Nintendo 3DS Review: Next-Gen Gaming Guide
Into The 3rd Dimension! Nintento’s 3DS: The big leap forward for portable consoles?
The DS has already had three “looks” : the original; the slimmed-down, tarted up DSi and the lanky Luigi to the original Mario, the XL.The 3DS, however, is something else.
The headline feature – 3D graphics without the need for glasses – is getting all the initial attention, but this handheld also has a serious bump in power, with iPhone 4 style 3D motion controls, greatly improved graphics and speed and the ability to download 3D Movies.
Games like Metal Gear Solid, Snake Eater 3D show the improvement in graphics. The quality is miles ahead of the DS and better than the PSP. On the small screen the graphics even seem to surpass the Wii.
THE 3DS LURES BACK MATURE GAMERS WITHOUT LOSING ANY OF THAT DS CHARM
The raft of classic heading to the 3DS is month watering. Mario kart, Final Fantasy and resident Evil as well as the likes of Nintendogs are incoming, suggesting that Nintendo wants to lure back more mature gamers, without losing the trademark DS charm.
The release date is not yet conformed, Nintendo told over 70 games currently in development, with the largest number of third parties they’ve ever had working on title for one of their systems pre-lunch.
So, what’s the much vaunted 3D effect like? the “Autostereoscopic” system requires no glasses and it’s less in-you-face than a movie screen because of the lack of peripheral vision, but the added feeling of depth really aids game play. you really notice the 3D effect on games like Pilot Wings. switch to 2D mode and it resembles the old arcade-style N64 game. but in 3D it’s a treat.
The sweet zone for viewing 3D is very natural, working when rested on your knees or held at a comfortable distance. Twisting the screen will affect the 3D through, which could be a problem with motion-sending games.
If you don’t want the 3D, you can dial the effect down to zero. It’ll also be backwards compatible with old DS titles.
MOTION CONTROLS ARE ADDED TO THE TOUCHSCREEN AND JOYPAD COMBO OF THE DS
A gyroscope and accelerometer open up the possibility of three-dimensional motion sensing while a round analogue controller, or “Side Pad” as Nintendo insists on calling it, adds yet another new control option to the DS’s touch-screen, joypad and microphone combo.
Nintendo is also promising there’ll be 3D movies – but not 2D ones – to download and watch on the 3DS. “We are talking to a number of studios at the moment”, they said. If Nintendo if offering 3D Movie Downloads, that could suggest it’ll have enough Wi-Fii speed and enough of an online infrastructure to finally pay more that lip service to online gaming, though Nintendo remains tight-lipped on that one.
We are over the moon with the DS. the mix of familiar DS magic with even more new control options, more power and a remarkably good 3D effect make it an attractive proposition. Although what really impresses is the sheer number and quality of the games promised.
Taking a more mature approach – but not, we think, in a way that will alienate Nintendo’s younger fans- with much improved graphics and access to 3D movies, the 3DS should hold off the threat of the iPhone and leave Sony nervously rechecking its plans for the PSP 2.
Detail/Specifiations
- Top Screen 3.5 inches, 800×240 pixels 3D LCD
- TouchScreen 3 inches, 240×240 pixels LCD
- Storage SD Card, 2GB bundled
- Camera 3x 0.3-megapixel
- Battery likely to match the DSi
- Connection Wi-Fi, SD card, 3.5mm audio jack
- Size/Weight 135x74x20mm/227g
- Release Date March 2011
Into The 3rd Dimension! Nintento’s 3DS: The big leap forward for portable consoles?
The DS has already had three “looks” : the original; the slimmed-down, tarted up DSi and the lanky Luigi to the original Mario, the XL.The 3DS, however, is something else.
The headline feature – 3D graphics without the need for glasses – is getting all the initial attention, but this handheld also has a serious bump in power, with iPhone 4 style 3D motion controls, greatly improved graphics and speed and the ability to download 3D Movies.
Games like Metal Gear Solid, Snake Eater 3D show the improvement in graphics. The quality is miles ahead of the DS and better than the PSP. On the small screen the graphics even seem to surpass the Wii.
THE 3DS LURES BACK MATURE GAMERS WITHOUT LOSING ANY OF THAT DS CHARM
The raft of classic heading to the 3DS is month watering. Mario kart, Final Fantasy and resident Evil as well as the likes of Nintendogs are incoming, suggesting that Nintendo wants to lure back more mature gamers, without losing the trademark DS charm.
The release date is not yet conformed, Nintendo told over 70 games currently in development, with the largest number of third parties they’ve ever had working on title for one of their systems pre-lunch.
So, what’s the much vaunted 3D effect like? the “Autostereoscopic” system requires no glasses and it’s less in-you-face than a movie screen because of the lack of peripheral vision, but the added feeling of depth really aids game play. you really notice the 3D effect on games like Pilot Wings. switch to 2D mode and it resembles the old arcade-style N64 game. but in 3D it’s a treat.
The sweet zone for viewing 3D is very natural, working when rested on your knees or held at a comfortable distance. Twisting the screen will affect the 3D through, which could be a problem with motion-sending games.
If you don’t want the 3D, you can dial the effect down to zero. It’ll also be backwards compatible with old DS titles.
MOTION CONTROLS ARE ADDED TO THE TOUCHSCREEN AND JOYPAD COMBO OF THE DS
A gyroscope and accelerometer open up the possibility of three-dimensional motion sensing while a round analogue controller, or “Side Pad” as Nintendo insists on calling it, adds yet another new control option to the DS’s touch-screen, joypad and microphone combo.
Nintendo is also promising there’ll be 3D movies – but not 2D ones – to download and watch on the 3DS. “We are talking to a number of studios at the moment”, they said. If Nintendo if offering 3D Movie Downloads, that could suggest it’ll have enough Wi-Fii speed and enough of an online infrastructure to finally pay more that lip service to online gaming, though Nintendo remains tight-lipped on that one.
We are over the moon with the DS. the mix of familiar DS magic with even more new control options, more power and a remarkably good 3D effect make it an attractive proposition. Although what really impresses is the sheer number and quality of the games promised.
Taking a more mature approach – but not, we think, in a way that will alienate Nintendo’s younger fans- with much improved graphics and access to 3D movies, the 3DS should hold off the threat of the iPhone and leave Sony nervously rechecking its plans for the PSP 2.
Detail/Specifiations
- Top Screen 3.5 inches, 800×240 pixels 3D LCD
- TouchScreen 3 inches, 240×240 pixels LCD
- Storage SD Card, 2GB bundled
- Camera 3x 0.3-megapixel
- Battery likely to match the DSi
- Connection Wi-Fi, SD card, 3.5mm audio jack
- Size/Weight 135x74x20mm/227g
- Release Date March 2011
