Nintendo 3DS hands on and glasses free
THE INQUIRER got to play with the Nintendo 3DS this week, which the Japanese company expects to have released before March of next year.
Unfortunately Nintendo didn’t allow in-game footage so we don’t have a video for you, but we can tell you that the 3D effect is very impressive, especially as you consider there’s no need for glasses, and is achieved by using two front mounted cameras. Not that you could see a 3D image with your 2D displays anyway.
But it is important to understand that you have to look dead on straight at the screen to get a 3D effect. If you even move your head too much to the right and left, the 3D effect disappears and instead you get double vision and a headache. Ouch. This is fine if you’re really focusing on the screen, but if travelling and moving your head then this will make the games unplayable.
Thankfully there is a 3D slider that can dial back the 3D effect for 2D gameplay when it is difficult to play without you moving about. But with the joystick added, there will be times when the depth perception from the 3D could be an important part of the gameplay.
There were non-playable demos of Metal Gear Solid, Super Mario Kart, Kid Icarus and a Resident Evil. Nintendo did stress that these were just demos and not confirmed to launch with the console.The footage was very impressive, and success of these types of franchises will obviously be important.
The fact that the 3DS is likely to play movies in 3D might be a big factor in any success it may have, as it makes it different from devices like the Iphone, which has stolen some of its handheld gaming base.
Playable games were Pilot Wings, Nintendogs and Cats and a detective game called Hollywood 61. Pilot Wings was a good game to show its 3D effect as well as the use of the joystick, but wasn’t exactly earth shattering to play.
Nintendogs was extremely cute and kids might go wild for the fact you can see these animals in 3D, especially when you throw something into the background.
Detective game Hollywood ȝ was interesting, as it showed how 3D could affect gameplay, especially with puzzle solving.
We still have a while yet before the 3ds will be seen in shops, but the 3D does look like it could be a very important factor in getting Nintendo back as one of the kings of handheld gaming.
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