Sony's Koller says Nintendo 3DS is a 'bit of a stretch,' no plans for 3D PSP

Sony has never been one to mince words when it comes to Nintendo, and it looks like the company's newly announced Nintendo 3DS is no exception. Speaking with IGN, SCEA Director of Hardware and Marketing John Koller confirmed that Sony's "focus on 3D right now is on the console," and added that "the amount of interest in 3D from the retail side and game publishers is off the charts." No surprise there, but things get a bit more interesting when Koller is asked about the 3DS, with him saying that while he thinks "it's an interesting move", he'd "like to see where they go from a demographic standpoint," adding that "8 and 9 year-olds playing 3D is a little bit of a stretch given where some of our research is right now." Of course, Nintendo usually gives as good as it gets, and it should have plenty to say when the 3DS makes it debut at E3 later this year.

[jakester22 Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:00PM]

why would we want a 3D psp? 3D is not even that cool... just nauseating.

[commenter7 Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:04PM]

@jakester22

but glasses free 3D is assumingly different...

I see this as an untouched market ready for Nintendo to dominate

[hdawggy Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:04PM]

@jakester22
I honestly was about to post the same thing!

[d0mth0ma5 Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:05PM]

@jakester22 To watch Avatar in 3D-HD on a teeny-tiny screen!

[jakester22 Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:07PM]

@d0mth0ma5

I saw avatar on the big screen and it was great... But on a tiny little screen? I don't think so...

[bleep Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:43PM]

@jakester22
What does this have to do with Avatar?

[d0mth0ma5 Posted Mar 24th 2010 6:06PM]

@bleep 3D PSP, watching movies as well as playing games. But I was being sarcastic.

[b3nj4m1n Posted Mar 24th 2010 6:32PM]

@jakester22

of course when sony follows suit and announces the next psp will be 3d you think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread :p

[ofigenno Posted Mar 24th 2010 6:33PM]

@commenter7

such a Nintendo fanboy, are u? =)

[angermeans Posted Mar 25th 2010 12:19AM]

They already dominate the handheld market

[ckrames1234 Posted May 20th 2010 10:14PM]

@jakester22

Correction: why would we want a 3D psp? The PSP isn't even that cool.

[EGOvoruhk Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:01PM]

After the failure that is the PSP Go, I'm not so sure Sony should be listening to their research

[RiCEADDiCTBOY Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:06PM]

@EGOvoruhk I wouldn't call the PSP Go an absolute faliure. The design and concept was sound... Just that the overall product wasn't executed as well it should have been - chiefly the the cramped feeling. If they fix that I would be all over the next version.

[redspear Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:07PM]

@RiCEADDiCTBOY
Actually I kind of like the PSP GO the issue was that it was too late in the cycle to establish a diskless portable this gen. It should of been saved for the next gen system.

[commenter7 Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:13PM]

@redspear

The PSP go would have been a success if it wasnt for the ridiculous price tag, I dont think having no UMD was the main issue.

people would obviously get a Regular PSP due to the fact it is 2x cheaper and can do everything the PSPgo can, it can even play UMDs

[redspear Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:17PM]

@commenter7

I am not so sure. I can guarantee it would of sold more if it was cheaper. But it also killed off any chance of used games that people could by or even rentals like Gamefly. As a media player it has to compete with ZuneHD and iPod Touch not to mention any number of smartphones.

I have a feeling it would of done best if it was born in a ecosystem developed completely around it.

[commenter7 Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:23PM]

@redspear

I didnt mean that having no UMD wasn't a reason because I totally agree with you, I just meant that the PSPgo would have faired better if it was cheaper

[theprabh Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:30PM]

@commenter7 you could just buy it from amazon for $210

[adamlovezu Posted Mar 24th 2010 6:00PM]

@redspear


it was a disaster... the system sold completely on hype....


theres nothing good about it.... well... nothing good to someone who doesnt want to give money to sony for games they cant own.

[adamlovezu Posted Mar 24th 2010 6:04PM]

@redspear


you mean it was too early.... were years away from strictly online purchasing... it will happen anyone can tell you that... a time were game stores wont exist... its bound..... they tried to do it early..... and big names didnt jump like square-enix.... arguably the most important.

[Bteeuwen Posted Mar 24th 2010 6:07PM]

@EGOvoruhk

Why does everyone who mentions the psp go seem to forget that it was a product developed soley to test the feasibility of such a product on the market place?

It was never ment to live up to any expected or any unexpected hype.

It simple a device to test the waters. I mean look how many people bit*h and fight over digital and physical media still.

Thanks but go flame somewhere else.

[AdamWill Posted Mar 24th 2010 7:30PM]

@EGOvoruhk just in general, the idea that Sony understands the portable gaming market better than Nintendo is pretty laughable :)

[nipponJ Posted Mar 24th 2010 7:34PM]

the psp Go would be nice if the had a better marketing team

[juanvaldez Posted Mar 24th 2010 8:43PM]

@EGOvoruhk Additionally, they aren't seeing the N3DS as being able to move above "8 year olds" and take what is left of the PSPs 11% US marketshare. Tards. Cry to me when you have to re-think and relaunch your device for the 3rd time, matter of fact, I'll laugh but we can make our meeting really brief, I ain't going to give you a shoulder.

[MarcusMaximus Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:02PM]

Ya, what 8 or 9 year old kid would wan't a 3D handheld? It's not like kids of that age are into things like that.

[Cy Starkman Posted Mar 24th 2010 7:31PM]

@MarcusMaximus

Them and the legions of 20+ out to grandma with DS, I've seen 50+ people with them, one I worked with had an R4 or whatever card and was hunting warez sites.

Sony, you noticed that runaway success PSP, yeah. Bah what am I saying, they never did anything but follow Big N anyway and lose money on hardware to get sales.

[redspear Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:06PM]

Translation:Let Nintendo take the risk of introducing new components into our markets. Its not like they invent the stuff(they don't). However if it fails it is a costly mistake on their part while we will stay Status Quo with a Dual Capacative Touch Screen Phone game System that has an app store.

[MarcusMaximus Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:09PM]

@redspear If it succeeds(which it probably will, given the novelty and Nintendo's history) then Sony is, once again, left in the dust.

[redspear Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:13PM]

@MarcusMaximus
I know I can't wait to see the 3DS. There are so many question marks right now.

Given how bizarrely it was announced though I had figured that Sony was going to do something similar and Nintendo was going to try to one up them on announcement to avoid copy cat calls. Guess I was wrong.

Maybe the new iPhone will have a 3D display but I doubt it. I still can't fathom why Nintendo would announce a major product like this(the DS is set to outsell the PS2 this year)

[FMinus Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:14PM]

@MarcusMaximus

Nah, they will just copy the thing Nintendo puts out. It's a tradition by now.

[adamlovezu Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:43PM]

@FMinus

noones copied nintendo until now at least for 10 years that is. its no tradition. nintendo turned childish. and has no appeal to GAMERS. maybe children and elderly lol...... i think nintendo needs to start copyng in order to stay up.

[majortom1981 Posted Mar 24th 2010 6:37PM]

@adamlovezu

Explain why would nintendo have to copy? IF the gpu rumours are true then the 3ds will be more powerfull then the psp . It is rumoured to produce gamecube level graphics.

[FMinus Posted Mar 25th 2010 12:57AM]

@adamlovezu

Childish or not is an opinion. Nintendo makes so much cash with their latest console and handheld that there really is no point to discuss weather people like their products or not, because the numbers obviously tell us that people not only like, but love Nintendo.

I will say that the Wii is expensive for it's dated hardware, and they should cut the price even further, but the console itself and games on it are perfectly fine. It's a nice supplement to the main-stream gaming which I do on the PC and to some extent on the Xobx 360. In fact, if any other console would offer me the same games as Nintendo I might agree with you, but they don't (i don't mean shovel ware now), so Nintendo has always a place in my home, next to some other system for the games that Nintendo doesn't offer me.

It's nice to play mindless, simple, fun games from time.

[FMinus Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:08PM]

Sony's marketing is the reason why I do de-tours around anything with a Sony label on it.

[Bteeuwen Posted Mar 24th 2010 6:12PM]

@FMinus

So you avoid a product because of marketing rather then the actual product itself?

Wow your really sticking it to the man....,

[FMinus Posted Mar 25th 2010 12:41AM]

@Bteeuwen

Well, the market is bloated with virtually the same stuff Sony is trying to sell me, so really I have a lot of alternatives some are better some are worse, but yeah generally if I can, I try to stay away from Sony labels.

But I've yet to hear so much "trash-talk" and condescending behavior from any other company towards it's competition. They are way beyond the line of good taste and on top of that, from my past experience with their service, they behave just the same to their customers at least here where I live, so Sony products in my home are really a last resort.

[yulebellow Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:08PM]

Well after what the entire planet had to say about the PSP Go, I think Sony can shove it

[alex2792 Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:12PM]

Zing, I wonder what kind of research they did cuz I know a lot of adults who play the ds.

[Anoniempje Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:23PM]

They already stole the ps1 controller from the nes, the analoge stick from the n64, the motion from the wiimote and now they wont steal the 3d for the portable? Really.

[Anoniempje Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:24PM]

Sorry, Snes. not nes :)

[d0mth0ma5 Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:28PM]

@Anoniempje ...great artists steal

[adamlovezu Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:52PM]

@Anoniempje

your not into gaming are you?


nintendo had something to do with the ps1 you know lmao..... no stealing there. in fact nintendo set themselves up.

[Anoniempje Posted Mar 24th 2010 9:15PM]

@adamlovezu
You mean that Nintendo wanted a cd extension for the snes and so they asked sony for help. The project got canned and sony took off to make a console based on the research?
Steal one controller okay, but at least experiment with different button layouts. Don't just keep adding buttons to an existing design. or keep adding numbers to your brand names,

[Capsule Gang Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:27PM]

This reeks of famous last words...

[Plothole Posted Mar 25th 2010 2:27AM]

@Capsule Gang
Sony has made quite a few of those in the last several years.

[Post31 Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:27PM]

This from the guys who said the wii remote is just a gimick. Something that will fade away. And now they are making somethng along the lines if the wii remote. So I guess I am going to have to wait 5 years for the psp3d

[adamlovezu Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:37PM]

@Post31

along the lines of yes . ahead of its tech? hell yea.

wii sucks. damn gesutre gaming lol.

[Kamalot Posted Mar 25th 2010 9:10AM]

@adamlovezu

You should play Red Steel 2.

[YukYuk Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:27PM]

about what i would expect from a company man's mouth. but sony's been on a sad game of catch-up and mimicry for years now.

[adamlovezu Posted Mar 24th 2010 5:36PM]

nintendo needs a nice hardware design for once...... im walking arond in manhatten alot and preferably use a psp due to the fact it doesnt look like a ds lol...... walking around with 2 jumbo screens and messing with finicky tacked on touch controls? no thanks...... but i do love the idea .............................. thogh tacked on... still nice... good burst games..... psp is more of a home system.... but looks light years more better.not embarassing