Topic: My Review of the 3DS

Great overview guys, glad to see that you thought it was great. I was a bit worried there because the other sites that I went to had mixed opinions on the system. Happy to hear the quality build is great and not plastic-like. Well I now feel enlightened to grab the 3DS, but only after a year or two just like the other consoles I bought. Haven't seen the 3D for myself and I feel a little wary about it since the view varies from different people, but I'll have to see it for myself when I get the chance. Again, thanks for the info and can't wait to see how the 3DS and the PSP2 shape up. On a side note ImDiggerDan, Heard that your game turned out well, any future software plans on the 3DS?

The 3D was odd, I didn't actually notice it at first because I expected it to look weird or strain my eyes but it didn't, the sweet spot isn't massive but even if you lose the sweet spot for a second the games are still visible. Also some people said they had to refocus whenever they looked away or lost the sweet spot but I didn't, it felt really natural.

Hmm, seems I don't get notifications when people post in this thread any more. Odd.

OK - @Killamancer & Aviator - I work as a programmer for a relatively new company called Double 11. We've done a couple of games for the new Xperia Play (PSP Phone) thing, which I don't think have been announced yet and are working on a PSP2 game which has been "shown" in one of the videos, but it has not been announced that we are working on it yet so I'm saying nothing more there. My work with Virtual Playground/Casual Arts is strictly, well, Casual... Moonlighting sort of stuff.

@Karakato_001 - Yeah, people who have bought my game only seem to have positive stuff to say about it. I just need more people to buy it now... There is an iPhone/iPad/iPod version on the way and the publisher is interested in a sequel (and I am interested in working on the 3DS) so who knows. It's been a tough development time, putting in the odd few hours here and there whilst trying to work full time through the day and with a 4 year old to look after. Could really do with a holiday. If only I could afford it...

DiggerDan, did you get the same impression I did, that the shoulder buttons are from the same stock that plagued the DSLite/ DSi with faults and break downs?

It's my only real concern with the 3DS. Everything else feels great, but I worry about how long those shoulder buttons will last.

I don't recall a portable ever having had long-lasting shoulder buttons. I thought the DS was supposed to be better than the GBA ones. I haven't heard much about the PSP ones either.

The orignal DS shoulder buttons seemed to be fine - but the clicky DSLite/ DSi buttons have had plenty of problems, and the 3DS' shoulder buttons are also clicky, rather than soft press.

I don't know about the PSP, but the PSPGo has great shoulder buttons - very soft press and comfortable.

@Anyone_who_has_played_the_3DS_A.K.A_Lucky_B$%£****.
Could you tell what the speaker quality was like or were the events just too noisy to judge it.Just wondering because I haven't heard _{(see what I did there?)} any mention of them and the DS's speakers were ,well,a bit naff.

It was way too noisy at the launch event for listening to the speakers, sorry

I think they were hooked up to external speakers when I tried them but either way sound quality seemed pretty good, especially with Kid Icarus. Also it seemed not all games had sound, Pilotwings and Nintendogs definitely didn't... and I didn't even think of checking if I could just turn up the volume.

Never noticed shoulder button issues until now with the DSi...

@WaltzElf_and_Oregano Ahh thought as much.Thanks anyway guys . Hopefully we should be seeing some in stores soon so I can find out for myself. Can't wait!

I played the 3DS briefly in a GAME store the other week. I only had time to play one of the AR card games and take a few photos, but I was impressed by the overall quality of the hardware and system. The AR game was quite good because I had to move around in the real world to be able to shoot targets in the game. Very interesting.

I must say that I cranked the 3D slider all the way up and my eye were getting sore after just a few minutes, but I wasn't playing in optimal conditions. The store lights were reflecting in the screen and I was holding a couple of carrier bags, so my grip wasn't amazing on it. I'm sure I'll fare better when I get one at home and can alter the 3D depth, brightness etc.

Overall, thumbs up!

I got to try out the 3DS at the LA Demo Pod, and figured this would be the best place to post impressions:

Right off the bat, I played Lego Star Wars. I know nothing about the game, but the 3D effect was pretty subtle. I wasn't impressed, so I moved down to Madden NFL. I couldn't see the 3D effect with this game, I could only see double images of everything. I don't know if this is because of the system or what, but I was holding it the same way. Next was Nintendogs, which had great graphics and a well-used subtle 3D. Next I got to see the AR card and played Archery. This was very cool, and with the 3D and perspective of the cameras, it made for a very interactive and awesome experience. After that, I got to play SSIV. I’m not much of a fighter gamer, but the 3D effect was astounding in this game, it looked as if there was a world beyond the screen. The slide pad worked extremely well throughout, and was comfortable. I know nothing about Steel Diver, but the motion sensing worked very well, only if you turn your whole body. My brief session with Asphalt 3D was very enjoyable, I believe, only because the 3D not only added depth, but gave it a better sense of speed. With this game, the slide pad also worked very well.

My brief peek at the home menu showed me a much improved menu. It paused the game flawlessly and easily resumed.

I was worried that I would be too focused on the 3D to be immersed in any of the games, but the whole system was very intuitive—I felt as if I had been playing it for years. The 3D effect was not a nuisance, it did not take away from the game, rather it added to it. I had no extra strain on my eyes, and my only side-effect was mild dizziness after playing the first few games; it quickly wore off. I left the pod wishing I could take one home. It made me reluctant to play my DSi because I had just played something so much more immersive and innovative.

After my brief session with the 3DS, I do not feel that the 3D is a gimmick. It made the games much more enjoyable, and as I said, immersive.

Great. Now I want it even more.

This is waaaay beyond killing me.

I just got back from playing Pilotwings at Best Buy today, and I have to say, it's really cool! I wasn't able to go to the 3DS main menu, so I don't know how the Home button works.

My favorite mode is hoverpack mode. The 3D really adds depth to the game, and actually helped me determine how softly to land my hover pack on some targets. I never crashed into the targets thinking they were further than they were.

Flying around Wuhu island was a great experience; I could flying all over the place and even into a volcano at will, but I still wasn't sure if I wanted to buy the game or not; there were hardly any people on the island.

That's when I pressed R to look down.

There it was, Wuhu Island in all it's 3D glory. The sight was absolutely astounding! Right there and then I decided I was going to get Pilotwings Resort the day it launches. I'm getting excited just imagining a Mii version of myself hovering around the place or flying in an airplane!

OK so I just tried it out, though not in any great depth, but here are my thoughts:

1. The 3D "sweet spot" turned out to be bigger than I had expected. At least, based on all the complaints about how small it is, and moving your head just a few cm will kill the effect, I can confirm that it's not really that bad. I suspect it may even be big enough to play on a bus or train without slipping in and out of 3D constantly.

2. Faceraiders is actually fun. It may get old quick (I'd have to play more to be certain), but I was impressed. The way the game takes the photo of your face and believably warps it to give you an amusing expression was very cool. And I'm not just referring to an "hourglass" effect. It's a real thing.

3. Super Street Fighter IV: I'm not a hardcore fighting game player by any means, but the dynamic, pseudo-over-the-shoulder view was pretty awesome, especially in 3D. As far as implementation of 3D goes in the launch titles I played, this was easily the best. Better than Pilotwings.

4. AR Games: These were great, as just about everyone has already indicated. I only got to play a couple, and they were good, but there was one (kind of major) problem. The 3DS cameras kept losing the AR card and suddenly halting the game. I am 90% sure this is because the cards were not only inside a reflective plastic pouch, but also placed on a super-reflective surface. Furthermore, there was a skylight overhead. It made the AR cards get drowned out in reflection and very hard to detect. So, beware of that. I'm hoping these problems don't translate to other circumstances as well.

5. Lego Star Wars: This was kind of the first time I got to play a "game" game in 3D, and it was interesting. By that I mean a game with an environment to explore. It worked quite well, although I'm not really sure the 3D had much of an impact on the gameplay. That said, there wasn't a whole lot of platforming going on, which seems to be the main draw of the effect. Basically, it worked well. The game was fun too, although I didn't play it for long. A fan of the Lego series should enjoy it.

6. Pilotwings: I was very impressed with the game as well as the 3D effects. I'm not able to say with certainty that the 3D made it easier per se, but it was a welcome addition. We are so used to playing games in 2D that all the other cues such as the increasing size of the rings as you fly towards them make it fairly straightforward to play in 2D. That said, it worked very well and definitely added to the overall experience. One minor gripe I had was that there was so much detail in the Wuhu Island backgrounds that it became a little distracting in 3D. With such a great deal to look at, it became a little tricky to focus on what I needed to (ie, the player and the targets). Hopefully this is something you would get used to after a little while.

7. I did not experience any headaches after playing it on-and-off for about an hour. However, after playing Pilotwings, I can definitely understand how someone might after extended play sessions. Motion sickness is real, unfortunately, and the 3D sure doesn't help alleviate it. What I did experience after playing the 3DS was a bit of dizziness afterwards. It just felt a little difficult to focus on, well, real life, after playing games in 3D. I can't really explain the sensation; I mean, we see everything in 3D all day long, so how should it be any different? It's probably related to how images are rendered in 3D versus how we perceive them normally that makes the difference. It was odd, but not a big deal, to be honest, and didn't last long.

8. Overall impressions: Well, I just feel like my pre-order has been validated. I'm not even getting any games at launch, but the built-in software is totally awesome, and will definitely tide me over until Zelda or the next big thing comes out. $250 is still a steep price, but I think it's worth it. The 3DS rocks. And 3D is a far, far more natural evolution of games than it is for movies, in my opinion. You instantly appreciate its value.

@ zeeroid Where did you go to be able to play all those games?! All Best Buy would let me play was Pilotwings, which was an amazing game, by the way.

Yeah, it wasn't at a Best Buy, but rather at a demo station in a mall. Part of the Canadian tour, I think. They had 8 different launch titles, I believe, in addition to Faceraiders and AR Games. Didn't get to try Steel Diver, unfortunately.

my Best Buy has a kiosk now, yay... but it only had pilotwings demoing on it. never been a huge fan of pilotwings anyway, so maybe that kinda killed my feelings about it, or maybe it's because i'm not really prone to buying into mad hype anyway, but i wasn't terribly impressed — just felt like a new console to me was all. i couldn't really get the 3D to work well (i'd finally gotten it set OK for third-person flying, but then when i switched to a first-person view, i couldn't get the 3D to work for my eyes at all, which was totally weird :/).

something i thought was interesting, though, was that when i moved my head out of the 'sweet spot' for 3D viewing, the screen looked 2D; i'd been wondering how moving out of the sweet spot would work and whether or not it would be too disorienting, so that was good to see. 2D play looked great, though.

i do like the circle pad quite a bit, it felt nicer than the DSi's D-pad. and i also liked how the demo was timed, so people can't just keep on playing and playing when there are other people who want to try it out, haha :3

also, the 3DS at the kiosk was the blue one... it was rather smexy IRL. if you're on the fence, i'd try and see it in person at a kiosk if i were you before writing it off :3

Amazing Spider Man ride from Islands of Adventure had best not fried my brain from viewing things in 3D.