曾几何时，任天堂公司位处视频游戏领域之巅，尤其是掌机游戏。回想当年，任天堂DS是最受儿童喜爱的产品，甚至包括那些通常不具游戏诉求的休闲游戏人群。

随后，横空出世的苹果打破了这种格局。虽然App Store上的游戏质量与任天堂DS或索尼PSP所提供的游戏没有可比性，但苹果通过供给无数廉价游戏所取得的成功已不容质疑。现在，甚至连任天堂自己都承认苹果是其主要对手。任天堂新一代掌机3DS能否改变局势，重新俘获用户的芳心，尤其是那些因iPhone和iPad而转移视线的孩子们？

3DS在日本已上市数周，预计将于3月27日在美国发售。今年GDC大会上，在任天堂总裁岩田聪发表主题演讲的同时，苹果iPad 2正在对面向公众揭开其神秘的面纱。任天堂已不得不注意苹果App Store的急速崛起，App Store上游戏的价格与任天堂游戏相比差异显著，而且已经成功吸引某些热衷于任天堂的休闲游戏玩家。现在，3DS准备在美国与苹果展开角逐，它是否能够挽回任天堂的损失呢？

某些玩家在试玩后发现，3DS只是用苹果设备还未采用的技术来装饰自己，即3D摄像头和无需用户佩戴眼镜的3D显示屏，然而有些玩家并不喜欢这种强加的3D效果。当然，任天堂公司也曾考虑过不将三维技术作为3DS游戏的必要元素，两者间的关系无需像移动控制系统和Wii主机那样紧密相连。三维系统确实有许多优点，也可以显著改善画面质量，但仅靠这个远远不够。

任天堂3DS

如果任天堂3DS希望能够有效反击价格较低、种类多样的iOS游戏，成为玩家可信赖的产品，游戏邦认为还应该做到以下几点：

1、类似“Wii Sports”的产品。每个游戏系统都应该有其主流应用（即内置游戏），毫无疑问，Wii主机也是如此。Wii Sports给家庭休闲游戏赋予新的内涵，同时也是Wii系统的主流产品。任天堂3DS在发布时并未提及此类型游戏，然而确实需要有数款来说服用户购买。

2、良好的续航能力。这向来是任天堂擅长之处，但3DS似乎与以往不同。虽然未来出现的高性能电池包或下一代的3DS可能会解决这个问题，但目前3至5小时的续航时间实在难与任天堂DSi十多个小时相比。虽然频繁游戏也会很快耗尽iPhone的电量，但苹果的iPod Touch和iPad的续航远胜3DS。

3、廉价且富有创造性的可下载游戏。3DS发布时eShop仍未开放，至少要等到5月份才能看到商店中游戏的类型和价格。如果将DSiWare商店与App Store相比，前者的游戏售价高出许多而且数量也较少。用户对老式Game Boy和Game Gear游戏的需求量很大，而且这些游戏也未曾在苹果App Store中出现，但其售价实在令人难以接受。无论如何，目前用户更能接受App Store中可下载游戏99美分的售价。

4、更好的网游。在网络连接的运用上，相对于索尼和微软而言，任天堂确实更胜一筹，但赶超苹果还需努力。3DS游戏社交网络Street Pass确实有潜力，不过只有设计出某些适合的游戏才能展现其价值。5月份所有3DS软件功能更新后才能完全看到任天堂所采用的网络方法，应该要比Wii和DS好。

5、让现实增强游戏(Augmented-reality Gaming)作为3DS的主要亮点。任天堂巧妙地将三维摄像头、活动传感器、容易手持的外形和可弹开的二级屏幕整合到3DS上，这种完美的人体工程学设计完全适合现实增强游戏。内置于3DS中的应用采用编码卡制造互动式3D游戏，真正还原玩家所处的现实世界，箭靶放在桌上，龙从地板中腾空而起。这种技术外行人无从模仿，任天堂也确实需要探索用于开发新款现实增强游戏的更好方法。虽然App Store上也有现实增强游戏，但任天堂产品所配备的3D和二级屏幕让其拥有额外的发展空间。

6、除三维效果外，找到3DS的其他卖点。这种想法看似愚蠢，但游戏邦认为，到2011年末3DS将不再是唯一无需用户佩戴眼镜的3D设备。诸如HTC的Evo 3D和LG的Optimus 3D等新手机已承诺会有此类功能，而3D屏幕的普及也只是时间问题。任天堂DS以其双屏幕而享誉全球，但产品的成功或许更多缘于其触屏以及玩家对接触式游戏的诉求。现实增强游戏或许会带来变革，但公司也应当挖掘新的卖点，而不仅限于3DS中预置的这种基于编码卡的技术。

游戏邦同意Jeff Bakalar在CNET上对3DS发表的评论：产品很有潜力，但还未完全发掘。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

6 things the Nintendo 3DS needs to beat Apple at its own game

Not so long ago, Nintendo was king of the hill in video game land–especially when it came to handheld games. Back in those magical days, the Nintendo DS was the pinnacle of kid-friendly fun, and even casual gaming for those who normally didn’t find games appealing.

Then came Apple. While some might debate the quality games in the App Store versus offerings for the Nintendo DS or Sony PSP, the success of Apple’s seemingly endless supply of cheap games has been undeniable. Nintendo even acknowledges that Apple is its chief rival, now. Enter the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo’s next-gen 3D handheld. Can it change the equation and recapture the Nintendo magic–and, most notably, kid appeal–that’s worn away a bit in the wake of shiny gadgets like the iPhone and iPad?

The 3DS goes on sale in America on March 27, and it’s been on shelves in Japan for weeks. At this year’s GDC, Nintendo delivered a keynote literally across the street–and on the same day–as Apple’s iPad 2 unveiling. Nintendo’s focus on handheld gaming has had to take into account the meteoric rise of Apple’s App Store. The App Store redefined the landscape of game pricing and effectively stole some of the casual-gaming crowd from Nintendo. Now that the 3DS is about to arrive, can it help fix what Nintendo’s been missing?

After a week playing with one, my feelings are mixed. The 3DS has technical tricks up its sleeve that no iDevice can lay claim to yet–namely, its 3D camera and glasses-free 3D screen–but 3D is a divisive technology. Some people prefer their entertainment without a third dimension forced onto it. Also, Nintendo has been intent on not using 3D as an essential element in its 3DS games, making it a less integral technology than motion control on the Wii. The system has its advantages, and it has impressively improved graphics, but that alone isn’t enough.

If the Nintendo 3DS is to effectively answer back to the juggernaut of affordable, diverse iOS gaming and offer up a convincing alternative, this is what I think it still needs to stand a chance.

A “Wii Sports.” Every game system needs its killer app, and the Wii’s was, without a doubt, its pack-in game. Wii Sports redefined casual family gaming and was a show-off centerpiece at the same time. The Nintendo 3DS doesn’t have that game in its launch lineup, and it’ll need one to justify its purchase to a greater audience.

Better battery life. This used to be Nintendo’s ace in the hole, but suddenly the tables have turned. Whether an answer comes with a future high-capacity battery pack or the next iteration of the 3DS, the current 3 to 5 hours of battery life we’ve experienced just doesn’t cut it compared with the 10-hour-plus battery life we used to get out of the Nintendo DSi. While the iPhone’s battery life can drain quickly with frequent gaming, the iPod Touch and iPad still easily trump the 3DS.

Cheap, creative downloadable apps. It remains to be seen what sort of offerings and prices the 3DS eShop will bring, because the eShop won’t be available for the 3DS launch–we’ll have to wait until at least May. If we’re to compare to the DSiWare shop, we’ll say that prices are too high compared with App Store games, and the selection was too limited. A Virtual Console library of old-school Game Boy and Game Gear games will add immense appeal and bring games that Apple’s App Store doesn’t offer, but they need to be affordable. Like it or not, the App Store’s 99-cent landscape has redefined expectations for downloadable game prices.

Much better online gaming. Nintendo’s been a slouch compared with Sony and Microsoft when it comes to easy-to-use online connectivity, and it’ll need to catch up quickly to nip Apple’s myriad online-connected games. Street Pass, a location-based social network of sorts for 3DS gaming, has potential, but it needs some clear-cut killer game execution to show its worth. We won’t know for sure how Nintendo’s online approach will really work until May, when the rest of the 3DS’ software features will be updated–but it needs to be better than the Wii and DS.

Turn augmented-reality gaming into a signature feature of the 3DS. Nintendo’s unique combination of 3D cameras and motion sensors, along with its easy-to-hold shape and flip-up second screen, give it an ergonomically perfect design for augmented-reality gaming. AR (short for augmented reality) Games, an app built into the 3DS, uses coded cards to create interactive 3D games that literally pop out of the player’s actual world. Archery targets emerge from desks, and dragons bubble out of floors. It’s borderline magic for the uninitiated, but Nintendo needs to figure out better ways to develop new AR games. While the App Store has augmented-reality games, too, the addition of 3D and a second screen give Nintendo a potential edge for unique future concepts.

Find something other than 3D to sell the 3DS.This might sound silly, but hear me out: By the end of 2011, the 3DS won’t be the only gadget out there with glasses-free 3D. New phones like the HTC Evo 3D and LG Optimus 3D already promise alternatives, and it might only be a matter of time before glasses-free spreads to other gadgets, too. The Nintendo DS’ claim to fame was its dual screens, but its success probably had more to do with its touch screen and broad-appeal “Touch Generation” games. AR Games could be the answer, but they’ll need to get fleshed out beyond the limited card-based tech demo that’s prepackaged on the 3DS.

Right now, I agree with Jeff Bakalar’s CNET review of the 3DS: a lot of potential, but it’s not all realized yet. (Source: cnet)