Nintendo 3DS Review – Highlights
The Nintendo 3DS is the perfect games console to have on hand to keep little minds occupied, and the grown ups will be keen to get their hands on it too!
What’s so great about the Nintendo 3DS?
During 2010 3D became popular thanks to movies like Avatar and Toy Story 3, and the Nintendo 3DS brings 3D to video gaming in this handheld console and you don’t even need any special 3D glasses to play!
The Nintendo 3DS includes two screens:
- The bottom touch screen makes use of a telescoping stylus that you can store inside the console to make sure it doesn’t get lost when not in use.
- The top screen displays the 3D visuals to the naked eye and the system also has a 3D Depth Slider that lets players select the level of 3D they enjoy the most. The 3D effect can be ratcheted up to the highest level, scaled back to a more moderate setting or even turned off completely.
If you’ve ever played on a Nintendo DS then you’ll be familiar with the + Control Pad and button controls but the Nintendo 3DS also has a Circle Pad, which provides a full 360 degrees of direction, providing the freedom and precision needed to play games in 3D worlds.
A built-in motion sensor and gyro sensor can react to the motion and tilt of the system, so whether you are twisting the console from side to side or moving it up and down, the motion-compatible Nintendo 3DS games will respond instantly.
Your Nintendo 3DS system comes pre-loaded with a number of fun games, applications and features, including the Nintendo 3DS Camera. One camera points at you, while the two other cameras point outward. to capture photos in 3D.
The fun, built-in game “Face Raiders” asks you to shoot at funny depictions of your own face!
If you put your Nintendo 3DS into Sleep Mode it turns into a pedometer, and you earn Play Coins for every step you take. You can then trade the Play Coins in for extra content. This makes carrying your Nintendo 3DS at Disney World even more fun, because you will walk an awful lot of steps, which means a lot of content!
Nintendo 3DS Sound lets you listen to your MP3s too so you don’t need to worry about carrying a separate player.
Is the 3D all it’s cracked up to be?
Inside the lid of the 3DS is the display that will let you experience gaming in 3D without any glasses. It’s 3.5-inches on the diagonal, containing an array of 800 x 240 pixels, which is quite high-resolution for a portable Nintendo system but because each eye has to have its own columns of pixels the effective resolution is just 400 x 240. It’s still good though especially if you compare it to the 256 x 192 displays on the DSi.
To make the most of the 3D you need to hold the console about 12 inches from your face, and it has to be almost perfectly flat in relation to your eyes. If you deviate from this by more than a few degrees you won’t be able to see the 3D properly.
If you hold the screen further away then your eyes will have to work harder to see the 3D display, although you can use the silver slider on the right hand side of the console to intensify or reduce the 3D effect.
For the best effect you need to hold the console still and close to you, with the slider not too high. It can be a pain at first, but once it becomes second nature it’s definitely worthwhile.
Of course the 3D doesn’t really add anything to the gameplay it does improve the perceived quality of the graphics – and you have to admit it is pretty cool!
The good bits
- Nintendo 3DS offers a new way to play, 3D without the need for special glasses. The 3D Depth Slider lets your determine how much 3D you want to see
- Play 3D games and take 3D pictures
- Connect to a deeper wireless experience with SpotPassTM and StreetPassTM, giving you more exclusive content and connecting you with other Nintendo 3DS users
- Complete with an adjustable stylus, 6 AR cards, and fun built-in software such as Face RaidersTM, Nintendo 3DS Sound, and the Mii MakerTM application
- Use Parental Controls to restrict 3D mode for children 6 and under
The not-so-good bits
- You need to hold the console perfectly still and close to your face. This can be a pain at first but will soon become second nature.
- The screens are smaller than the DSiXL, but that means that it’s easier to carry and drop in your bag.
- Some people have complained of headaches after playing on the Nintendo 3DS. To avoid this you need to adjust the 3D slider and take frequent breaks from game playing.
Check out the Nintendo 3DS in this video
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What do other gamers have to say about the Nintendo 3DS?
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