14 DAY TRIAL // At the Tokyo Games Show, an event that can be considered home ground for Nintendo, the company doubled down on its 3DS bet and made a number of announcements that show the support for the platform and show how committed Nintendo is to make the device is success in the long term.
First off Nintendo sought to make clear that it was deploying the big guns when it comes to video game launches, with Mario featuring in no less than 3 games for the 3DS in the coming twelve months and Capcom showing off the first video and information linked to Monster Hunter 4, a game that will surely create a boost in sales, as it has often done for the PSP from Sony.
The president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, also made it clear that the actual 3D capabilities of the handheld will be improved and announced a circle pad add-on, which will allow for more complex control schemes to be developed.
Apart from establishing that the 3DS is a hardcore gaming device, Nintendo also sought to expand the possible audience, launching a new color option aimed squarely at girls and promising titles that engage with their sensibilities.
This is not the reaction of a company that is ready to accept that the 3DS is a failure but a new push to make it relevant, stabilize its sales for the long term and make it the sort of platform that can be sold, with minor hardware improvements, for the next 10 years.
In about one year, following another probably price drop, the launch of Mario games and the improvements made to the social elements, long time handheld gamers will run out of reasons to complain about the 3DS and the Nintendo device will probably be close in terms of sales to a PlayStation Vita that has dropped off after probably impressive launch sales.
Nintendo learned to play the long game with the Wii and has the resources to make the 3DS a success as long as it avoids making stupid mistakes along the way.