Nintendo announces a new system: the New Nintendo 3DS + Xenoblade New 3DS Port too

[A Black Falcon]

Yes, it's being called New Nintendo 3DS. Going for that Apple-style "New iPad" naming style that's trendy today, I see. Sort of like the GBC or DSi, this is a new system which is a relatively minor upgrade from the last one; the same basic system but with a faster CPU (this we know), probably twice the RAM, etc. It'll still play DS, DSi, and 3DS games. The system now uses Micro SD cards for storage, instead of reqular SD cards. There isn't a slot for this -- instead you have to take off the rear faceplate or something to get to the port, I think. That's also where the battery would be. The system will have interchangeable front and back faceplates, which is a nice touch. There will be two models, New 3DS and New 3DS XL. They get better battery life than the original 3DS models, which is nice.

As for the design, it looks like a DS-line system, for sure! Nothing too original here. Basically it's like they squeezed a Circle Pad Pro onto a 3DS/3DS XL. There' s a little analog nub on the right side now, called C (as with the GC's C-stick...). Also there are two shoulder buttons on each side of the system now, because the CPP had that, so there's L, R, ZL, and ZR. Oh, and on the Japanese model, the ABXY buttons are now colored red, blue, yellow, and green, in the same layout as on the Japanese/European SNES. They haven't officially announced this yet outside of Japan, so I don't know if they'll stick with those colors here for the buttons or not. Otherwise it's a DS/3DS. It launches in Japan in October. Western release dates yet to be announced. Price... likely to be similar to current 3DS prices. Shouldn't be higher.

It is also interesting that they did not announce a New 2DS to go with this. So they're going to stick with 3d and the DS form factor after all! That's nice, I was hoping it'd be another of the folding-style systems.






(there are more example faceplates on the site)

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/3ds/new/index.html


As for Xenoblade, yes, the Wii game is getting a New 3DS port. It apparently will NOT run on a regular 3DS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBop-Dqp2ik


So, what do I think? Well, the 3DS will only be just barely over 3 1/2 years old when this launches, so it's pretty early to have a new system, but Nintendo has done this consistently with handhelds ever since the GBA, so it's not surprising. I mean, the GBA released 3 1/2 years after the DS; the DSi released 4 years after the DS; the 3DS released 2 years 3 months (in Japan; in the West, a bit under 2 years) 2 years in the US); and now the New 3DS is releasing 3 years 7 months after the 3DS's Japanese launch. They haven't had a full 5-plus-year lifecycle before releasing the new hardware since the Game Boy's nine-year life. Of course, Nintendo has sometimes supported those systems well after their successors released -- the GBA and DS certainly have gotten that -- but the GBC and DSi didn't as much, and neither had even three full years of first-party support. The DSiWare shop (and its presence on 3DSes) kept the DSi going a bit longer, but still... well, we'll see what happens with the 3DS. Will Nintendo ditch it soon and move over to New 3DS games by next year, or will we see games that support but don't require it, or will they mostly continue to make regular 3DS games and the ones for the new system will be fewer, as happened with the DS/DSi? We'll see.

Anyway though, it's a short-ish turnaround, but at least it's not GBC-GBA or DSi-3DS short! And yeah, I'll almost certainly get one of these. I don't have a DSi or 3DS, of course, and I've been meaning to get a 3DS... but with this announcement, I'll wait for one of these. Hopefully it releases in the US this year. :)

[Dark Jaguar]

It's barely a "new" system though. It's closer to the Gameboy Color and DSi upgrade than anything. They're even still labeling it the 3DS.

Well, my thoughts? The "c stick" is too small, and I don't know why. They moved Start and Select over to those two tiny hard "dots" they used in DS revisions, and frankly I don't like that design at all. What was wrong with keeping them where they were? Sure the original DS start and select were rather flimsy, but the XL fixed that issue. If they just kept start and select where they were, they could have set a fully fledged analog pad right under the face buttons.

Other than this, it is about time they added the extra buttons and stick to the 3DS. This has been something I've been expecting them to do ever since the Circle Pad Pro came along. Anyway, the 3DS now has more revisions than any previous Nintendo handheld.

[A Black Falcon]

It's barely a "new" system though. It's closer to the Gameboy Color and DSi upgrade than anything. They're even still labeling it the 3DS.

No, it's the New 3DS. Totally different from the regular 3DS! Of course you're right that it's a GBC or DSi-style upgrade, but those are new systems too. They're half-upgrades pretty much, and the DSi and New 3DS aren't next-gen systems (that is, they go in the same generation as their parent system), but I do think they should count as separate platforms. All three of them should, GBC, DSi, and New 3DS, even if Nintendo doesn't want to classify them that way.

Well, my thoughts? The "c stick" is too small, and I don't know why.

I don't know, where should it go? Putting a full-size one down at the bottom looks more uncomfortable... and those mini mouse sticks on Thinkpads and the like actually work surprisingly decently. It could be okay, I'll have to try it.

They moved Start and Select over to those two tiny hard "dots" they used in DS revisions, and frankly I don't like that design at all. What was wrong with keeping them where they were? Sure the original DS start and select were rather flimsy, but the XL fixed that issue. If they just kept start and select where they were, they could have set a fully fledged analog pad right under the face buttons.

Hmm, I guess that's true. Again though, would a pad down there be as comfortable to use? Maybe a full circle pad could fit there... but it could be harder to use, particularly with the buttons -- that'd have to be farther away from the buttons than the little analog nub is.

Other than this, it is about time they added the extra buttons and stick to the 3DS. This has been something I've been expecting them to do ever since the Circle Pad Pro came along. Anyway, the 3DS now has more revisions than any previous Nintendo handheld.

Only if you consider the New 3DS to be the same system as the 3DS. I find it kind of annoying that Nintendo always merges the GB and GBC, DS and DSi, and surely will do the same with the 3DS and New 3DS... they're not the same!

[Dark Jaguar]

Not the same, but VERY close. There will be "exclusives", but most new 3DS games will work on the original 3DS. It's sure a different beast from something like GBC to GBA, wherein no GBA game could ever hope to work on the GBC.

[Dark Jaguar]

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/3ds/new/lineup/index.html

Seems they're releasing new "charging cradles" too. I can only hope they include them with the systems this time around, to take at least some of the sting away. They're vertical this time. I guess that saves table space? Anyway, that means they'll be easier to knock over too.

The change to microSD shouldn't affect me a bit. All this time I've been buying micro anyway, since they literally cost the same price, byte for penny, as the "bigger" style and always include an adapter to the larger size.

I really dig the return of colored buttons. Things have been getting so grey one would thing Murky from Rainbow Brite was behind the art design of the 2000's.