Do Early Adopters Deserve a Free 3DS Slidepad?

gamrFeed's Benjamin Yoder weighs the benefits and drawbacks to offering Nintendo 3DS first adopters free slidepad peripherals.

[Soplox]

Yes! But too bad they wont do it.

[Abriael]

Why? It's not like people that buy the 3DS now are gonna get it for free.

[lizard81288]

When the DS lite came out, the People that had a DS phat didn't get anything.

At most, maybe a coupon or something to save a bit of cash.

[SilentNegotiator]

Until the inevitable new SKU releases some day, anyway...

[bigevilworldwide]

No but when the redesign comes out, they will be expected to buy another 3ds, bet that one will go back up in price also

[Tony P]

Free just isn't going to happen and we all know it.

But I'd probably try to generate some good will by doing something more to provide what is obviously an indispensable peripheral to buyers.

[Sano64]

No but they should sell it at cost and bundle it in with a must have game so they dont fragment the audience.

[Godchild1020]

NO! So stop being greedy.

[Optical_Matrix]

I payed £200 for a device that costs less than £100 to make. It launched with about 1 good launch game that was a port of a year old game but with worst frame rate and static backgrounds. Took a good 2 months for another good title to come out and to top it off, the E-Shop took them a good couple of months to actually open up.

Now, being someone who's supported Nintendo from the SNES era, I don't expect such a half assed launch of a product that could have easily come out cheaper, with a better design, 6 months later than March. Personally, I don't feel that a bunch of free games I played to death over a decade ago is enough to make up for it. And to be honest, even if I did get the Slide Pad for free, I wouldn't even use it. The things an abomination.

It's not greed at all. It's severe customer disatisfaction. Lucky for Nintendo there's a bunch of games coming out for the 3DS that I want starting with Tales of Abyss in November, but they need to learn that they can never, ever launch a product in such an unprofessional manner ever again.

[Godchild1020]

No one told you to be an early adopter with such a weak launch line up. I waited and was happy to see a price drop because I didn't see any games that was worth the investment at the time. The only game that peaked my interest was Legend of Zelda, but I already had that on my N64.

About the Eshop, Nintendo made it known that the Eshop and Netflix wouldn't be available until the summer or late summer.

Then again, I didn't get the system when it first launched due to not having the money to spend on a product that was no different than my DS. The only game I cared for at launch was SSF, but it wasn't a must buy since I could play that on my home console.

And as you said you won't use it, so it would be greed or a waste of time to ask for something you won't need or use. It's just asking for something just to have it.

We all see this differently; compensation for some and greed for others. Whichever way you go about it no one will be satisfied.

[n4gisatroll]

Ya, you over paid. It's no ones fault but your own. So no, a free slide pad is not deserved.

[Ser]

Purchasing new hardware is ALWAYS a gamble. One should never go out and purchase a system simply because its being made by your favorite company.

The second you drop the cash on a new system, you're rolling the dice. No one is forcing you to gamble, that's all on you.

[Jobesy]

@optical_matrix, being an active member here on n4g you should have known that the 3ds was a piece of crap. People have been saying that, but you fanboys defended nintendo and the 3ds. Look at you now, all butthurt. It's your own damn fault.

[UltimateIdiot911]

As an early adopter, you should have done your research. I was thinking of getting a 3DS aroud release until I found I just must have anywhere within the first 8 month of release. There were also rumors about the circle pad accesory way back near release. $250 was a high price of admission for something that has a lot of uncertainty. It was too big of a gamble for a very unpromising near future.

Back when the PS3 was new and the format war was raging on. I did my research and determine Bluray had a very favorable outcome in victory. So I bought a PS3 and Bluray movies. HDDVD lost and we don't see all those companies compensating and refunding those who sided with HDDVD.

Can you imagine if every tech companies reimburse for failures at every new technology? Who would truly dare to innovate?

When you choose to be an early adopter, play it smart. Do your research and if you still choose to take that chance, you pay the price for being early.

[Tanir]

stop being greedy you say godchild?

you over paid 80bucks for a console that wasnt finished and are also forced to buy the 2nd analog to play games......why dont you tell nintendo to stop being greedy

[Godchild1020]

No, the early adopters over paid by 80 dollars. If you looked at the Wii and the DS, you would have seen that the 3DS wasn't worth 250 US dollars. Yes, As a consumer, I know that Nintendo was and still is being greedy by pricing the 3DS at 250 from the beginning. But I also knew that none of their systems was ever worth that much and I knew that their console was going to drop in price before I even cared to even buy one.

No one is being forced to buy the second analog stick. I also think Nintendo should have took pointers from other console developers; Apple with the Iphone, it's a great portable device that works well with most games, but people still complained about analog sticks. Sony with the PSP/Vita, The PSP had one analog stick, but people wanted a second one. Sony corrected that with the Vita.

So, Nintendo should have been a little more wise about their console from the get-go and added the second analog stick instead of making an attachment. It would have sold better. IMO

In the end there will always be greedy people, but it's the consumer that needs to wise up and make better judgements with their money. I know I can't tell people what to do with their money, but I can have an opinion and be wise about my money.

[Tanir]

godchild, i see what you mean but in accordance to the being required to buy the 2nd analog, i believe it will be required but alot of games down the life of the 3ds. Games like kingdom hearts and resident evil are already supporting it, and not having it is just going to hinder you, other games like monster hunter it will be a requirement, so i believe its going to be a requirment for most games later on, thats why nintendo will remodel the 3ds with one properly added on

[radphil]

@Godchild

Early adopters got essentially cheated out of money, and you're calling THEM greedy?

[Godchild1020]

I guess, But it's better than calling them stupid. Most if not all of them are nowhere near stupid.

I just think if you are a gamer and you followed any of Nintendo's products you would have known this was just a console that was riding off the success of their previous consoles. There wasn't much innovation in the console other than the 3D. Most people stated that they don't care for 3D, but some of them still bought the 3DS. As I said before I can't tell you how to spend you money, it's you choice. I can just have an opinion.

Also remember Nintendo didn't have to give 20 free older games due to cutting the price. They did it because they didn't want any backlash to any of their future consoles. I also think this will help consumers think twice before jumping head on into a purchase with other consoles, even the Vita. But I think the Vita is priced right, since Sony has corrected some of the mistakes from their home and portable consoles. Did Nintendo do that? I don't think so.

So in the end, greedy may not be the right word, but I still think they should have did a little more research before making a 250 dollar purchase. And for those that did, did it because they knew what they were getting into and they did that research. As a member said above, it's a risk to be an early adopter, and you have to be able to handle that risk when it doesn't go your way.

In the end Nintendo will not be the last company to mess something up and in the end there will be some compensation for that mess up, but the consumer on the other wend receiving that compensation will never be satisfied.

[radphil]

Thing is this kinda of situation can't fully be blamed on a single party, like you said.

One party took the risk of going into it early, another release the system too early in its stages.

On a side note, I didn't mean to, if at all, set that comment up as if it was to be offensive, more so of questioning.

[Machina]

Depends how integral it's going to be and how many games end up using it. If it just amounts to a simple add-on for a handful of games then no.

[bigevilworldwide]

Im sure within the first couple of months after it comes out right before the redesign comes out, they will expect all games from that point to be mandatory

[Pikajew]

its not gonna be expensive. Gaming is an expensive hobby and if you can afford it you can afford 20$

[GunofthePatriots]

yes

[XFON]

A $250 dollar incomplete system that now going to cost $270 in total. Yes you have the option to buy it but this accessory should have been in the initial design.

And let's not fool ourselves and say 'you can play without it' because 2 analog sticks is essential in gaming these days.

Not only is the thing gigantic and bulky, it's ugly and takes 1 triple A battery as well.
Every 3DS owner should get this abomination for free.

[bigevilworldwide]

Just wait for the inevitable redesigned 3DS that will come, right after the release of the ugly add on..... then nintendo will make it mandatory that all 3ds games from that point on require the 2nd stick

[XFON]

exactly! i guarantee there will be a new 3ds next year.

[gazgriff2k12]

no one deserves anything but it would be nice, better than the kick in the balls (3DS)

[InTheLab]

N owes early adopters $80 and a circle pad. But then again, shame on those early adopters for buying a 3DS knowing full well the launch line-up sucks. Anyway, 20 ancient but awesome NES games won't cut it..

Let's look at other bulls*** moments in gaming from the other two console makers..

MS extends 1 year warranties to three after red ring blows up in their faces. They also gave you a free month of online whenever you send in your old sh**box for a new(ish)Xbox..To this day people (me) still bitch about the price of a fix out of warrenty.

Sony gave you 2 free games as compensation for turning off the online you never payed for after allowing some kid to have sex with our credit info...People are still bitching about the security and they have a point. This could have been much worse.

At some point, Nintendo needs to make this right. I'm sure mostly loyal fans bought a 3DS day one and those are the people that deserve a break.

[zero_cool]

That thing looks like an awful mess on 3DS for the trouble of having an additional analog stick!Nintendo should just include an additional analog stick on the 3DS lite model when it's released problem solved!

[EcoSos3]

Do early psvita adopters deserve a free battery?

[Burning_Finger]

Maybe a slap in face for reality check. :D

Early adopters always gets screwed on anything.

[monkeymagik]

Early adapters need a slap.

j/k

[StarWolf]

yea i think we do. I wouldnt think so if it werent for the 20 little crappy ROMS that they gave us which dont even have save option or connectivity options. What a joke. Nintendo literally didnt spend a dime with the ambassadar program, unlike Apple who gave everyone 100 dollar coupons. At the very least 15-20 dollar voucher wouldve been nice and seeing the price of this thing, it looks about 15-20 bucks so lets have.

[klecser]

Dual analog is only "essential" if you play FPS. And let's be hoenst, why are you playing an FPS on a handheld anyway? I like that FPS' will be playable on a handheld but it is in no way "necessary". Puzzles, rpgs, and tactical turn-based have always been the bread and butter of handhelds and where their appeal lays for many people. None of those "require" a dual stick.

That said, none of you would ask a car dealer to upgrade your car for free when a new model comes out. None of you would ask a retail chain to upgrade your toaster if six months later they put a new model on the shelf with new features. Did you ask movie theatres to let you into Star Wars Special Edition Free? Do you ask Amazon for a free copy of the edits when a new edition of a book comes out? If some of you could see how ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS you look when you demand free stuff from a game company this website would be a lot better. Companies don't "owe" you anything, which is why products are buyer beware. No one forced you to buy a 3DS and I think its silly if you think Nintendo owes you anything. Product upgrades have been happening since Grog came out with "Wheel Version 2" a few days after he released "Wheel Version 1."

The brutal truth is that gamers suffer from severe entitlement issues. You think that you're entitled to upgrades. Well, you aren't.

That all aside, why do you even have the entitlement in the first place? You're telling me that you haven't had fun with your 3DS over the last six months? If your answer to that is no, then you made a poor product purchasing decision. You knew what it was going to have right out of the gate and you STILL bought it. If you're not having fun, the blame lays with YOU, not Nintendo. I hate it when gamers take their poor purchasing decisions out on Nintendo. Stop treating them as a scapegoat for your decisions.

Now, if you HAVE had fun, isn't that fun worth 80 bucks? Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you got even 60 hours of gaming out of the device since release that's still way cheaper per hour of fun than seeing the equivalent number of movies for that cost.

[bigevilworldwide]

Cause who needs a second stick for controlling a camera right, Do you not play games cause camera control is essential..I dont know any people that enjoy controlling a camera with bumpers, motion controlling a camera also doesn't work when a 3d handheld has to practically held in the same spot to not have to readjust the 3d so, NO it is not just something used for FPS, anything with camera control requires a 2nd stick

[PirateThom]

If you've ever played ANY game on PSP that requires use of a camera, you'll know how ridiculous not having a second stick really is. It's not just any FPS games, it's any games where there's a non-static camera, like Metal Gear Solid or Monster Hunter.

[LeShin]

Though I do generally feel sorry for you 3ds early adopters, you should of known Nintendo's past track record! Look at how many iterations they do of a handheld. Also, if you're gonna buy a new console, how about you wait for some games you like so you can actually play on it!

To all of those that feel they got burnt, my advice: Do not get the bloody Wii U until at least 6 months or so!!

[Trekster_Gamer]

yes they most certainly do! Nintendo, WTF are you thinking?
You just released the 3DS and now we are expected to pay for this addon?

Nintendo keeps pulling these boneheaded moves and I am DONE WITH THEM!

[EcoSos3]

What about the vita if u want to play for more than 2 hours u have to buy the battery. Im still getting the vita day one.

[Eamon]

They most certainly do. As an early adopter and as a customer I feel quite screwed.

We hardly got any good launch titles and so far the only good game on the 3DS is Ocarina of Time 3D.

We deserve the extension for free.

[bigevilworldwide]

which is kinda sad when the only good game on something is a 10+ year old port of a game.

[AWBrawler]

I have good games, and I refuse to rebuy Ocarina. good is an opinion. I like my Steel Diver, Samurai Warriors, Street Fighter IV, Shin Megami Tensei, and Driver

[Venoxn4g]

Think what you want, but I don't care.. I like my 3DS like it is.. I prefer touch screen control over analog

[kesvalk]

that's why i never buy something when it launches, it's aways missing things and in case of games they are aways full of bugs...

early adopters are begging to get the shaft, and it's exactly because of them that companies keep releasing shoddy products that they can fix later for the more demanding consumers...