DaytonaUSA

http://www.videogamer.com/news/nintendo_considering_a_new_business_structure.html As much as I love their portables, Nintendo, to be fair, is struggling (at best) with their console scene right now. They've posted projections for another year of loss (that will be three years in a row now ), and severe bleeding from the Wii U side of Nintendo. Nintendo just spoke to investors today and mentioned looking into mobile smartphones as an avenue for income and game development. Never in my day would I think they'd say that. They also said they were looking seriously into the state of the Wii U, and alluded to it not being worth it if it's not "winning" (ie: making a profit). I won't re-write the whole article videogamer.com wrote obviously, but I wanted your thoughts on the matter. This isn't a Let's-Rag-On-Nintendo-Trollathon. I'll make that very clear. Please keep the conversation mature, and intellectual. Nintendo itself has some issues, and for the first time this gen they seem to be really humble about the realities their system faces, and where the company should go from here on out. Obviously, Nintendo has enough cash to last them a LONG TIME. But, if they keep posting losses, I have to agree with Nintendo, to prevent that you need to look into other solutions. But do you think smart phones are the solution? Abandoning the Wii U a solution? Or maybe not go so drastic, and simply bring in new blood to come up with fresh ideas? Or maybe invest more money into game development to have a fuller calendar release schedule? More VC focus? Buying 3rd party exclusives? What do you think about where they are, and if you were in charge, what would you do to stop the bleeding? As a long time Nintendo fan, I can say I've seen Nintendo go through some hardships, but Iwata coming out and saying this stuff really makes it hit you. How different will the company be from now in 5 years? And what will Nintendo be then? http://www.gaikokugamers.com/2014/01/nintendo-admits-change-is-in-order.html

Yeah, I can't think of any place that would have one on display. They tend to have XLs if anything in game and dept stores... Maybe go to a used game store, be it gamestop or preferably a mom and pop place? Can't say i've ever seen a used 2DS, but it's worth a shot. I agree, don't buy it before you try it if you already have a 3DS XL in hand. But if you ever do see one loose, make it a point to hold it for a while. I'll say this, I was shocked. I only bought it because of the price. It looks incredibly awkward to hold in commercials (although, this might have to do with the fact they only show small handed children using it). The sides of the system where your palms rest are sloped inwards, which is perfect for how your palm slopes while your hands are in that position. And portable triggers on a Nintendo system have NEVER felt so comfortable. The plastic and build quality are very "XL", and feel infinitely better made than the original 3DS. Ironically, I didn't even think the screens looked small. Maybe it's the clearer, brighter screens. Maybe it's the all black backdrop. I don't know. But the screens feel bigger than a 3DS, despite them being the same size. Overall, despite the lack of clamshell feature, VERY impressive. Oh, and trust me, you don't miss the 3D effect.

Please remember, the game is beta. Which honestly is pretty impressive considering all the things it does right. But yeah, sometimes you encounter lag, weird animation issues, and messed up textures. And very rarely, it can crash. It's far from perfect technically, but on a "fun" level it's about as close to a 10/10 as I can imagine.

I know it's not for everyone, but I personally think the best of the three is actually the 2DS. I didn't mention it on my previous post simply because the OP was asking which of the 3D systems was the best. But for those who have hand cramping issues, and want the build quality and screen quality (but not screen size) of an XL, the 2DS should be considered. The shape, and the big concave triggers really made gaming for me a lot nicer. It does take away the clamshell, and frankly it IS a major drawback. But I seem to have a better time gaming on my 2DS than my XL, simply because of comfort. Something to think about...

To be honest, things stuffed in the mouths of the main characters in Harry Potter, preventing them from acting over-acting would be an improvement lol.

I personally love, and still have a phat model. It was the online pack edition (still have the box), and it runs like a champ. No sticky drive bay or anything. Reliable, cool, and quiet. I'd recommend that model if you can find it (they're pricey). I would personally go AGAINST the slim model. Now, I get it. It's small. Freakishly small. It's impressive... for about an hour. Then the cheapness settles in. I'm sorry, but it seriously feels like econo edition. The DVD lid instead of the tray feels cheap, and call me crazy, but the phat's size and sturdiness makes me feel like I'm getting more luxury for my money. The slim is so small and so many features have been stripped, that it feels like a hollow shell compared to the original. Not to mention if you want to have it vertical, you can't stand it vertically without a stand, and even then despite it small size, it takes up MORE room than a phat! How? Because the dvd lid needs to open, which needs more room than the phat is wide......sooooo, you're not even saving space, which at that point defeats the purpose of going with an econo model as that's the ONLY thing a slim offers you. It's all down to personal preference, really. Although I've had two slims with bad CD/DVD drives, while that's never happened to me with a phat model. Could be luck, for sure. I'd look into that. Could have been the slim drives. Either way, go with which one you gravitate to. But that's my two cents, take it or leave it .

My black launch day 3DS was a train wreck. And it was sold for an XL. The XL is infinitely better, not just because of specs, but because of build quality. You really feel like you're getting your money's worth. My launch 3DS on the other hand was a POS. Sorry, but it's true. The bottom screen was a different "tint" than the top to the point it was REALLY noticeable and therefore annoying (it looked tan in comparison), the lower left corner of the bottom screen was sunken deeper than the other 3 corners letting light through the casing, as we all know the bottom screen's bezel destroys the top screen (which it did to mine despite being cared for like a baby), and even worse the hinge loosened considerably to the point where 3 months in it basically flopped around on it's own. It honestly amazes me it was made by Nintendo, because their systems are built like tanks. And it also amazes me that Nintendo has yet to address the bottom screen bezel design flaw. It's like the 360's drifting joysticks, or Sony's constant online maintenance (even despite the fact it's now a paid service like Xbox Live, which is always up and running). It's like instead of fixing the issue, they think if they do nothing to improve their product people will just forget it's an issue or something. Ok, rant over. Get an XL. It's freakin amazing.

Yep exactly. Plus I mean, I wouldn't want to trash it as it came with the dev kit. It's special, even if it's out there, as it gives some history of where the kit came from and what it was used for. Honestly, I just hope something, anything is on it. What a thrill that would be, huh?

Yeah I think it's just luck of the draw. Although I've noticed my controllers went bad soon after having to play games where I click down on them a lot to run, like in fps titles.

Oh, btw. Whatever it is, I will make it available to the public once I figure out how (with permission from the developer of course). It'll be free of course and available to all AA users.

Thanks moycon! Yeah I remember the Dreameye. It was the square webcam they made, right? Remember seeing it back in the day in magazines. They worth a lot now? But yeah the wait is going to be so hard. Haha. I've wanted one of these for years. Can't believe I got this so cheap. Don't worry guys. Even if it's Barbies Farie Adventures With Barney, Pee Wee and Alf, I won't delete it. Actually that game sounds strangely awesome... But seriously let's cross our fingers it's someone no one has.

I wouldn't be surprised. I'm 99% sure I remember hearing devs have to return hardware if the dev kit is of a console still in production. So you'd think that if a larger company had this original, then this is stolen. If it's a smaller dev's, that's even worse, as that means Nintendo could go after a developer with no money to legally protect itself. Either way, the eBayer only sells old computer/networking gear. So obviously he has no constant connection with game developers, as there is nothing else gaming related in his store. That really does make it just feel... off. I mean... 12k can buy you a new car. Would you buy a new car that only had 6 pictures shown of it and it was never turned on to see if it worked? Heck no. How this guy expects to get that much for this then is beyond my comprehension.

Sega to me is all about racing games (Sega Rally, Daytona USA, etc) so that's what I'd want to do first. What I'm really curious about though is if there's a game already on the kit. That's how we got Toe Jam and Earl 3 recently, was a found Katana bought on eBay had the unreleased game on there (played like the original TJ&E games, not the Xbox game). So who knows what's on it. That's half the surprise! Hopefully, it wasn't owned by some crappy dev I could care less about

Yeah, it's weird. It's the reason why I went back to Xbox with the Slim, because the R2D2 unit came with the new metallic painted raised dpad controller. And that one failed on me after only a couple weeks! Was seriously angry with that one. But yeah, both my S controllers and my original white 360 pad... all did it eventually. Although, to be fair, those joysticks started drifting after many, many, many months of use. Typically, third party joysticks are even worse than Microsoft ones. Like I said, I had a Mad Catz one that started to drift as if I was pushing on the joystick all the way (ie: completely unplayable) on the first day of ownership! At least one company bothered to fix the damned thing. I am curious though if Microsoft fixed the issue at the very least with the Xbox One controller. I WONT buy one until I know that issue has been addressed, and with the billions they blew on designing the damned thing, you'd think they would have.

Ha. If I did anything, it would be a racing game. So yeah, I wouldn't worry about a shooter or side scroller .

Yeah, I'll be sure to post all I can once it comes in. As a huge 3D era Sega fan, this is honestly a dream come true .

I know how to do basic operations on it, thanks to the articles I've read in the past at Assembler when I was dying for one a few years back. Developing? Honestly, don't think I have the time right now at least, although I'd love to try. Getting the hardware is the hardest part, so at least I'll have that . At the very least I'll see what playing a normal game on it looks. Maybe my copy of Propeller Arena, as that game was never released, would be a proper way to start . It'll honestly probably sit unplugged (no surge attack for me!) after I get video running, until I think of a proper way to use it And thanks!!

http://www.gaikokugamers.com/2014/01/gaikoku-gamers-has-sega-katana.html Ok, I'm literally flipping out here, fellow AAers! I just got a Sega Katana! Forgive me as I squeal in happiness, ... AHAHAH AUHHAUHAU HUA AIEIEIEIAIEIEIEIEIEI! Ok, I'm good.... Seriously though, the kit seems to be in great condition, although it doesn't seem to be getting anything but a black picture for the seller, which is great as I know exactly how to get rid of that issue (it's a matter of resetting the console with switches in certain positions). Although it is a risk, but for the price, I couldn't pass it up. It was worth it either way! It powers up, and his dip switch and slider switches were in the wrong position, so that kinda confirms my suspicions on how to get it to work. Anywho. Happy day! I'll post more pictures once it arrives at it's new home .

Yeah, as I said in the article, it is kinda sad. It means one less developer on the system. It is curious, as you guys said, that as it's still a current console dev kit to my knowledge you CANT sell it on eBay like this. I'd be curious if the person who got it could even develop for the system as they system wouldn't be registered to them. Not sure how it works, and honestly the whole "not tested" site unseen thing plus the fact it's not really "legal" makes me wonder about someone blowing 12k on it.

http://www.gaikokugamers.com/2014/01/want-to-make-wii-u-game.html I've never seen a Wii U development kit before, so I figured I'd share. The eBay link and pictures are in the article we wrote. There seems to be a box that a cable connects to that's attached to the gamepad, and the system itself is pretty large and reminiscent of the Dolphin dev kit. As for purchasing, I'd be a bit hesitant. It's not stated where it came from (what dev), and it's not tested. .... And it costs 12k!

Don't say that, I'm sure your system is innocent and sweet, and probably never been with another console. Free bump (btw, any chance on seeing pictures of the system so we can see condition?)

Thanks man, I'll bookmark this if I ever get the stomach to try it .

Good to know. Although to think of shipping there and back just for a battery mod, and for two systems no less ....hmm.. not sure if it's worth it. I really need to learn how to soder, haha.

Yeah, nothing better than the originals when it comes to console design