Nintendo 3DS

[Samick]

Can someone write a review about Nintendo 3DS? I wonder what are the new things in there and what users are thinking about it.

 

[warcrow]

Oh sure, ok.

- It's got a beautiful screen that's a bit too small.
- It's over priced.
- The battery life has averaged me about 4 hours on average, which isnt good.
- It is backwards compatible with DS games, but they look awful because of the differences in screens between the two consoles. You have the option of booting the game into a 1:1 mode, but they games are annoying smaller.
- The hardware feels really good, and not cheap or plastic-like.
- The eShop is essentially useless until they get some good games in there.
- The friends list is hardly useful because it essentially does nothing but tell you the last game that was played.
- The 3D strains my eyes, however there is a very useful 3D slider that allows you to control the depth of the 3D, and effectively give you the ability to turn it off (on the fly) if needed.
- Zelda is currently the only game worth getting.
- Resident Evil is out but it has a B.S. save system.
- The AR (Alternate Reality) stuff is the most interesting, but no one is doing anything with it yet.

Bottom line: Don't buy the system unless you really REALLY want to play a (wonderful) remake of Zelda in 3D

 

[Dumac]

Oh sure, ok.

- It's got a beautiful screen that's a bit too small.
- It's over priced.
- The battery life has averaged me about 4 hours on average, which isnt good.
- It is backwards compatible with DS games, but they look awful because of the differences in screens between the two consoles. You have the option of booting the game into a 1:1 mode, but they games are annoying smaller.
- The hardware feels really good, and not cheap or plastic-like.
- The eShop is essentially useless until they get some good games in there.
- The friends list is hardly useful because it essentially does nothing but tell you the last game that was played.
- The 3D strains my eyes, however there is a very useful 3D slider that allows you to control the depth of the 3D, and effectively give you the ability to turn it off (on the fly) if needed.
- Zelda is currently the only game worth getting.
- Resident Evil is out but it has a B.S. save system.
- The AR (Alternate Reality) stuff is the most interesting, but no one is doing anything with it yet.

Bottom line: Don't buy the system unless you really REALLY want to play a (wonderful) remake of Zelda in 3D

I have OoT 3D for the 3DS, and I bought Links Awakening from the eShop, and I am enjoying both immensely.

However the 3DS needs some fresh, quality games. A lot are slated to come out during the holiday iirc, but until then there isn't any real reason to buy a 3DS.

I like the 3D and the feel of the system a lot, and I like the analog slider a lot more than the PSP's nub, but the 3DS needs GAMES!!!!

I did just get Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars or w/e for free....

I'll try that out when I beat OoT.

So for me..

+3D is nice IMO
+The hardware has a nice feel
+I like the idea of old gameboy games going on sale
+OoT!!
+AR is cool
+Consolidated friends list is better
+Can play DS games (which I don't think look terrible, unlike warcrow)
-Battery isn't great
-Expensive
--------NEEDS MORE GAMES!
-Did i mention games?


Like the DS, once it gets actual games, it'll be a more worthy purchase.

 

[Reliant]

I am playing the 3DS more than I played my launch DS. I've done Pilotwings, Monkeyball, and OOT. I'm getting close to beating OOT. I'm excited about Starfox and other titles due out this year. It's a bit expensive, and the 3D in Pilotwings gave me a headache, but the 3D in Zelda/Monkey Ball felt much better.

So far I'm not regretting my purchase. I think the e-shop is actually well done, and it's really neat getting 3D game trailers so you can see how the 3D will be before buying the game.

 

[bl4ckfl4g]

I didn't pick mine up for a couple of months until OOT came out. Enjoying that but I mostly play it in 2d (didn't buy it for the 3d). I think I'm going to get rid of it after I finish OOT. The announced games didn't excite me either.

 

[mmntech]

I've yet to witness a 3DS in action. I can live with the lack of games and even the short battery life, but it's $250 price tag is very steep for a device like it. Especially compared to past Nintendo portables.

 

[xboxist]

I demo'd one for about 15 minutes at Target. The technology struck me as somewhat interesting, but mostly mediocre.

Also, I own a DSi XL. The screen size drop from that is just way too much. I don't think I'd be able to get over that. That, coupled with the absurd cost, just doesn't add up at all in my head. Would need to be $175 for me to even consider it.

 

[Ichigo]

Penny Arcade did a scathing (by their standards, imo) opinion piece on it.

Basically said it was a step back from DS.

 

[bteeter]

I have had the 3DS since just after launch. I've got a few titles for it:

-Zelda OoT 3DS
-SSIV
-Lego SW

And a few I've hardly played:
-Madden 3D
-SMB 3D


The Good:

-The graphics are great in 3D or 2D. I would say close to Wii level graphics in many cases.

-The 3D effect is very impressive. It does require that you hold the device at a certain distance, but there are several distances that will work. In other words, you could hold it at 18-20" and see it fine, 20-24" not so much, but 24-26" it works again, etc.

-Older DS games play fine and look fine. I don't understand why people are saying otherwise.

-The AR games really are amazing. I am hoping for more to be added soon. They offer an experience you really don't get on any other platform right now.

-The quality of launch games is surprisingly good. I've been really happy with all of them so far.


The Mediocre:

-I wish the 3D screen was a bit larger. 1" more would have been a big improvement.

-I have the glossy black model. It shows every fingerprint and smudge. It drives me crazy.


The Bad:

-The eShop is like a store with 1 shelf of goods. I don't get why we waited a month after launch for a store selling a handful of titles. Where are our NES/SNES/GBA virtual console games?

-The battery dies way too fast. I brought my 3DS on a plane trip recently and 3 hours was about all I could get before it died. It will also die if you leave it on stand by for more than 2 days.