Nintendo 3DS

[robrymond]

There are 'strict' rules in place presumably by Nintendo including the showing of the AR cards and technology. Literally the only thing you can demo is Face Raiders. Daft really, but they don't want to spoil the Japanese launch.

That said with the pressure from above to get X amount of deposits a day, this will most likely be ignored, as someone pointed out it is a very valuable tool this early on before launch.

Blame Nintendo...infact they got all anal when I took a photo at the Bristol event of the AR card and screen, despite the fact we were welcome to take photos elsewhere and no signs said otherwise.

[Daragon]

One of the attendants probably made it clear not to take photos of the units or whatever they were showing just before your hands on. They certainly stressed that fact at the Manchester one.

Taking photos elsewhere was fine for the simple reason that rubbish cosplayers in street fighter/resident evil attire probably didn't constitute trade secrets or whatever.

[Tig]

I managed to get a very brief go on one at HMV- but without any games to play, it was very hard to judge anything about it really.



The 3D effect seemed very subtle during the AR games - although when I turned the effect off, the difference was instantly obvious, and I wanted to turn it back on straight away.
It added a rather pleasing impression of depth, like looking at a slightly larger screen from a greater distance. The viewing angle did seem narrow though.



One thing I did notice about it is that the aqua blue model (the only one I saw) looks a bit naff on the inside. The lower half is made of slightly glittery plastic, in a style which does not say "classy hardware", at least not to me.
The shiny lid looked alright though, with an almost pearlescent look.

[bash]

Tried it yesterday, found it had a dizzying effect on my eyes and the 3d was pants. Wont be getting one now.

[hudson]

Bit of a gamble for me. My console preorer is paid. Majority of the gaming press and people in here seem to love it. Will be all about those games at the end of the day. Really itching for some reviews now.

[Sixty]

I'm curious to see if the 3D will have any effect on other handhelds. Everyone says they instantly want to turn the 3D back on when they've turned it off. Could existing DS games or even PSP/NGP games end up feeling 'flat' after someone's become completely used to the 3DS? Gonna be interesting to find out.

[Tig]

I'm curious to see if the 3D will have any effect on other handhelds. Everyone says they instantly want to turn the 3D back on when they've turned it off. Could existing DS games or even PSP/NGP games end up feeling 'flat' after someone's become completely used to the 3DS? Gonna be interesting to find out.

I'm thinking it'll be a pretty close race - the NGP will have an enormous OLED screen with stunning brightness, clarity, and resolution which the 3DS lacks. That'll be more than enough to compensate for the lack of 3D for some people.

I guess players will inevitably fall into different camps, with many swearing lifelong allegiance to one display tech or the other. As you said, it'll be interesting to see what happens after the "settle in" period for the 3D is over, and whether 3DS gamers who get used to it will resent going back.



In any case, I think we can definitely expect to see 3D appearing everywhere in the portable space in a few years time...

[reektan]

Had a go on a unit in HMV Oxford St. At the end the chap tried to get me to pre order at £220, to which I said "they're like £197 on Amazon?" Sad face.

[Resonance]

Tried it yesterday, found it had a dizzying effect on my eyes and the 3d was pants. Wont be getting one now.

I came away with the same impression. After playing I felt a little cross eyed but I am guessing that, with time, you grow accustomed to it.

What bothered me was that the games looked not much better than I remember DS games looking but with 3D tacked on. Really underwhelming. SSF4 felt too slow.

It will sell well based on the success of the DS and the brand loyalty Nintendo have created. However I don't see it as being nearly as innovative as the original DS was considered or having as great an affect on the gaming industry.

[FreelancePolice]

Having been working on DS games for years I think you need to go back and check the graphical fidelity of DS games. Personally I'm clamouring to get one and work on one.

I found it easier to look at the more I saw it. It definitely benefits from repeated viewings IMO.

[Synthesthesia]

However I don't see it as being nearly as innovative as the original DS was considered or having as great an affect on the gaming industry.

This is kind of the same sort of criticism the original DS got when it was first shown though, people doubting the 2 screens and the touch interface, plus there was the fact that the PSP was it's competitor with much better graphics.

[Dogg Thang]

Let's not be so quick to rewrite history with lies. 'Innovation' is precisely the word that was used over and over with the DS, like an overplayed song on the radio. Lack of innovation was not, in any shape or form, a criticism of the DS. Gimmicky? Sure. But that simply meant innovative - it was down to whether one thought those features were useful or not.

[abigsmurf]

Indeed, the worry with the DS wasn't that it wasn't innovative, it was that games were 'innovating' for the sake of it (or possibly they were forced to by Nintendo). There were some really horrible uses of the touch screen early on (Dawn of sorrow which made you get out the stylus at the end of boss battles being one of the more infamous examples).

Ultimately I think the biggest problem with the DS was the hard polygon limit that you couldn't get around. Most consoles have very few games that 'max out' their capabilities. On the DS it was maxed out around 2 years in (around 6 months after they unlocked access to the 2nd CPU).

[Neon Ignition]

It's all hypothetical in the end, the games will only be as innovative as the developers make them. Hardware wise the addition of 3D isn't as bold as adding the dual touch screen was at the time but then no other system or handheld can boast a majorly innovative twist either so it's not a position that will affect Nintendo much. We all know the power difference won't matter sales wise either so it rests on the appeal of 3D to the masses and the strength of the brand. Both of which speak for themselves.

[Dogg Thang]

It doesn't need to be innovative. It only needs to be better and have good games. It was only the DS and the endless repetition of the word that made 'innovation' some sort of holy grail necessity that brought us blowing pointlessly into a microphone and waving our arms around a TV screen in the hopes that we might make a game do what could easily be achieved by pressing the X button.

Those still clinging to that word have all the innovation they need with the glasses-free 3D.