Did you buy a shiny new Nintendo 3DS over the weekend and are now left scratching your head at the lack of decent games to play on it? Ridge Racer? Haven’t we played that game on like almost every single console already? Nintendogs + Cats? Is that really even a game game? Well, those richer graphics and 3D features might be why. As with all video game systems, as the specs get better, the cost of developing deeper video games will naturally go up too. An anonymous 3DS developer says that game budgets on the 3D handheld are two to three times that of the DS. Programming portable video games isn’t about slapping a few pixels onto a screen anymore, development budgets now need to be on par with their living room console counterparts. Developers for the 3DS aren’t simply developing games tailored just for on-the-go-gaming, they’re making full-blown console games playable on a portable. If you want bite-sized portable games, you’re looking at the wrong devices. For that, an iPod Touch or an iPhone will do nicely. The 3DS is the DS all grown up, and with its new older image, you can expect to wait longer for games and pay more for the better ones. We can’t wait for Call of Duty to make the leap to the 3DS. You know Activision is working on it. A franchise that large can’t possibly be ignored. And when it arrives, it’s likely going to be every bit as great as its console brothers – no more gimped mobile versions.
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