Who's Delisting DSi?

Digital games have been around for a very long time. Consoles and handhelds for about 15 years, give or take. As time has gone on, it has become bigger and bigger. Almost to the point where there is too much oversaturation from indie developers. Ignoring computers and phones, the biggest library as of 2021 is the Xbox 360 and following it are the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The problem will come as the 360 and PlayStation will one day follow the path of the Wii. Nintendo's 3DS may have one foot already in the digital grave.

Recently, there was a number of DSiWare games that were removed from the 3DS eShop. A couple hundred, but from several game websites, most of them have made it back onto the service. Some are wondering why this occurred without warning. When the Wii was being shut down, Nintendo planned their shutdown way ahead so that things would settle down and gave their customers breathing room to get whatever games they wanted. It seems very strange, but maybe there was a glitch. That can happen, especially if there was no notification. Nintendo may be arrogant a lot of terms, but they are not that arrogant.

Some of it can be licensing. DuckTales Remastered was removed for a while on Steam, PS3, and 360 before coming back. There's multiple factors. Nintendo could have been hacked. That being said, I don't know how much interest there is in something like DSiWare. Anything digital for Nintendo that isn't the Switch as well. Not to say the install base moves on quickly, but the interest in PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, there's why some still stick to those systems. So they can try some of the digital titles that you can't get anywhere, especially on PS3 and 360.

If you're still interested in DSiWare, get some eShop cards and get what you need before Nintendo makes the announcement of delisting that selection. They're not that foolish when treating customers like dirt, but I'd assume a notificiation will come soon. Better to tell ahead of time.

3DS Discontinued

I was kind of expecting it to finish up with production next year, but this isn't surprising. Nintendo 3DS has been around since the early part of 2011. Now in 2020, The Big N has decided to pull the plug on it, giving it one of the more interesting lifespans of any of their handhelds. Obviously coming after the original DS, it would have been difficult to find the next hook. Three dimensional handheld was their gimmick.

It might be hard to believe, but I do kind of remember the complaints about the price. At 250 dollars, it was a bit out of reach for a handheld. The price drop that summer helped stabilize bleeding of sales and it caught on. Just not to the level of the DS. It's problem I think is not many companies jumping in on the handheld bandwagon. Support from Sega, Square Enix, Capcom, and a few others did get releases out there, but in comparison of library size, it didn't get the level of DS. However, eShop had old titles and a share of original games.

If people were to look back at it, I do think there will be a sense of appreciation. Unfortunately, there will be the question of "what if?" put into it. If Western companies were more involved. European publishers or developers like Ubisoft or Rockstar if they would have done anything. The usage of the 3D and if customers enjoyed it. If online was a substantial improvement over the DS. There are stuff in some people's eyes that could have been better.

Where does Nintendo go from here?  I don't think there will be a handheld for a while. Of course, the hybrid of the Switch will be something that will keep customers interested. Why waste resources to make unique versions on a handheld and a console? It is said that Nintendo is not getting rid of online immediately. I'd give it a good two to three years similar to the Wii before it disappears. Whether there's new digital games, I'm not sure. PlayStation 3 got a digital game release back in August. Until then, the 3DS will get its love. Try and get some of the titles now before the prices skyrocket.

Console Buyer's Guide 2019

Black Friday and the holiday season begins very soon, so there is the look of what game systems are out on the market. For 2019, it may mark one of the last big years for the current ones out there.

Starting with the dead systems, it's safe to say you can't find many PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U, and Vita games on store shelves. Your best bet is going to be the used local stores or having to use online to get the games. Everything but the Vita can still be found easily at a GameStop, but how much longer they will have these games, I'm not sure. Until PS3 and 360 stop using servers for good would be my guess or when the new systems come out in November.

I'm surprised to still see the 3DS on store shelves. Nintendo stated that it will still be supported heading into 2020, but I don't buy into it fully. Not any big releases and being eight years old is not healthy. I guess milk it until the cows come home. For what it was able to do, it stabilized and did very well following a disastrous launch due to the high price. You can find 2DS XL's and some games, but the selection is not the greatest at most stores. Used local stores and online may be the ultimate way to get the titles you may want that aren't the usual suspects.

This year will be the last very huge year for PS4 and Xbox One. I don't think there's one advantage over the other except in exclusives. It comes down to what you like more. Do you like Halo, Gears of War, and a couple others? Uncharted, MLB, Ratchet and Clank? I still think the edge goes to PlayStation, but I don't think either one is a bad choice. They're cheap and you can get games at good prices everywhere. Not much else to say.

Last is the Switch. The Lite model should entice some for the holiday season, but will they like that it's portable only? That I'd ask because it being a hybrid prior to the release may be the only incentive. I think there should be a price cut for the original model. Beyond the first party games, there is relatively good support still and plenty of releases from older games and new ones. It's a way to make up for some of Nintendo's blunders. How well this does beyond this year and 2020 is a question in itself and if the novelty sticks or fades away.

Shop safe. Shop smart. And shop carefully for these systems and games.