From what I'm gathering, it's equally difficult to set it apart in the flesh. I was sat on the bus behind a guy and his friend who had a 3DS on him and I didn't even notice it was a 3DS initially (neither did his friend). Following that he spent a while trying to show how the 3D worked to his friend, needless to say he wasn't exactly awestruck, more confused than anything; he was
way out of the "sweet spot" even sat just next to him.
As much as portables are personal devices, people and friends will always want to take a peek. If the device's unique aspect isn't easily accessible or visible, it's going to be harder for people to understand it. Go around to your friend's house and see a bunch off people swinging about in front of a Wii and you've got an instant impression of what it does.
On a final, less stalker-ish note, Nintendo didn't send as much stuff to
Replay this year. Instead of a bunch of Wii and DS XL stations (present last year) there were two girls with 3DSs tethered to them. I saw about 3 people walk up to them all weekend and after that they spent most of their time sat at the side. Maybe they could have tried harder or made more of an impact but it seemed to me like people weren't reall that interested. Even when observing this, I didn't really feel the urge to go and try it out.
Not sure what I make of the WiiU (Wii U?) yet but I'm not really keen on the tablet controller for a start. Odd that they showed that off first without displaying the console itself. Design disputes behind closed doors?
Maybe they do need an Ive, but does he
have to be Japanese?
EDIT: Actually, this whole post makes me sound like some strange, over-observant eavesdropper. *Shudders*
