Nintendo 3DS - The New DS... In 3D!!!

[Generosity of God]

i played the 3DS yesterday and it was better than i thought. pretty good considering i was already hyped for it.

firstly, the systems were tethered to a couple cute female Nintendo reps. so +1 to Nintendo for continuing that.

played Street Fighter and Ocarina of Time. both were really good and i'm really looking forward to playing the full versions.

the 3D effect worked great for both games. for me it actually make them look better somehow. hard for me to explain.

staying in that sweet spot was very easy to do. the only time i see it being an issue is during bumpy trips. although i did have some trouble when using the motion control for the slingshot in Ocarina of Time. but i'd blame that on not doing the full movements because i didnt want to look stupid in front of the cute ladies.

Street Fighter
- looked great. aside from the static characters in the background, it looks fairly close to the HD games.
- the 3D effect made it look like a diorama come to life.
- i found myself using the circle pad as the size of the d-pad didn't feel good for doing moves. but i works well. kind of like a mix between an analog stick and d-pad.
- touch screen moves are nice for those of us who aren't pros.

Ocarina of Time
- looks so nice. almost everything is updated but somehow retains that N64 feel.
- touch screen makes the inventory much less cumbersome than before. and easily makes up for having one less button for assigning items.
- seriously can't wait to see all the updated character models especially Ganondorf and Ganon.

---------- Post added at 07:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:58 PM ----------



i so want to do this but i don't think work will let me print that many pieces of paper.

imagine playing the dragon shooting AR game with a card that big.

if you want to know 95cm = 3ft 1.4in, 190cm = 6ft 2.8in, and their final target of 15m = 49ft 2.5in

[XboxEvolved]

Kick ass

[Unspoken]

I'll be demoing the system to customers at work this weekend. Hopefully I can get some time in to get familiar with the tech. :3


I am so excited for this to come out. Even though there aren't a lot of games I want to buy at the moment (Street Fighter being a definite, with Rayman being a maybe), the fun AR stuff and DS compatibility should be more than enough to keep me occupied until Zelda, Mairo, RE, etc.

[Generosity of God]

getting much more eager to play this one. i'm looking forward to seeing what the 3D is like. it should work well with this kind of game.


could be fun but i'm willing to wait for a price drop if they release it at the top price.

[Viper]

I'll be demoing the system to customers at work this weekend. Hopefully I can get some time in to get familiar with the tech. :3


I am so excited for this to come out. Even though there aren't a lot of games I want to buy at the moment (Street Fighter being a definite, with Rayman being a maybe), the fun AR stuff and DS compatibility should be more than enough to keep me occupied until Zelda, Mairo, RE, etc.

I've heard another feature come up that really has me excited as it's a feature I've advocated a long time for the DS itself and that's ability to have your TV display what is happening on the 3DS via interfacing with the Wii. Sure you lose 3D but family and friends get to see what your doing much better than peering over your shoulder. Unfortunately, I've only heard of this feature once and I don't know if it's capable out of the box to do that or if it's part of a planned Wii/3DS firmware update.

[Generosity of God]

played a little more OoT3D yesterday. this time i did the inside of the Great Deku Tree. as i said before looks great. however the vines still annoy me. they're still just 2D images on the wall. but now they're a little bit more tolerable when the 3D effect is on and you're looking at them straight. once you see them on an angle it's back to disappointment (only a little i promise). other than that i'm really pleased with how it's looking.

really eager to see other locations like Death Mounain, Haunted Wasteland, Inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly, and Hyrule Castle Town (future). plus there's bosses like Volvagia, Ganondorf and Ganon who should look really awesome with the makeover.

[Viper]

Looking onto Hyrule Field for the first time will be a sight o see in 3D and with upgraded textures and background polygons (instead of sprites)..

[Unspoken]

I get the luxury of showing the 3DS off to the mall crowd, which comprises of 60+ people, 8-year-olds, and college kids with nothing better to do (in this order as well), in about 8 hours, for about 6 hours. And all I want to do is play Super Street Fighter.

[Generosity of God]

Looking onto Hyrule Field for the first time will be a sight o see in 3D and with upgraded textures and background polygons (instead of sprites)..

oh God yes. they've already shown screens of Hyrule field but seeing it in motion should be something else. all this talk has got me playing OoT again after so many years. i've just run through Hyrule Field for the first time and i can't believe how terribly ugly those giant flat walls actually are. looking forward to seeing it all updated as everything's either too polygonal or too 2D for my taste. good thing i'm more about the gameplay because i wouldn't be able to play all these classics if i just cared about how things look.

Note: playing an N64 game that's on a GC disc via the Wii feels kind of weird. experiencing three generations of Nintendo home consoles in one go.

[Ivory_Soul]

I have a little hope for the system, but the reviews for the games so far are pretty bad. There's a few exceptions, but I just don't see this being worth $250 right now. I'll wait for the 3DS Lite, 3DSi, or the 3DSi Lite XL Plus Slim Xtra 3D!! Nintendo consoles have so much shovelware, and like some other people have said here. Nothing has been super impressive since the N64. I sold my Wii almost 2 years ago and have only regretted it for a couple of games. The GameCube was a failure, and the DS took FOREVER to start getting a lot of good games.

[Viper]

I have a little hope for the system, but the reviews for the games so far are pretty bad. There's a few exceptions, but I just don't see this being worth $250 right now. I'll wait for the 3DS Lite, 3DSi, or the 3DSi Lite XL Plus Slim Xtra 3D!! Nintendo consoles have so much shovelware, and like some other people have said here. Nothing has been super impressive since the N64. I sold my Wii almost 2 years ago and have only regretted it for a couple of games. The GameCube was a failure, and the DS took FOREVER to start getting a lot of good games.

Ivory, It feels almost worth the $250 just with the built in software. As for launch titles, I don't see too many bad reviews with a few of them getting great reviews (or better than I expected of them).

Shovelware is a part of the nature of the market. ALL industry leading system we packed with shovelware. PS2 was actually very heavily loaded with shovelware. It just had enough 3rd party support to help overshadow it with bigger games.

As for the how long it will take the 3DS to pick good games, you should take a look at games list. Big 3rd party support right away.

And don't expect a 'lite' edition very soon. It took over 2 years for a 'lite' version to hit the DS and that was to fix various problems with the original design. The update to the DS Lite itself was because it didn't support firmware updates or an online store. The current 3DS design doesn't have those kinds of problems (battery life being the exclusion).

[Diresu]

I just want actual original games and not ports and re-releases of PS2 and GC games.

[SuperLuigiBros]

I would love to see some ported GC games. Just thinking about FF: Crystal Chronicles with wireless multiplayer makes me salivate, and don't even get me started on Smash Bros, F-zero GX or Timesplitters.

[Ivory_Soul]

Ivory, It feels almost worth the $250 just with the built in software. As for launch titles, I don't see too many bad reviews with a few of them getting great reviews (or better than I expected of them).

Shovelware is a part of the nature of the market. ALL industry leading system we packed with shovelware. PS2 was actually very heavily loaded with shovelware. It just had enough 3rd party support to help overshadow it with bigger games.

As for the how long it will take the 3DS to pick good games, you should take a look at games list. Big 3rd party support right away.

And don't expect a 'lite' edition very soon. It took over 2 years for a 'lite' version to hit the DS and that was to fix various problems with the original design. The update to the DS Lite itself was because it didn't support firmware updates or an online store. The current 3DS design doesn't have those kinds of problems (battery life being the exclusion).

Most of the 3DS reviews are averaging a 70% or lower on GameRankings. From what I've seen I want some original games on the 3DS and I will wait for a price drop, and I know for sure, there will be some sort of 3DS redesign down the road. I'll wait a year or two and see. I still think $250 is too much for a portable device that has been redesigned 5 times with 3D tacked on. Plus Nintendo has more shovelware than any other console out right now, and it's just irritating to see it all and have AAA titles trickle in a few times a year. I'll wait.

[OmniStalgic]

Most of the 3DS reviews are averaging a 70% or lower on GameRankings. From what I've seen I want some original games on the 3DS and I will wait for a price drop, and I know for sure, there will be some sort of 3DS redesign down the road. I'll wait a year or two and see. I still think $250 is too much for a portable device that has been redesigned 5 times with 3D tacked on. Plus Nintendo has more shovelware than any other console out right now, and it's just irritating to see it all and have AAA titles trickle in a few times a year. I'll wait.

Wait till the competition debuts (NGP/Gaming Tablets) and make a decision. As soon as NGP was shown, I put my immediate purchase on hold.

We know which one is more powerful, both seem to have good 3rd party support with DS having more because of it's brand, both have unique features that could produce exclusive experiences. I think you simply have to wait this one out. Both platforms are showing early stuff, which is usually so-so or crappy games and ports. NGP might have a bigger launch though, since it will be trying to steal thunder from an already released console this holiday.

Whatever you pick, I think both platforms will give you some good down the road, portable systems have really took off in this gen, devs love the lower cost of entry.

[BahnNZ]

Shovelware as in...


Asphalt 3D 3DS, $40


Asphalt 6 iPhone, $4.99

Guaranteed every bit as shitty on both systems. Steel Diver is a 99c iPhone game if ever I saw one, not even a good one.

I need real games that I can't get anywhere else if I'm going to pay top wack for them. PilotWings is a real game, but it's not a launch title here. Street Fighter is OK, suppose I'd get that one, but I'm not so gagging for a SF game I'd pay $350+$60(NZ prices) for the privilege.

Not impressed so far. Probably buy one anyway because I've more money than sense. (About $1.50)

[AC!D]

I agree with Omni. 3DS doesnt seem like a day one purchase similar to the PS3 launch but will possibly come good in time as better software comes out. Im kinda meh about 3DS at the moment and i dont really know why. Everyone seems to be complaining about its main feature 3D and are switching it off

[OmniStalgic]

^which could be why Sony opted to not feature it...

Still, I've heard some compelling testimonies to certain games in 3D like SOTC/Uncharted 3/Killzone, so there's potential there for 3D to really enhance the appeal of games. How big of a factor it will be I dunno, many people thought Waggle was stupid at first, but Nintendo proved the tech with there own first party software.

I really like the AR games though, and I'm glad Sony chose to include it in NGP. So on paper, I'd have to say Sony's console seems a lot more impressive, which was the case with the original PSP/DS, but it does seem they have fixed every flaw in there design this time around. two analogs, graphics extremely comparable to current gen consoles, and extremely friendly and attractive UI, built-in software dedicated to casuals/gamers, and touch screens on the front/back of consoles. This is everything Nintendo got right the first time, but still, I'd be completely shocked if NGP is not a more successful platform than PSP, and I also think you are spot on, in that it will be really popular in the U.S because of dual analogs.

I only fear that it's success doesn't make devs ignore other genres and it becomes a portable Xbox...GOod for Sony, but I wouldn't go near it...lol

[Unspoken]

I'm loving mine so far. I've actually been doing the built-in features more than playing retail games on it. AR Games are extremely addicting, and I'll be trying to unlock all of them today. I made a sweet Link doodle (largely in part to the trace outline they give you ) in the Graffiti game.

The 3D works pretty nice for me. I don't find it hurting my eyes at all, even after extensive plays. Only times I've noticed is when I try to turn it to someone over my shoulder and then still try to look at it. I've been getting into the habit of turning off 3D when friends are watching gameplay, then turning it back on for them to see.

The biggest thing I noticed was the upgraded graphics and higher resolution screens; even the bottom screen got an upgrade. Everything looks crisp and clean, and the colors really pop. Even turning off the 3D mode, the system's capabilities are ridiculous. It's like a portable Wii, but still more powerful. SSFIV looks brilliantly like the 360/PS3 versions, which is awesome. From here, games should start looking even better for it.

Speaking of which, I have Super Street Fighter IV, but I'm extremely terrible at it. I barely use the Circle Pad anyway, but I don't think it helps that it feels too tight for playing with Zangief and such. The game is so pretty, but the background static-ness is way too noticeable. Doesn't hamper gameplay, though. Been playing as Rose a lot, but while I like her combos, her attack animations take too long, especially against faster characters.

One bad overall thing about the system is its battery life. It's ABSOLUTELY atrocious. Luckily, they have a Power Saver option on it that gives you a bit of extra time. Also if you turn off 3D, its life is pretty close to the regular DS's. Now I do play with the second brightest setting, so that also helps. You also have a handy wireless switch on the side like the power switch for the DS Lite, so if you're in a dead area or driving, just turn it off, and your battery isn't as bad off. Just sucks that I'm doing most of this extra stuff to tack on some game time.

So yeah, since the bigger AAA titles aren't out yet, and the big problem with the system is a BIG problem, you may wait until the impending revision. I will warn you, though: if this is the path you want to go, do NOT play one before the revision. You will be addicted and want one extremely bad. During the demo event, letting people try it, they said they probably wouldn't be getting it and that they weren't interested. Lo and behold, those same people were waiting at open trying to get one of the few systems that weren't reserved.

I'm really impressed with mine, and I can't wait for the remakes and new games coming out for it. There's so much I could see this system pulling off. I really want the download service, browser, and Netflix to hit ASAP.

[OmniStalgic]

Yeah, I won't go and mess around with it so i can Impulse buy!! lol..

But, overall, based on your impressions, it seems to be more of an graphical upgrade to DS as the biggest differentiating factor. AR games do look very interesting, and Mii/Built-in software will also come into play when choosing between which system I get first, so far, NGP hasn't announced what the built-in software will include or if it will feature Home integration or a new avatar system, etc...

I like the customization of Mod Nation Racers so hopefully something more artsy replaces Home, MS nabbed this good with there "Mii-like" avatars. Displayed on your Xbox UI, and they look much crisper and nicer than Mii's tbh, would be disappointed if NPG doesn't have something like this to customize your system, but if Will equivalent graphical fidelity is the most impressive feature, I definitely have to wait for NGP to come out before plopping down $300+ for a new system. Good to hear SF4 looks like it's consoles iterations besides static backgrounds though. Legend of Zelda and Starfox should be a visual treat.