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3DS
Topic Started: May 19 2011, 09:35 AM (207 Views)
TheGreg
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The Nintendo 3DS has gotten off to a rough start. It's pretty clear that Nintendo rushed their newest handheld to market after steep falloffs in both of their current consoles.

Both the Wii and DS libraries have run dry as of late and a followup to their uber-popular handheld was a given.

Unfortunately, the 3DS launch was underwhelming at best, with a lack of notable software and hardware that feels incomplete. The 3DS online store and browser still haven't launched.

I don't regret buying it, however. This is a Nintendo system and good games will come eventually. Next month 3DS will see a re-imagining of Ocarina of Time and original entries in the Mario, Mario Kart, Kid Icarus and Resident Evil franchises are on the way. And who doesn't want to play Star Fox 64 in 3D!?

Let's not forget that the DS had a similarly dull start and eventually turned into a phenomenon.

The system does come bundled with some cool software that shows off the 3DS' unique tech.

Included on the system is Face Raiders; a fun little game that utilizes the system's 3D cameras and motion sensors to insert enemies inside of your environment. You actually turn in place and shoot them as they pop out of your walls.

There are also 'AR Games' which utilize included tracking cards to create reference points within your environment. This allows you to play games by rotating a around the card in real time to fire at an enemy from behind or find hidden targets.

They aren't much more than glorified tech demos, but they are fun to screw around with.

As far as full-fledged games are concerned, Pilotwings Resort is the most notable. Not because it's a great game, but because it actually shows how 3D can benefit gameplay. Who hasn't played a 2D flying game and been unable to accurately judge distances? Depth perception is definitely increased with the 3D screen.

One nice feature is that 3D can be toggled on and off (and field of depth altered) on the fly at any time using a slider on the side of the 3DS' top screen. Turning it back to 2D feels just as flat as it is.

Now I'm not going to overstate this. 3D will not benefit many games. I also have Street Fighter 4, and I play it in 2D. A side-scrolling fighter using 3D does not make the game better in any way. But in games like Pilotwings where spatial positioning is essential, it does make a difference.

As far as the glasses-free 3D, it works well, as long as you are squarely in front of the screen. Any angular shift to the left or right and you'll be completely disoriented. But as a handheld it's almost always right in front of your face anyway.

And a word of warning. I know it's tempting to jack that depth slider all the way to 11, but less is more here. I like to play with it relatively low on the scale. You still get a good sense of depth and you won't get a headache or go cross-eyed. But I guess everyone's eyes are different.

So 3DS is a fun little system, and with what should be a solid upcoming lineup, it definitely has some potential. I can't really recommend that anyone rush out and buy one until its software lineup has been proven, but the hardware is very capable.
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