Can I start off by saying that the previous handheld I played before the 3DS was my DS Lite, so anyone familiar with the button layout of the two will realise what I'm talking about:

So this morning I was playing some Ocarina of Time 3D. After a couple of hours of collecting items and completing a dungeon, I figured I should save the game. The problem is, old habits are hard to break, and being used to pressing the start button on the original Ocarina of Time to access the save menu, as well as the location of the start button on the DS Lite, I press the 3DS power button.

The system came up with a menu screen, and I figured "Phew. I can still cancel this". But no! The moment the power button is pressed, the game is shut down, even though the system remains open.

Nintendo, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that's had the displeasure of discovering this. Who in their right mind puts a critical button where a noncritical button was on a previous gen system? In fact, why is the power button even necessary? Surely you could have used the home button to achieve similar, to bring up the OS menu and choose to shut down your game from there, and use the same button to switch the system on.

At the very least, can you please update the firmware to not immediately shut off the game immediately, and warn that any saved data will be lost? Had that option have been there, I could still have salvaged my 2 hours of gameplay. Do you know how demotivating it is to have to re-play 2 hours of game that you've already played? The last time this happened to me for a game, I never bothered playing it again.

Has anyone else here suffered a similar fate?

It was designed so that you would go into sleep mode just as easily as you would turn the power off on any other machine. If the software stayed open you'd have to click something on the screen to close it and go into sleep mode.

Personally I've never hit the power button accidentally but I'm sure a few people have.

Its not a big deal for me as i have never pressed it by accident but i see what you mean.

To start off your avatar is awesome, but point is that SUCKS I would be quite angry as well, but hey at least you re-play 2 hours of IMO the best game ever.

One of the good things about a good game like Ocarina of Time is the nonlinearity. Sure, the 2 hours are gone, but I can psyche myself back up doing the tons of other stuff until I feel like taking on that dungeon again.

(and no, it wasn't the Water Temple, otherwise I'd have a LOT more to say about it!)

I did accidentally press it once when playing but I don't think I pressed it hard enough because nothing came up. Though I just tested the button out and it came to the menu that you were talking about, but you are able to press the home button to go back to the main 3DS menu. Did you hold down the power button?

I wouldn't mind, the water temple's my favorite lol.

I have never hit the power button by accident, but I can imagine your ire losing 2 hours of gameplay.

No, the menu came up and said to press home to go back to the main menu. After trying everything else, I pressed Home, but when you go back into the game, it's state isnt saved. It goes back to the title screen.

It really isn't Nintendo's fault that you pressed the wrong button. I had a DSLite from launch right up until I got my 3DS (also at launch) and I never once made this mistake. The button layout is fine and all of them are clearly marked. Maybe you should use your eyes next time.