3DS tech will be "mimicked" unless it has "real breakthrough in gameplay", says Pachter

Michael Pachter has told CVG that the just-announced Nintendo 3DS will be "mimicked" by companies like Apple for its iPhone unless it has a "real breakthrough in gameplay."

Commenting after this morning's announcement, he said: "What's interesting to me is that Nintendo is so bold. It seems that if 3D on portable devices was easy, Apple would have beat them to it.

"If they truly pioneer a technology, my guess is that Apple will mimic the technology. Without a real breakthrough in gameplay (as happened with the DS), I'm not sure that this device will do much more than serve as a replacement for current DS owners."

Nintendo announced the new handheld this morning, which will drop sometime before March 2011. This is possibly what it may turn out to be like in terms of software.