Nintendo 3DS Will Thrive Throughout 2014

What’s in store for gamer in 2014? Check out how Nintendo intends to thrive during this year.

Things have been changing in the mobile industry for the past couple of years, with more and more people playing games on their iPhones and their tablets. This mobile revolution has been bad news for Nintendo, a company that refuses to take the same route as Sega ann bow out of the console market to focus on game development. Now that the Wii U is up against both the Xbox One and the PS4, it’s ironic that Nintendo’s own mobile offering, the 3DS has become the shining light at the end of the dark tunnel the company find themselves in.

The 3DS isn’t exactly at the top of the gaming ladder right now but it’s doing much better than Sony’s PS Vita and continues to make the Wii U look very much like a failed experiment by Nintendo. What’s in store for the 3DS in 2014? I think that the 3DS is only going to go from strength to strength in 2014 and here’s why.

The Hardware is Affordable and Simple

While the Wii U is both (still) expensive and somewhat impractical for a lot of users, the 3DS - and now the 2DS - is both affordable and simple in its design. If you look as far back as the original Game Boy, Nintendo has almost always got it right when it comes to pricing their handhelds. The Game Boy Advance may have been a little slip up, but the Nintendo DS was and now the 3DS is a big hit.

The fact that you can simply throw a 3DS or 3DS XL in a bag or your jacket pocket and play on the go, or sit down at home for long periods of gaming is great. The Wii U is nowhere near as simple; the GamePad only works within 30 feet or so of the Wii U and the display itself is pretty disappointing. Those looking to get a hold of the Wii U to play games like Super Mario 3D World without paying extra for the GamePad, can’t. You have to buy it all, even if you only want to play one or two games.

This is one of the bigger reasons the 3DS will continue to make money for Nintendo throughout 2014. It’s easy to go out and buy one, because they’re cheap and they’re simple. The exact the opposite of the Wii U, a console Nintendo is still having a hard time marketing to people.

Games, Games, Games

2013 was a great year for releases on the 3DS, and not just those from Nintendo. The Wii U is still struggling to secure great titles from third-party developers while the 3DS has oodles of games to get your hands on. In fact, some of the biggest names from Nintendo are all available on the 3DS, such as Pokemon X and Y, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and The Legend of Zelda. It’s beginning to look like the charm Nintendo games have always offered players presents itself best on the 3DS. Super Mario 3D World may be one of the best reasons to own a Wii U but does it have the same appeal as its 3DS counterparts?

All of the Nintendo greats are already on the 3DS, with more of them coming this year. On top of that, the 3DS can genuinely connect you to other players that have a 3DS or 2DS with them on the go, thanks to StreetPass. It took some time for the concept to take off but now it’s one of the only reasons I take my 3DS with me when I leave the house. The 3DS even rewards you for walking!

The 3DS is Nintendo’s Best Chance to Sort Out Their Online Strategy

While Xbox Live, and to a lesser extent the PlayStation Network, embraced online multiplayer and formed a committed community, Nintendo was left behind. It’s gotten so bad that multiplayer, even on the Wii U, is convoluted and doesn’t ever really achieve what multiplayer should. The 3DS’ StreetPass is the closest Nintendo equivalent to its competitors’ online communities, and it connects players far better than either the Wii or the Wii U have been able to.

Today though, online isn’t all about multiplayer and you can argue that Nintendo’s multiplayer is better played locally - I’d agree with you – but now online functionality is also about digital distribution. Downloading games on the 3DS is more feasible than doing so on the Wii U, because games are much smaller and the device’s storage is easily expandable with an SD card.

With all Nintendo games launching on the eShop as well as in stores, Nintendo has finally offered a viable online store to those who prefer to buy digital copies The popularity of the eShop may come from the familiarity of the process. You buy games for the 3DS in the same way that you would by games on the App Store for the iPhone. As such, users are more likely to browse and ultimately buy games on the 3DS than on the Wii U because it is a more innate process.

The 3DS has a lot more potential than the Wii U and considering that it’s already selling better and has more mindshare, Nintendo should push it even harder. With a little more attention to detail and polish, the 3DS could become not only Nintendo’s most successful handheld but also their most successful console overall.