2012 is the year when the PlayStation Portable Vita from Sony is finally launched in both North America and Europe and this might actually mean that the Nintendo 3DS, a device that has enjoyed a good period lately, might face some tough times.
Colin Sebastian, who is an analyst watching the video game industry for Baird Equity, stated, “Since the 3D aspect of games is generating limited interest from consumers, either scrap the 3DS and refocus on the DS, or lower the price of games so they are more competitive with apps on smartphones.”
The three dimensional gaming capacities of the device were a huge part of the pre-launch hype campaign and were heavily emphasized when
the 3DS actually launched but gamers, after the shock of the novelty wore off, seemed to be less than interested in it.
The very good late year sales were mostly generated by classic character powered games, like Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7, where the 3D was present but not one of the crucial elements of the experience.
Nintendo also talked a lot about delivering more entertainment experiences in 3D but most of these failed to materialize during the launch period.
Other analysts believe that the Japanese hardware developer and video game publisher can still push the new technology as long as it makes sure that it shows it’s advantages for the average gamer on a mobile device rather than simply aiming it at the hardcore.
The
Nintendo 3DS is on track to surpass the one year sales of the original DS and has managed to move more than 500,000 units in one week in Japan.
Support for the handheld might slow down a little during 2012 as Nintendo prepares to move its main resources in order to make sure that the launch of the Wii U home console is a success.
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