Nintendo reveals 3DS eShop plans, Wii U future and more

3DS News | The future of N.

As the old saying goes; the higher you climb, the harder you fall. After a good few years of recovering, thanks to the success of both the Wii and DS, from the underwhelming GameCube generation, Nintendo has taken a huge blow to the usually profitable business, reporting a net loss of 70.2 billion yen. Weak sales from the Wii system on it's last legs, poorer than expected global sales from their latest portable unit, the Nintendo 3DS, and the exchange rate between the Yen and international dollars all contributing to losses.

In response to this Nintendo, as per the norm, held an investors briefing to elaborate on the future of the Nintendo 3DS, and next year's Wii U. The kind folk over at NeoGAF have compiled the best scoops of information here and here.

First up was the 3DS, and the promised eShop updates that would be coming in the future. In an attempt to catch up with the rest of the world, Nintendo intends to open up the eShop to a wider variety of content, as well as expand usability. In the case of the former, both downloadable content and game demos will finally be supported by the platform, allowing developers to put game expanding content up for sale, as well as samples of their games that they can, if they wish, put limited play counts on. For the latter, users will soon be able to access the eShop from their home PCs and smartphones and, in the future, be able to make purchases for their 3DS using these laternative platforms. Additionally, the 3DS will support the ability to cue up multiple downloads, and download this content while the system is in sleep mode.

Moving on from the 3DS, Nintendo touched on the Wii U. After the confusing and underwhelming reveal at E3 2011, the company intends to re-reveal the platform at E3 2012, keeping with intentions of launching the system within the next fiscal year. Speaking of the 3DS launch relative to the new home consoles, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata stated that they "learned a bitter lesson" with the 3DS launch failures, and are attempting to remedy this with the Wii U, aiming for a strong launch software line-up.

Finally, Nintendo announced that, for at least Japan, a new Pokémon will be released between March and May. Not wishing to spoil the details just yet, we expect it to be something akin to 'Pokémon Grey', an expanded release of Pokémon Black and White, and we expect it on the Nintendo 3DS in order to boost sales.

So, there you have it. Nintendo isn't going third party, but does have big plans for the future of their home and portable units. Fingers crossed they can deliver.

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9 Comments

WarAdept

1 year ago

About bloody time Nintendo. Don't ignore the importance of online interconnectivity, regardless of your opinion of it, and get some damn good games for the 3DS. I'm getting bored of N64 re-releases which should of been released for the DS.

That being said, Lylat Wars/Starfox 64 is still awesome.

LeonJ

1 year ago

I have no faith at all in Nintendo delivery anything near that.

admeister

1 year ago

Sounds like Nintendo are finally willing to add the features that the 3DS/eShop should have had from the beginning. Whether they'll actually follow through with it all though...I wonder.

ManeKast

1 year ago

Ill buy not matter what but it would be nice to see my loyalty rewarded with a new Wave Race or Starfox.

Thanks.

Esposch

1 year ago

ManeKast wrote

new Wave Race

Please no.

admeister

1 year ago

ManeKast wrote

or Starfox.

Please yes.

ZNMS

1 year ago

Quote

In an attempt to catch up with the rest of the world, Nintendo intends to open up the eShop to a wider variety of content, as well as expand usability. In the case of the former, both downloadable content and game demos will finally be supported by the platform, allowing developers to put game expanding content up for sale, as well as samples of their games.

Catch up indeed. That is so 2004.

realitybites

1 year ago

If we assume Nintendo were strategically competent behind the decision of the Wii and they did indeed catch the crest of the casual gaming wave why are they struggling to understand where that market went?

Blind Freddy could tell you they have moved onto Facebook, Android and iOS. Whilst they tried to cater for the casual crowd they left the Nintendo loyalists in no man's land (basically replicated the Gamecube and last half of the N64 era).

For someone like me who has seen every generation of gaming I see Nintendo make the same mistakes time and time again. So this rhetoric of learning from mistakes seems rather far fetched if historically we look at the decisions that were made on software releases. I remember on the N64 all we had a one stage was Diddy Kong Racing running at a pitiful frame rate on PAL systems.

Personally I think they are lucky people adore Mario for without that they would just be popping out Pokemon games.

Esposch

1 year ago

realitybites wrote

Blind Freddy could tell you they have moved onto Facebook, Android and iOS.

His older brother, Statistical Analysis Sam, suggests otherwise, though.

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