3DS Impressions Revisited, Dimensionally
This actually wasn't Cammie Dunaway's going away party. It was Reggie kicking ass like he's supposed to.
As several months passed after its initial announcement, new information about the 3DS slowly made itself public. The launch lineup, the classic ports, the power of the augmented reality cards, Mii Maker, StreetPass, and (most importantly) the release date and price. While various parts of the world (and plenty of lucky individuals in North America) already have the 3DS in their hands, the rest of us have to wait just a bit longer.
This Sunday (March 27th, 2011) marks the official launch of the Nintendo 3DS in the United States. Today was my first time seeing and using the new handheld since my E3 experience back in June. How do I feel about the 3DS now?
Since Nintendo is promoting the handheld as, “…a new dimension in gaming”, I’ve decided to break down the strengths and weaknesses of the 3DS by looking at it from two sides. The strengths will be noted as The ‘Bright’ Side, and the weaknesses will be The ‘Dark’ Side.
On The Bright Side, the final version of the hardware design seems practically unchanged from the E3 version. From what I can tell, the only obvious difference is the color of the analog pad (which was originally planned to match the color of the system itself). It was a bit hard to determine the feel of the system now, since it was anchored down by a cord which wanted to pull the system back, but the 3DS’s at E3 weren’t exactly without their limitations, either. I’m also digging the Aqua Blue color the more I see it.
HOLY CRAP!! This pic is high res! .......... The actual pic, not the 3DS! (click if you dare!)
On The Dark Side, there were a few complaints about the E3 design, which seem to have been passed over by Nintendo. Don’t like the placement of the D-pad? Too bad.
On The Bright Side, the 3D is the real deal. Nintendo promised 3D without glasses, and delivered.
On The Dark Side, the 3D effect isn’t for everyone. I’m not just talking about the warnings addressing young children, either. While I thought it was possibly the fact that I was quite tired once I actually reached the 3DS area at Nintendo’s E3 booth, it still seems like I have a bit of trouble focusing on the screen with the 3D adjustment slider at its maximum level. At least the 3DS demo station I saw mentioned that you needed to hold the system a specified distance from your face. The problem with that is the fact that I don’t like to hold handhelds that close to my eyes. Even then, I still had to put a bit of effort into focusing on the image. Otherwise, Pilotwings Resort looked like this:
Ironically, this actually looks 3D from a distance.
I’m not sure calling the switch a 3D adjustment slider is even the right term… it’s more like calling it a switch to adjust the amount of brain power you need to concentrate on actually playing the game. And now that I mention it, everything could use a switch like that. And maybe it was just me, but when I could focus on them, the 3D effects on Pilotwings didn’t look anywhere near the level that I saw from the demos at E3. Maybe it was the store lighting?
On The Bright Side, the 3D adjustment slider switch does exist. I still feel the best effect involves having the 3D on a minimal setting, though I will most likely play with the 3D off more times than not. And even with the 3D turned completely off, the visuals on the 3DS are above anything that the earlier DS models could do. You don’t really need extremely high resolution for a handheld.
On The Dark Side, the 3DS is $249, and that’s most likely because of the 3D Technology itself. It’s definitely not because of the resolution of the displays or cameras. And to think it would have been even more expensive if it was released earlier, back when the technology was new.
All these years, Australia still cannot beat him!
On The Bright Side, the augmented reality cards look amazing. I know this isn’t the first time it has been done, though. Even better, this is something that comes with the system at launch.
On The Dark Side, the AR is the only thing available at launch that interests me, and I still haven’t tried out the cards themselves as of this article. I might find some interest in Mii Maker and StreetPass later, but those are definitely not my priority at the moment.
On The Bright Side, games like Kid Icarus: Uprising, StarFox 64 3D, and Ocarina of Time 3D are not too far away. There are good launch titles (Street Fighter and Nintendogs are sure to sell well), just not ones I plan to buy.
On The Dark Side, the 3D feature is another excuse for developers to create overpriced shovelware that focus mostly on the 3D effect instead of actual gameplay. Many consider 3D to be another ‘gimmick’ feature (like motion control and touch screens…).
On The Bright Side, 3D could possibly be too costly a feature for the bad independent developers to program for, sending them to the smartphone platforms.
The war some want to forget. Or the war forgotten to some. Something like that.
On The Dark Side, 3D could possibly be too costly a feature for the good independent developers to program for, sending them to the smartphone platforms. I don’t know the specifics, but I’m sure that developing a DSiWare title or Android/iPhone title is much less expensive than developing something for the 3DS.
On The Bright Side, Nintendo has most likely put more money into 3DS promotion than any of their previous handhelds. Promoting the 3DS has gone beyond just the internet and back to physically being in the stores and on the streets.
On The Dark Side, said promotion only seems to truly catch the attention of those actively seeking it. Some common passers-by probably couldn’t tell the difference between the 3DS and the DSi. With so many iterations of the DS, noting that the 3DS isn’t just a modification of the previous DS models, but a completely new system, is important. I saw no one paying attention to the 3DS display unit that I saw, and it wasn’t even placed in a very obvious location of the store (though it was at least in the video game section!). The employees in the store said that there weren’t very many people asking about it, either.
On The Bright Side, those who have seen the 3DS know what it can do, and can make an honest purchasing decision in comparison to a yet to be released competitor such as the Sony NGP.
On The Dark Side, many people are still basing their decision off of YouTube videos and screenshots, which are unable to show the 3D effect properly. Unlike the visuals of the Sony NGP, which we can see a bit more at face value, so to speak.
On The Bright Side, and this is just to end on a positive note, the 3DS isn’t the Virtual Boy. You know I had to mention that somewhere. Nintendo has been experimenting with 3D for years, but the 3DS may actually be the real deal. Even if it is Wario Land, what would Nintendo think if a Virtual Boy game was considered better than anything on the 3DS?
The past and the future collide, and eyes will still hurt. That's dedication.
For those of you looking for the short version of this: I saw the 3DS first-hand before most of the people who currently own one, and in a way I feel a bit spoiled because of it. The surprise factor is long gone, and as I’ve already mentioned, I can’t really get the full 3D experience that Nintendo would want me to. I have to look at the pros and cons of the 3DS to make a purchasing decision (since I’m no where near as lucky as those in the press who get free stuff from Nintendo). Even with that said, I am still definitely buying a 3DS. I haven’t purchased a Nintendo handheld since 2004 (the original DS), so I feel that I’m long overdue for an upgrade. I personally feel that the $249 price point is a bit steep at the moment, since I would probably just be playing with the AR cards until the summer when the stuff I’m actually wanting arrives. Nintendo doesn’t seem to be expecting the same kind of quantity issues they had with the Wii, but I don’t think anyone expected the Wii to be so hard to get back in 2006, either. I guess the real question is when I will be getting one.
Oh, anyone remember when everyone thought this was the 3DS? Things have changed, haven’t they?
