So the Nintendo 3DS is coming out, and it's insanely highly priced, doesn't do much new, and too many games are remakes.
I have to come to the conclusion that Nintendo No Longer Gets It. I'm sort of sad at that as they were doing so well, but the DS is just . . . a DS with a few more extra things. Nintendo's problem is that they're walking between two business models.
The first model is the Monofunction model. That's the Kindle, that WAS the DS. It's a device largely used for one thing, dedicated to its use – and cheap enough that you don't want to get a multifunction device. $250+ for a device is sort of getting beyond the price point for an ideal device – especially when you have competition from the other model . . .
The second model is the Multifunction model. This is the Smartphone, the Tablet, and so forth. More pricey than the Monofunction devices, they also do a heck of a lot more, and are often expanding and evolving. People, in my experience, are willing to pay about $500+ for a good Multifunction device – and in the realm of phones, sign-up deals give you incredible discounts.
The new DS doesn't have nearly enough features to be a Multifunction Device. It's price is a hefty chunk higher than the $200 or so price point I find is the break point for most Monofunction devices. Throw in the fact that you're still shelling out a decent amount of money for a game on a cart when you get the much cheaper on the Multifunction competitors . . .
The DS, once a great device, simply no longer makes sense in today's age where Cheap And Single Function or More Expensive And Multifunction are the two patterns.
I see two ways for the DS to go:
- A cheap, download-oriented system that also runs old carts.
- Evolving into a multifunction device, a kind of two-screened tabletlike device.
Somehow I don't see that happening.
I feel, for some reason, sad.