All eyes were on Nintendo when CEO Satoru Iwata picked up the newly unveiled 3DS during their press conference. It looked like a regular old DS, but with this crazy feature of being able to output 3D images without the need of those goofy glasses that are all the rage right now. So after waiting nearly 3 hours to get my hands on one of the newest items to hit the show floor, I finally had my shot to understand what all the hype’s been about.
The moment I picked up the new handheld there were a few things I noticed right off the bat. First off, it felt a whole lot lighter than I had expected, about as light as a DSi. The body on the 3DS itself has a different button layout than the previous DS/ DS Lite/ Dsi line, with there being a newly added analog “pad” – not stick – above the d-pad, as well as their being Home, Start, and Select buttons being repositioned under the touch screen. Also, the power button is now smaller and located on the bottom right hand side. And finally, there are a total of 3 cameras on the 3DS – one above the top screen for a front facing view, and two on the outside to make up a 3D image when taking photos.
As for the 3D effects, they were just as awesome as the first time I put on those ridiculous glasses and watched Avatar in the cinema, only this time I didn’t need the shades. First up was a playable Sengoku Basara demo- an anime adapted Dynasty Warriors type game – that did 3D decently, but nothing jaw dropping. Up next, however, was the Kid Icarus trailer, and boy oh boy did it deliver. When I first saw it during Nintendo’s presser I could spot certain points and effects that I knew would be implemented into 3D, and when I saw it for real on the system itself it took that trailer and put it on its side. I wanted to play Kid Icarus now! After that I watched the Resident Evil: Revelations and the Metal Gear Solid 3D demo videos, which both were impressive, especially the moment where I jumped back from a snake pouncing from the screen on Metal Gear. However, I must admit that I think Capcom went a little over board with the whole depth thing, since each of the characters in the Resident Evil demo video seemed to be on separate layers of dimensions, which for me caused quite a strain on my eyes.
Mario Kart in 3D was exactly as I expected, great. And finally, I was able to play the Star Fox tech demo, something fans have been waiting for for a long time. It took me a few moments to get into the right frame of mind to be able to target and shoot at enemies on the plain in front of me, but once I nailed it I felt like I was back in elementary school playing Star Fox for the first time. But strangely, even after playing and watching all these hardcore titles, the real magic didn’t come until after I moved onto Nintendogs + Cats, which took me completely by surprise. When I called on my little puppy friend to come play I thought it looked phenomenal, as if I was looking into a window to another world. But the true 3D experience really hit me full on when the dog jumped up and pushed his paws against the top screen waiting for me to pet him, and as soon as that happened I was smiling from ear to ear since it really appeared like this virtual man’s best friend was hanging on nothing.
Overall, the 3DS sports graphics that rival even those you see on current PSP games, which should keep players busy for a while since there hasn’t been word of a new PSP coming anytime soon. Also, I think it’s a clever move by Nintendo that players can slide the 3D effects completely off if they so choose, forcing developers to make quality games without relying solely on gimmicks, which tend to cause countless amounts of shovelware titles. I was quite impressed by the technology Nintendo was showing, which was seemingly impossible from what everyone was saying just a few weeks ago, and yet here they were, demonstrating what couldn’t be. Nintendo, I’m sold.
