Yes! I’ve now tried the Nintendo 3DS. Dramatic pause.
I really like it. Though, my general fascination with new and interesting gizmos—my gadget-itis—is probably as much the basis for my positive reaction, as my love for video games.
Most of what I demoed on the 3DS felt, to me, more proof-of-concept, than complete piece of software.
That said, I love the concept, and at the end of it, came away feeling more favorably towards the 3DS than I expected to.
My favorite segment of the roughly 20 minute long guided tour centered around one of the more conceptual and techy features of the handled, the AR (Augmented Reality) programs that will be bundled with the 3DS, when it hits stores March 27.
These apps make use of the device’s built-in 3D cameras, and paper cards, which the player places on a flat surface, and offer simple game experiences, which use your physical environment as the playing field.
When its cameras ‘see’ an AR card, the 3DS loads a corresponding program, and its top screen begins to behave like the viewfinder of a camcorder, but with a couple of major differences: the view appears in 3D, and images and animations are superimposed onto the scene, in proximity to the card—hence the term ‘augmented reality.’ Dragons will pop out of your kitchen table, trees will sprout out of your placemats, and holes will appear, which you must lean forward to peer into, as you navigate the environment, crouching, leaning, or turning in your chair, in order to get a clean shot at targets, and to perform various other tasks.
The AR software appears to show glimpses of the 3DS’s potential to be used for some really creative outside-the-box development. Outside the box, 3D, get it?
How’s the 3D?
The 3D screen delivers a surprisingly rich 3D experience without glasses. As you play games, sharp, well-defined objects descend into, and jump out of the screen. Though, it’s a little more finicky than the 3D provided by the tandem of a new 3D television and a pair of active shutter 3D glasses—the 3DS requires players to keep their head, and the handheld, in the right position. In other words, the 3D goes away, if you move too much. But there is a ‘depth slider’ on the side of the device, which allows you to optimize the 3D effect somewhat, and it’s very much a “real” three-dimensional image, comprised of images layered on top of each other, with perceptible depth between them.
The built-in cameras can also be used to take 3D photos, with objects closest to the camera appearing to protrude from the screen. Don’t get any ideas, you.
And what about its general merits, as a gaming handheld?
Time will tell, but my hunch is, it will more than satisfactorily service gamers. Attendees at the event got to try several games, some of which were early builds, and some of which appear ready to ship, and enough are feeling like complete gaming experiences, which also make good use of the technology.
Specifically, Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition and Pilotwings Resort were two standouts, doing a fine job of marrying impressive 3D imaging with gaming fun. With both, I really felt like I was playing games with 3D visuals, as opposed to demoing a piece of kit.
Graphics are also noticeably sharper than those on the DSi, Nintendo’s previous handheld. Street Fighter, in particular, delivered startlingly sharp visuals at a consistent frame rate.
The take-away: I’m impressed enough by what I’ve seen to recommend the 3DS, which will cost $249, particularly to anyone who identifies as a gadget freak. Also: you can use it to play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. IN 3D.
Yes, yes I will be picking one up at launch.
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