Nintendo isn't discussing

Posted by Rousutt Rousutt over 6 months ago

Noticed something strange during yesterday's confirmation of New Nintendo 3DS in North America? Of the two new models Nintendo unveiled last year, only the larger XL variant is coming our way. The smaller unit, which features customizable faceplates and colored buttons resembleming a Super Famicom controller, will stay in Japan and Europe for the foreseeable future. Uhhhhhh... why?When asked for clarification by Kotaku, Nintendo of America gave this non-answer: Different territories make their own business decisions regarding individual products and timing. We think New Nintendo 3DS XL makes the most sense for our market. Nintendo makes different systems at different price points for a whole range of consumers, and New Nintendo 3DS XL simply expands http://www.rsgaming.com those choices even further. This of course doesn't explain why the rest of the world gets it while we do not. Neither does it necessarily preclude the chance of ever getting it here, but it definitely won't be within the next few months.If that weren't enough, NoA President Reggie Fils-Aime dropped word during the Nintendo Direct that New 3DS XL will also lack an AC adapter in the box. The reason? New Nintendo 3DS XL uses the same AC adapter as any Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo DSi system. Rather than raise cost of New Nintendo 3DS XL by charging consumers for a component they may already own, we are giving them the option to only buy if they need an AC adapter. To be fair, 3DS packages in Europe and Japan have lacked a bundled AC adapter for quite awhile, so this is simply NoA's getting in line with the rest of the world. Still, it's silly that any region would pull out a component necessary for the hardware to function in the first place.New Nintendo 3DS XL arrives in the US for $199.99 on February 13.New Fire Emblem Announced for 3DS. Fire Emblem Awakening was a make-or-break moment for developer Intelligent Systems. Following years of declining sales, the studio declared that Awakening would be the final chapter in the series unless it sold at least 250,000 units. The 3DS strategy RPG wound up becoming the best-selling title in the entire series, reassuring fans that the franchise will live on.An untitled follow-up to Awakening was announced during the Nintendo Direct this morning. It keeps the same art style as the previous one, except now the in-game character models have feet (hurray!). There are going to be some new world-affecting decisions that haven't been seen in the series before, but Nintendo isn't discussing what they are at this time.No release window has been announced for the new Fire Emblem for 3DS.Majora's Mask 3DS XL Available for Pre-Order on UK Nintendo Store. Earlier, we reported that scalpers were buying copies of the Majora's Mask 3DS XL bundle and selling them on eBay at inflated prices. Sure, it seems like a good business plan for those parties who have the cash to buy 3DS XL in bulk, but it's not really fair to the rest of us.Well, it would appear that Nintendo might be preparing to scalp the scalpers.