Nintendo 3DS?

[Jason]

My son wants a Nintendo 3DS for Christmas but I've been reading about the hinge and bottom screen scratching the upper screen when closed issues. I've also heard rumors that a new revision with dual analog sticks is coming out next year. Does anyone here own one, and if so, have you had any of the issues I mentioned above?

[Slumberland]

My issue is that there's f*ck all to play on it.  I'd wait for the revision.  The bottom screen leaves a mark on the upper screen, but it's not really a scratch, just an accumulation of gunk that wipes off.

I may feel differently when the new Mario and Mario Kart are released, but I'm down on it at the moment.  Region lockout also prevents me from playing Konami's Japanese baseball game on it, which is a drag for me personally.  Even the PSP version of that game looks great, I bet the 3DS's added power and depth effects make it look incredible.

[Jason]

I'd love to hold him off on it. He actually wanted it for his birthday tomorrow and I convinced him to wait longer. Apparently the "Flame-Red" one (released last month) incorporates fixes for the screen and hinge issues. I'm not too worried about games because there's 4 games he's interested in that should keep him busy for while. The first 2 are out already (Legend of Zelda and Starfox 64) and the other two come out before Christmas (New Mario World 3D and Mario Cart .

What sucks is that Target is offering a $25 gift card with the purchase of a 3DS, so it's forcing me to make a decision sooner than I wanted to.

[Slumberland]

Ha!  Good to hear about the Flame Red.  Those are four solid titles.  Zelda kept me really busy up until about halfway through Master Quest (second playthrough).  If he's never played it before, Ocarina is still a hoot.

[Jason]

He hasn't played it before. We were looking to buy an old N64 to play the original but never did, so he was thrilled when he heard they were releasing it for the 3DS.