Should the 3DS Have Focused on HD Instead?

[Terminus]

In the recent article Nintendo 3DS Should Not Have Focused On 3D, the idea is put forward that the 3DS should have been the HDS instead. What are your thoughts on the HD vs 3D debate?

 

[PhantomTriforce]

No, I'm glad that the 3DS focused on 3D and not HD. Nintendo is all about innovation and creativity, so coming with the 3DS proved Nintendo's innovation even more. Also, the Wii U will focus more on HD, so that might be something Nintendo uses to motivate people to buy the Wii U.

 

[Spirit]

i always saw the 3D as a gimmick, i hate going to the cinema to see 3D films, i'd much rather watch them in 2D i can't even recall a film in 3D once i've seen it, it doesn't enrich the experience any. Same goes for the 3DS, sure i've used the 3D but it hurts my eyes so i can't use it for very long, and with games like Dead of Alive of BlazBlue, the frame rate severely drops, I think DoA Dimensions has its frame rate cut by half when using the 3D, games like OoT 3D i also prefer outside of 3D, everything looks solid and crisp but switch on the 3D and things looks thinner and move at a more choppy pace. Also at night i get about 3 Links, one main and two ghost-ish ones and no matter which way i hold my 3DS it doesn't go away. So i rarely ever use the 3D, i do whenever i get a new game because I'm curious but with games like StarFox 64 3D, the 3D is barely apparent.

I'dve preferred an HDS, but it'd be a bit backwards for Nintendo to release the handheld in HD first when their home console at the time (the Wii) was nowhere near HD. HDS will be Nintendo's next move after the WiiU has surfaced.

For the most part though i'm happy with the 3DS, i may not use the 3D but i skipped the DS entirely, and i was surprised at how primitive it was when i picked up DS games to play on my 3DS that i had been curious about, namely Zelda and Metroid and so by comparison the 3DS is a wonderfully powerful console capable of some impressive feats like OoT which runs now better than it ever has. I don't really think people care about 3D, but what they do get with the 3DS regardless is a rather wonderful console.

 

[Dan]

I'm not really sure HD would of been worth it anyway. HD just isn't as impressive on a small screen than it is on a big screen. Although I personally can't get on with the 3D in the 3DS. If others can then that's great. Although I do sort of like it, I find it annoying that it's can cut frames per second, your face needs to be centred all the time, and it cuts battery time short. It was sort of neat in mario 3D land however.

 

[surferguy7]

Gimmicks sell, and 3D is literally a gimmick. From a graphical and marketing standpoint it was a good decision. Glasses free 3D is something you don't even see in theaters and it adds flare to the 3DS visuals. The only time I've seen 3D actually effect the gameplay was in Super Mario 3D Land, other than that, it's there to enhance the visuals making it no better nor worse than HD.

 

[Lord Death]

Ehh, there is just so much focus on HD out there, I'm glad Nintendo went a different route. See, when Nintendo goes different routes, they are successful. I wish they would just embrace the Wii U as "different" like they did the Wii, instead of constantly talking about how it is HD and how it will match the PS3 and 360. It's all about gameplay, not graphics. The 3DS is different from the Vita or Smartphones in the way that it has unique gameplay. It has that gimmicky Nintendo charm to it and I love it. 3D was the obvious choice over HD IMO and I'm glad it turned out that way.

 

[Dan]

Ehh, there is just so much focus on HD out there, I'm glad Nintendo went a different route. See, when Nintendo goes different routes, they are successful. I wish they would just embrace the Wii U as "different" like they did the Wii, instead of constantly talking about how it is HD and how it will match the PS3 and 360. It's all about gameplay, not graphics. The 3DS is different from the Vita or Smartphones in the way that it has unique gameplay. It has that gimmicky Nintendo charm to it and I love it. 3D was the obvious choice over HD IMO and I'm glad it turned out that way.

I would also like to note Vita suffers from all the games being ports, or just games that are already on the PS3 :p
Nintedo dominate the handheld market so I'm not sure they have that much room for mistake. Regardless of if they went HD or 3D.

 

[Vaati101]

Nintendo are not one to care about HD Graphics, they care more of the Gameplay and new Ideas for their Games and consoles. 3D was the better option because that sort of 3D technology was never implemented into any Games console/handheld. Besides, the graphics are good anyway, they don't need to add HD. If Nintendo focused on HD rather then 3D, then I don't think the Handheld would of been much of a success.

 

[A Link In Time]

Great job promoting the network site, GenGame, with this post Terminus. Personally I would have preferred for Nintendo to take an HD route as 3D is a one time gimmick-Nintendo has already confirmed the feature won't return in future hardware. That said, 3D offers the illusion of something more from a business perspective which will likely lead to the triumph of the 3DS hardware over Vita's.

That said, I'd love for HD to be incorporated into Nintendo's next handheld and it likely will be. Satoru Iwata is absolutely right when he states that past a certain graphical threshold the average games will stop noticing major aesthetic differences. It's therefore high time Nintendo stepped up its graphical game to be on par with the competition and subsequently pulverize it by alluring third parties and riding on the success of its own renowned franchises.

 

[TheMasterSword]

The glasses free 3D perspective was amazing and intuitive. Yet the graphics lack. The fact is that Nintendo should have focused on better graphics in 2D mode, and 3D is 3D. Having decent graphics, maybe a bit of a boost from the DSi, is not good. The PS Vita has GREAT graphics, yet it is extremely expensive, and that is it's draw back. No one wants to spend the same amount of money on a portable console as they would spend on a regular home console. Also, HD would have allowed more 3rd party support, and Nintendo would truly have no competition from Sony, and Nintendo would have blown Sony out of the console business. Yet another thing, the 3DS XL was expected, but they could have held back. How about the 3HS. The 3DS X. Something new with better graphics, better slide bad, etc. Just like they did with the Original DS and the DS lite. Nintendo, I love you, but you need to more int the future with HD. A great HD and 3D portable console would be amazing, and would look great next to the Wii U.

 

[Libk]

We almost got HD with the 3DS anyway.it can suopport 16.4 million colors. PS3 can support 16 million 700 thousand if I remember correctly. I thibk 3D just shows nintendo likes inovation more than keeping up with competition. Im not worried for nintendo at all

 

[Ventus]

HD, on a handheld? lol, burn a whole through my pants, please! :yes:

No, I'm just kidding. 3D was great, console wise, but the only thing that stopped the 3DS from having a good start was its lack of [good] video games.

 

[The Joker]

"Should the 3DS Have Focused on HD Instead?"

[video=youtube;AZD-R6xVk3w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZD-R6xVk3w[/video]

Both would have been nice.

 

[ShionRasenka]

Personally, I'm glad they did 3D instead of HD on the 3DS. HD just wouldn't work on a small screen like that. The 3D was a much better option. I don't always use it, but when I do, I can tell it was a better option than HD. It's better they went HD with the Wii U.

 

[A Link In Time]

There have been a lot of replies stating HD wouldn't work on the smaller screen of a handeheld. Why so exactly? The PS Vita is the first genuine HD handheld and the notion has gone from principle to execution. What is wrong with high definition graphics on a handheld? Sure aesthetic appearance isn't the most important factor to cinsider when purchasing a videogame and better graphics=higher price but 3D also ramps up cost.

We almost got HD with the 3DS anyway.it can suopport 16.4 million colors. PS3 can support 16 million 700 thousand if I remember correctly. I thibk 3D just shows nintendo likes inovation more than keeping up with competition. Im not worried for nintendo at all

Wow. I seriously did not know that. Thanks for the heads up. As I maintained in my earlier post, graphical discrepancy becomes irrelevant past a certain threshold and the move to 3D was a wiser business move from Nintendo's standpoint.