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[sixteen-bit]

I literally loled @ "more choice"

 

[7DollarHagane]

I would have bought the regular new 3ds..

I bet they put it out in the fall and make me want to buy another one.

 

[JCizzle]

Only launching one of two potential products expands choices?? Do they even read what their boiler plate PR responses say? My goodness the incompetence is out of control.

 

[Caronte]

What a stupid answer.

 

[uncredited male]

For some reason this just makes me think new handheld next year for certain.

 

[Nintendojitsu]

I think NoA will release the regular New 3DS at a later time. And when they do, that is when I will buy one.

 

[Rest]

Why would they eve make this decision? I want an New/XL, but a lot of people seemed excited for the midsized New. Why take the option away?

 

[Chastten]

So, just curious, anyone know what the sames numbers have been like in NA for the current line?

Since theyre not even considering releasing the new regular version, is it safe to say the 3DS XL has been selling way more then the regular 3DS? Pretty sure that's the only reason they could have for this decision. Like, if 90% of the market bought the XL over the regular one it doesn't make a lot sense to release it's follow-up.

 

[Hours Left]

"We like to provide more choice by giving you no choice."

NoA continues to be absolutely awful. This is totally gross.

 

[foltzie1]

I can imagine this happening in the future...
Customer: "Hey, I would like a 3DS"
Employee: "We have a new 3DS for $200"
Customer: "I see there is one priced for $130"
Employee: "But it has one less analog stick"
Customer: "I can still play all the 3DS games on it, right?"
Employee: "All but Xenoblade"
Customer: "Ok, I will take the $130 one"

vs.

Employee: "This new 3DS is $170, but you can customize it using face plates.:
Customer: "That sounds neat, I will pay $40 more for that feature."

Edit: Also they will not explain the NFC reader or better parts to the customer.

If the "new" 3DS does come out, I expect it to be joined by a discontinuation of the 3DS for this reason.

 

[Futureman]

"We like to provide more choice by giving you no choice."

NoA continues to be absolutely awful. This is totally gross.

they literally could have not released it at all here. By providing one new system it is more choice!

 

[hunnies28]

I understand not making a shit ton of them just to have them on shelves while people bought the XL, but I wish they'd compromised and let people order a US N3DS off their online store. I'd have been perfectly happy with that.

This was my first thought, seems like a good idea. Damn you Reggie!! *shakes fist*

 

[Mael]

So, just curious, anyone know what the sames numbers have been like in NA for the current line?

Since theyre not even considering releasing the new regular version, is it safe to say the 3DS XL has been selling way more then the regular 3DS? Pretty sure that's the only reason they could have for this decision. Like, if 90% of the market bought the XL over the regular one it doesn't make a lot sense to release it's follow-up.

If NoA is like NoE they shifted all the marketing effort to the XL with barely mentioning the regular 3DS and marketed the 2DS as the replacement of the 3DS.
It's nonsensical to basically only have the premium option of the product while basically killing the lower priced option (because we all know them and they will push for the other 3DS to be old news fast, kinda like the DSlite to the DSi)

 

[Ushojax]

This was my first thought, seems like a good idea. Damn you Reggie!! *shakes fist*

Reggie does not make these decisions anymore.

Satoru Iwata is the President of NoA.

 

[Lorcain]

If they don't want to deal with the n3DS SKU in NA retail outlets, why not just make it available through their site for online order only? It's a win-win for them. They can get real analytics on n3DS sales interest in NA, make $, and keep the SKU out of retail.

 

[Green Wiggly]

lmfao new meme? New meme.

Nintendo not including an AC adapter? Thanks Reggie.

 

[Ultima_5]

I would've bought both a new 3ds and any limited editions new 3ds xls (would've gotten a white new one and a majoras mask xl).... instead i'm just getting the red xl

 

[BNGames]

 

[hersheyfan]

Didnt they previously say that the reason they were holding off announcing the New 3DS/XL in north america because they wanted to sell through more of the old stock first?

So if theyre only selling the XL, this could also mean that they sold through less regular 3DS units than theyd like.

If non-XL 3DS units werent moving before launch, they sure as hell wont move if the New (regular sized) 3DS is already available, leaving Iwata with a whole bunch of unsaleable stock. Perhaps later this year?

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Didnt they previously say that the reason they were holding off announcing the New 3DS/XL in north america because they wanted to sell through more of the old stock first?

So if theyre only selling the XL, this could also mean that they sold through less regular 3DS units than theyd like.

If non-XL 3DS units werent moving before launch, they sure as hell wont move if the New (regular sized) 3DS is already available, leaving Iwata with a whole bunch of unsaleable stock. Perhaps later this year?

I doubt it. Apparently OG 3DS availability has pretty much dried up.

 

[hersheyfan]

I doubt it. Apparently OG 3DS availability has pretty much dried up.

Damn, really? I dont have a good view of the NA situation at retail since I dont live in the US. Welp, Ninty just saved me a bunch of money, will stick with my OG 3DS XL. I can play Xenoblade Chronicles on a Wii U instead..

 

[Jakoo]

I wonder if Nintendo thought that the amount of sales that they thought the regular sized n3DS were going to bring in wouldn't have been enough to justify the operational costs of essentially marketing, stocking and supporting two different pieces of hardware. If this board is representative of anything though, it seems like it was close to a 60/40 split between people who wanted the XL version vs the smaller one.

Truth of the matter is, I think most of us who wanted a smaller one will ultimately get the n3DS XL anyway, however I do think it's a damn shame that NoA hosed us compared to all the other regions. I certainly preferred the regular 3DS and don't see a compelling enough reason to upgrade from my current XL for now.

Spoiler

Im sure my tune will change when some sexier limited edition version is announced.

 

[TheSlySoul]

At least the lesson we know is that new 3DS will end up in history like New Yoshi's Island.

Also good luck finding an original 3DS in retail new. It is probably all used by now.

 

[Beast780]

Was going to get XL anyways, but still think this is dumb.

 

[jblank83]

So Nintendo, is it ever going to come out here?

We have nothing to announce at this time.

Exactly what I thought earlier today. They'll just hold it until another good sales window, maybe Winter.

 

[airmangataosenai]

Nintendo themselves know this nw model will have minimal impact on sales and aren't going to make a big push. It's likely they aren't getting many orders after the last poor holiday showing and weren't feeling it was worth it to release the normal "New" model at this time. I'm sure if people make a big fuss we'll probably see it but I can understand what's happening here. This is a soft launch for a product Nintendo knows won't sell all that well.

 

[bobawesome]

Ugh. It's very shallow of me, but faceplates were the big draw for me. I'll just hold off for the next console.

My thoughts as well. So much for awesome felt faceplates.

 

[Crocodile]

There've been several reasonable responses to this pointing out things like limited shelf space, the 2DS as the budget version of the system, the quiet discontinuation of the standard 3DS since the 3DS XL's release, all potential factors in NoA's decision.

Not to mention the fact that the decision makers have the sales data and no one here does. So they know, or at least think they know, which version will sell the best and are putting all their effort behind that version, instead of paying probably double the production cost to produce two different versions.

You don't like it, that doesn't mean it's stupid.

Heck, I don't even like it, that still doesn't mean it's stupid.

It might be a number of things.

Manufacturing issues, retail shelf space issues, they might have metrics to tell them that the only the 3DS XL is worth selling in North America as opposed to other regions. Perhaps the 2DS is already selling well enough that they don't feel the need to bring over both the New 3DS and New 3DS XL.

I don't know, I don't work for Nintendo, nor am I defending them--but there's obviously a reason why they chose to do so. They didn't do this for shits and giggles.

They may even release the regular New 3DS before Christmas 2015.

These press releases and canned answers are probably written for the perspective that what goes on Japan doesn't exist. Your average consumer doesn't know that there are more models of 3DS' in Japan, probably doesn't care. From this point, they are expanding the choices because now there is one extra 3DS for NA consumers to choose from. The smaller N3DS never existed. Most people don't and never will know what they are missing.

People are justified to a degree in being upset/disappointed but its pretty obvious the above is what's going on with this situation. Maybe it won't turn out to be the correct decision but it wasn't a decision made out of incompetence or spite.

I wonder if Nintendo thought that the amount of sales that they thought the regular sized n3DS were going to bring in wouldn't have been enough to justify the operational costs of essentially marketing, stocking and supporting two different pieces of hardware. If this board is representative of anything though, it seems like it was close to a 60/40 split between people who wanted the XL version vs the smaller one.

Truth of the matter is, I think most of us who wanted a smaller one will ultimately get the n3DS XL anyway, however I do think it's a damn shame that NoA hosed us compared to all the other regions. I certainly preferred the regular 3DS and don't see a compelling enough reason to upgrade from my current XL for now.

Spoiler

Im sure my tune will change when some sexier limited edition version is announced.

For better or worse, its not

 

[SeventhSon]

So will this be just called the New 3DS here since there's no smaller size?

 

[impact]

Real answer: they know you guys will buy the XL because there's no other option then buy the regular when it releases holiday 2015

free $$$

 

[ffdgh]

So will this be just called the New 3DS here since there's no smaller size?

Nope...it's literally called 3ds XL lol

 

[Velcro Fly]

NoA is fucking incompetent and I'm glad more and more people are finding out about it.

 

[patrickthehedgehog]

Real answer: they know you guys will buy the XL because there's no other option then buy the regular when it releases holiday 2015

free $$$

God this is so true. Ugh. I guess I'll take it...another boring black system it is.

 

[Yahsper]

You do realize that Iwata is the CEO of Nintendo of America, right? Reggie is basically just a powerless figurehead. He's here to shout memes at fans and maintain positive PR.

When we look at Mr. Kimishima's history, we can see where his priorities lie:

1) Worked for 27 years at a bank in management positions
2) Worked as Pokemon Co.'s CFO

It's clear that finance and business administration are his strong suits. Presumably, Kimishima was great at running the day-to-day operations of Nintendo of America.

By taking more of a back-seat / COO role in the company, it avoided any potential clash with Iwata, and it allowed the subsidiary to maximize efficiency in logistics / localization / sales. In terms of running things Iwata-style, Kimishima being a passive CEO out of the spotlight allowed Iwata absolute control.

See this photo?

From left to right:

1) Joel Hochberg, president of Rare Ltd.
2) Chris Stamper, co-founder of Rare Ltd. and project lead on many classic Rare games
3) Frank Ballouz, NOA executive
4) Howard Lincoln, senior vice president (eventually chairman) of Nintendo of America
5) Minoru Arakawa, founder and president of Nintendo of America

This is a photo taken at the legal signing of a contract made between Nintendo of America and Rare Ltd. in 1986 where Rare Ltd. would produce games for Nintendo arcade systems.

Where's Hiroshi Yamauchi? He was back in Kyoto, uninvolved in this deal. That's right---Nintendo of America signed a game development contract with Rare Ltd. without the oversight of the Kyoto office.

Can you imagine the modern Nintendo of America going to Warner Bros. to commission an exclusive Batman game for the Wii U? Or what about even for a simple GTA V port?

It's unthinkable to imagine today's Nintendo of America making game-development-related business deals without Iwata / NCL involved---Iwata becoming NOA's President / Chairman solidifies that. Iwata has buried himself within every facet of Nintendo that getting rid of him would be harder than you might expect.

This is from the first page of the topic but I can't help myself. Arakawa was Yamauchi's son-in-law. He may not have been involved in this particular (for Nintendo at the time very small time) deal but thinking Yamauchi wasn't holding the reigns tight on his company even overseas is a big and wrong assumption.

 

[Kansoku]

Real answer: they know you guys will buy the XL because there's no other option then buy the regular when it releases holiday 2015

free $$$

I won't buy the XL. If they never bring the regular n3DS, the next thing I will buy is their next handheld and only after they announce a revision (because I know they always do and if the revision is better I'll pick it)

 

[Ecliptor]

Fucking Nintendo, at least make a New 3DS XL with these colors. That's why I wanted the normal size New 3DS.

 

[The Sarcastic Dude]

I wish they chose the regular n3DS if they were going to release one model of the n3DS.

 

[Haines]

Well I guess I'm not getting a new 3ds than?

FUCK.

I don't like the resolution stretched on the bigger screen.

This sucks.

 

[LordOfChaos]

I'm ok with this. Sucks for anyone wanting the smaller one, but wasn't the XL outselling it by a longshot anyways? iirc, something like 2:1.

Fucking Nintendo, at least make a New 3DS XL with these colors. That's why I wanted the normal size New 3DS.

This I can get behind, white face with those buttons is best face with best buttons.

 

[CesspoolofHatred]

Nintendo themselves know this nw model will have minimal impact on sales and aren't going to make a big push. It's likely they aren't getting many orders after the last poor holiday showing and weren't feeling it was worth it to release the normal "New" model at this time. I'm sure if people make a big fuss we'll probably see it but I can understand what's happening here. This is a soft launch for a product Nintendo knows won't sell all that well.

This is kind of funny because it's not exactly having a minimal impact on their website.

As of this post, pretty much all new Nintendo 3DS info is gone. The little ad they have on the front page leads to a dead link, and the new 3DS XL models have vanished from the 3DS info page.

 

[optimiss]

Real answer: they know you guys will buy the XL because there's no other option then buy the regular when it releases holiday 2015

free $$$

I will not sir! The current XL is too big so I was really looking forward to the smaller form factor (and face plates) more than anything. Neither itch can be scratched with the N3DS XL so I will abstain.

 

[Sandfox]

I don't understand why people think face plates will make bank when they never have before and they just take up space that Nintendo is already using for games and Amiibo. I'm guessing regualer 3DS sales cratered, and NoA made the decision to stop selling them while NoE simply thinks they can sell both(we'll see).

 

[SURGEdude]

NoA is fucking clueless. Not everyone here wants the XL.

I've honestly totally given up hope on NoA. I love my Wii U and to a lesser extent my OG 3DS but NoA is really run by a bunch of assclowns.

 

[Empyrean Heaven]

I just called my local GameStop, they told me that they were told by management that Nintendo told them that the regular n3DS is coming out in North America eventually, but not for a few months after the XL launches so they can get rid of the old stock OG XLs (to get more shelf space back) as well as not confuse customers by having one console work with faceplates while the other does not. I called a couple other stores and they corroborated this information.

I wouldn't be shocked if NoA is releasing the 3DS XL first for the early adopters and core gamers who probably would only get that version, and is coming out later with the regular version for general consumers at a more wallet-friendly cost.

Still an absolutely ridiculous business decision, but at least it looks like North America is in fact getting it.

 

[semiconscious]

That... doesn't even make sense.

How does having less choices available "expand choices"?

fucking nintendo ...

disappointed. was thinking of getting a second one, but xl just doesn't do it for me...

I just called my local GameStop, they told me that they were told by management that Nintendo told them that the regular n3DS is coming out in North America eventually, but not for a few months after the XL launches so they can get rid of the old stock OG XLs (to get more shelf space back) as well as not confuse customers by having one console work with faceplates while the other does not. I called a couple other stores and they corroborated this information.

I wouldn't be shocked if NoA is releasing the 3DS XL first for the early adopters and core gamers who probably would only get that version, and is coming out later with the regular version for general consumers at a more wallet-friendly cost...

okay. this'd be fine (& makes sense, i guess)...

 

[Xenoflare]

I just called my local GameStop, they told me that they were told by management that Nintendo told them that the regular n3DS is coming out in North America eventually, but not for a few months after the XL launches so they can get rid of the old stock OG XLs (to get more shelf space back) as well as not confuse customers by having one console work with faceplates while the other does not. I called a couple other stores and they corroborated this information.

I wouldn't be shocked if NoA is releasing the 3DS XL first for the early adopters and core gamers who probably would only get that version, and is coming out later with the regular version for general consumers at a more wallet-friendly cost.

Still an absolutely ridiculous business decision, but at least it looks like North America is in fact getting it.

I sure hope so, but then again it's a GameStop employee....

 

[bms2993]

That's okay, NOA, I just imported a new 3DS from Japan instead. Couldn't be happier!

 

[The Real Napsta]

I can see how not having choices is a bad thing.

Why exactly do so many people want the smaller model? I thought the New XL was the better version of the console.

I've never wanted the xl version.

 

[JCizzle]

I'm ok with this. Sucks for anyone wanting the smaller one, but wasn't the XL outselling it by a longshot anyways? iirc, something like 2:1.

Who cares if it was outselling it? Just offer it online or something.

 

[Snacks the sober sea lion]

No choices = expanded choices?
????????