PLUS 1, fanboys of both sides are blind.

12% of brits can't see 3D

edit: i just wanted to give you the link but now i kinda want to comment as well.  quite a few people (including many of the usual nintendo fans on this site) posted prior to the 3DS's launch about how the 3DSs reliance on consumer interest in 3D was probably a bad idea.  people not being able to view 3D isn't a 3DS thing, we already knew that fact before the 3DS released.  we also know that the 3D box office is already in decline.

it will be interesting to see what happens when some of the better games come out.  however, i personally think it has more to do with consumers rejecting 3D than anything else.  nintendo bet the farm on the wrong thing this time (or so it is starting to look like).

i'm not so sure the NGP will do great either.  i'm more interested in it then the 3DS but i have a feeling it won't be making much of a splash either.  call me crazy all you want but i think IOs/Android are going to win the mobile gaming market over the next couple of years.

thanks

i'm not completely sure if all these 12% cannot see 3D at all.

the link in the link:

"You may not have realised that you have poor binocular vision before because your brain will often try to compensate for any visual inadequacies."

following:

"If left untreated binocular disorders such as amblyopia can affect your ability to read well and result in a greater propensity to suffer from screen fatigue when working at a VDU or watching TV for long periods of time.

The good news however is that binocular conditions can be easily detected during a routine eye examination and treatment may be as simple as a new pair of glasses or some vision therapy.

So, if you haven’t had your eyes checked for two years or more then it could be time to pop along to your local optician for a sight test."

My conclusion:

3DS leads to better sight, because parents took their kids to the sight test.