Review: Nintendo 3DS

3D gaming without the glasses is finally here!

Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: 3DS

Since the 3DS was revealed last year every gamer has had their eye on it. Even the ones that left Nintendo behind for the more elaborate next gen consoles have taken notice of the vast potential the 3DS holds, the promise of spectacular 3D graphics without glasses and the ability take it with you on the go is just to tempting to not be excited about. Being one of the baited gamers to try this new technology out I decided to share my thoughts on the newest handheld console on the block.

My first impression when I opened the box and finally held the console in my hands was how sturdy it felt. It just feels right, everything feels tight and compact about it and has that heft of a well built machine. This is Nintendo we’re afterall talking about here, so I’m sure the 3DS will be able to take a couple of accidental falls to the floor and keep on trucking without a hitch.

The console itself is incredibly sexy looking; it is one hot piece of hardware. No matter which one of the two colors of the console you choose, its designed in a tri tone way. The blue one for example has a metallic Aqua top, a metallic turquoise bottom and a different shade of deep blue for the region with the buttons. It gives it flair and a modern sexy appeal Nintendo consoles have lacked for the most part.

Every button feels great too, clicky, responsive and very solid, popped out of the frame at perfect length. I especially love the new slider pad that serves as an analog stick. I thought it was going to feel lose but it’s actually very responsive and feels much better than the nub slider of the PSP.

Screens look equally great. The top one especially has a very nice resolution and widescreen aspect. To be specific the top screen has a 400X240 resolution while the bottom screen is 320X240. It is a very significant improvement from the previous DS models and while it’s no where near the resolution of the PSP and even farther from the new iPhone’s it’s still a much welcomed improvement.

Now lets talk about the 3D. OK, it works and it’s no gimmick but it does so by a little eye trickery. The secret is that it projects two imposed images aimed at each eye which creates the effect without the need of glasses. The best way I can describe it is by comparing it to those nifty hologram cards they stick to movie boxes sometimes. Depending on what angle you look at it the effect makes you see it pop out of the screen; Same here, just in a digital way. What this means is you have to look at it in a very specific angle and from close distances otherwise the dual image effect is broken and it looks like a blurry image that hurts the eyes.

Even while it is working the 3D effect really strains my eyesight. I’m not a fan of the 3D so for the most part I have the 3D effect turned off which thankfully is always adjustable thanks to the 3D slider next to the screen. I appreciate the effect and I see the potential for it but for the most part it is headache inducing and I don’t see it working for my long stretches of gaming. But as always your tolerance for 3D may vary as it seems to be a case by case thing. 

 In that regard, while being 3D the 3DS isn’t much of a portable console. The battery life is horrible, going as little as 2 hours with the 3D on. Turning it off completely allows the battery to last close to 4-5 hours which is still disappointing. Thankfully the console comes with a very helpful charge dock that allows for drop and charge and quick pick up in a short time.

Technical shortcomings aside the 3DS has a great interface that is really fun to play with. For the first time ever, a handheld console has a competent online service at all times. By configuring a WiFi network to your 3DS you’re essentially online at all times while it’s on, can have a friendlist to see the online status of friends and what they’re playing, and can even send messages!

It’s not very deep but its been a long time coming, especially from Nintendo. About friends, the dreaded friend codes are now universal but can be added as simply as being close to a friend and searching for them locally. There is a solid number of applications; the AR games, Face Raiders and the Mii maker with Mii plaza.. The streetpass feature works great as well. By closing the 3DS while on it allows you to send and receive data by passing next to other consoles. Things like Miis or stats can be carried over to other consoles. It’s a cute feature and its bound for some really creative implementations in future titles.

And here is my biggest gripe with the console. For every cool feature I found in the console, there was the nagging feeling that I would only get to enjoy it in the future. The console looks amazing and runs great, but I wont be able to put some real game time into it until better games come out for it. With no killer app, the launch titles just don’t seem very interesting. In the same way, all of the online features are great but they only show promise of better things to come, as currently there aren’t any titles that really take advantage of it. The system does not have an internet browser or an online digital store for that matter. All of these things are coming later down the road so it makes me wonder why I got it now.

There is no doubt in my mind that Nintendo’s 3DS is going to be huge. The specs of the console alone are proof of this and just holding this sexy piece of hardware you can get a good sense of the potential in the future for some really great games. With all that said, the 3DS wont be as great as I want it to be for a few months, once the online features are fully realized and a better lineup of titles are released the 3DS is just strictly for gloating purposes of having the latest tech around. For now I would recommend holding up the purchase until after E3 to see what Nintendo has in store for the console. If you’re thinking about purchasing now to play regular DS games: I’m sorry to let you know original games look kind of muddy and only look sharper by decreasing the screen size to small a size (think Gameboy Micro meets DS). The fairest assessment I can make about the 3DS is that right now is that it is a total tease, a very sexy tease that will be great in the coming months, but not now. If anything, the 3DS holds a lot of promise but we need the games to show it off. 

Galaxy Minute

-Build of the console is very sturdy and well made

-Who doesn’t like shiny stuff? This console has sexyness in spades

-3D does work, but can be straining on the eyes.

-Image quality is vastly improved from previous DS consoles

-Online and menu interface is a welcomed addition

-Launch titles lack spark and are mostly uninteresting

-Internet Browser and Online store will take a while to be implemented

-Battery life is inexcusably horrible

-Original DS games look muddy on it

-Console shows promise but the software just isn’t there to show it off

By: Ernesto Rivera