If I Designed The Packaging For The Nintendo 3DS And/Or Sony NGP

With two major portable platforms releasing this year, the Nintendo 3DS and the Sony NGP (Sony’s Next-Gen Portable, aka PSP2), I thought I could help out with an innovative solution that will help save these two Multi-Billion Dollar Companies some money.

That solution? To cut their packaging size in half.

Why? Because both platforms use tiny little memory cards stuffed into a large plastic snap case. I present into evidence ‘exhibit A’:

It doesn’t look too bad here because this case is housing 2 cartridges - one for the Game Boy Advance slot. Alas the 3DS is not backwards compatible with the Advance, so there is no more placeholder to park GBA carts.

Anyways, it’s a lot of packaging for a tiny little cartridge. This is done for two reasons: first and foremost for product visibility on the shelf, and secondly for security. Having a small package makes it easier to overlook, and also more prone to theft.

So I thought I’d devise a solution that has the same amount of visibility with half the packaging.

As for security that is handled efficiently by retailers. They will keep the games behind the counter, in a locked display case, or packed in a theft-proof container, like this:

Looks pretty secure to me. These trends will continue with the 3DS/NGP, so my package design will conform to these. And if you look above, you’ll see my design contained therein.

So where is the innovation? It’s rather simple actually. I made a smaller case that is displayed in a wide open state until the User purchases it. Then he/she snaps it closed.

It might seem silly at first, but think of it - you have this front face that showcases the game and at the same time, provides all the essential info, like screenshots and the story. You no longer have to pick the game up to read whats on the back, it’s right there in front of you. This is so helpful for when the game is locked behind glass.

I put all the essential stuff on the front, which takes up about the same amount of shelf real estate as a current DS package. This retains visibility.

I put all the legalese and fine print and other unwanted clutter - like the bar code - on the back. I even put the basic instructions there - which is what I think all games should do. Who reads instructions anymore? All this is visible because my case uses clear plastic.

This really frees up the front of the case design-wise, providing a cleaner look. All the junk is tucked away.

You could add an instruction booklet I suppose - I would tuck it into the outer liner. Again these aren’t necessary in my opinion.

After you buy the game, you snap it closed, and you get a very compact case. It no longer has to sell itself, it just needs to store your game when you are not playing it.

Some retailers could choose to sell the game in a closed state if they’d like.

I designed this package to be 50% smaller. Not only is everyone saving some money right down to the customer, but this is beneficial to the environment. It’s good that cases are a permanent item you keep (as opposed to the old days of the disposable cardboard box), but with the cartridges being so small, it is overkill.

Here is a size comparison: