Finally, I got my Nintendo 3DS and I thought about writing a short note about it, to try and help other people in the decision of buying it (or not).
In my case, there was no doubts about getting it. I had skipped the DSi XL because it didn’t provide me with something that justified upgrading from my DSi; the form factor and screen size/resolution just weren’t enough (and, thinking in retrospect, for me they were a reason NOT to upgrade). The 3DS, however, is another story: “3D without glasses”? Count me in!
Hardware
(Image from Nintendo 3DS Operations Manual, downloadable from Nintendo)
To “ease” my visual transition to the 3DS I got the “Cosmo Black” version (I have a black DSi), and as soon as you unbox it you notice that, definitely, “Cosmo Black” is not black. The material is a glossy plastic, black on top and somewhat graphite on bottom. Visually VERY different to the matte black DSi, and here comes my first setback: fingerprint magnet, which I particularly dislike. Well, nothing to do about it, but here comes my second one. For me, it doesn’t feel as nice and firm to hold as my DSi. This could in the long run be a very huge setback, but I’ll try to get used to it. Will update about this later. Size-wise, it’s about the same as the DSi which is good, because it fits in my previous case :).
One nice addition to the 3DS hardware is the wireless on/off switch (could be useful to save battery, and I have grown accustomed to have that switch on the PSP). The A/B/X/Y/L1/R1 layout is the same as all the DS models, so no surprises there. The “feel” of the buttons itself has improved, which is good. The Select/Start and the new “Home” button (akin to the “PS” button on Sony consoles) have moved beneath the touchscreen in a neat row that looks touch-sensitive, but they are real buttons.
One controversial feature is the addition of the “Circle Pad” and the new positioning of the “D-Pad”. Even though the Circle Pad has been a long-asked for addition, some people says that is not a well-done implementation of an analog stick. I have used it for a while on PES20113D and so far I’m liking it. It feels a lot better then the one on the PSP and that’s a lot, but will try and use it more extensively to let you know. The other issue here is the new positioning of the D-Pad: with the Circle Pad on top, the D-Pad has now been moved near the bottom of the unit, which some people feel awkward, but I have not had any issue with it. Given the fact that I only have one 3DS title and all my library is for the DS, I WILL have to extensively use the D-Pad in its new position, so I’ll update also on this, if any problems arise.
Both the new screens look really gorgeous. The top, 3D-enabled, screen is 3.53” widescreen, 800x240 px (which uses effectively 400x240 px for each eye, thus creating the 3D effect), while the bottom, touchscreen is 3.02”, 320x240 px. This is a HUGE improvement in resolution from the DSi, which has 256x192 px per screen. This makes the old DS games look a little stretched/pixelated, but nothing near a deal-breaker in the games I have tested so far and the screen quality more than makes up for it. Some people are already making a fuss over this, but to be honest, the DS games ALWAYS look blocky/pixelated. The 3D effect is created by using binocular parallax, which means that the top screen projects two slightly different images (one for each eye), to create the perception of "depth”. this means that you have to find the sweet spot in distance and depth effect (adjusted using the 3D slider on the right which can also turn off the effect entirely) to comfortably view 3D images. One caveat is that you have to try and keep the 3DS as still as possible so your eyes don’t lose the effect, and although I haven’t had any issue (with my one and only 3D game), this could be a problem down the road. This also made me understand the warning for little kids: it really puts strain on your eyes, which could be very bad for kids (you can disable 3D thru parental controls if you are concerned about that).
Another thumbs up goes for the new extensible metallic stylus. Finally it fits my hand! This is a very welcome upgrade (comfy gaming FTW). I have to say that I have read reports on the web that the stylus wears out over time, so it won’t stay extended. Haven’t used it that much to see if it’s true, but you should be also aware of that.
Another new thing is the charging cradle, which makes it very easy and convenient to put the 3DS to charge (although is just a fancy piece of plastic, with no tech whatsoever). This leads me to the battery issue. Battery should last significantly less than in the DSi, because of the new screens (should be a little better using DS games), but I haven’t put it through its paces (yet), so I won’t comment on that for now.
It also has the familiar SD slot for cards (it comes standard with a 2GB card), but there is something that you should be aware of: Once you beginning using a card, a folder called “Nintendo 3DS” will be created on it. If you want to migrate to a higher capacity card, you must copy this entire folder to the new card in order to access what you had on the previous one. So far, so good, but the catch here is that you CAN’T merge this folders. This means that if you use a card for a while, download games from the eShop (not available yet), save games and so on, you will have a “Nintendo 3DS” folder in it. If you take off this card and put another (blank) one and do the same things, you’ll have ANOTHER “Nintendo 3DS” folder, different from the one in the previous card, which you can’t merge (you will damage the contents) if you later on want to have all in only one SD card, so be aware of that. If you want move to a higher capacity SD card, while is still blank copy the “Nintendo 3DS” folder from the previous one and start from that.
Finally, the cameras. The 3DS comes with 2 external (for 3D pictures) and 1 internal. At standard VGA (640x480) resolution, they won’t win you any photograph contest anytime soon, but they are decent enough to play around with. I have to say that the 3D photos look REALLY cool (if you ever had a Fisher-Price View-Master, that’s how the 3D pictures look). The photos get stored on a standard DCIM folder in the SD card and the 3D pictures are, interestingly, saved both as a plain (no-3D) .jpg file and a 3D .MPO file.
Well, I think that´s it for the hardware. On to…
Software
The 3DS OS is clean, smooth and looks very polished, but, and here comes my biggest caveat so far, it’s DARN SLOW at launching both games and apps (even the settings app is painfully slow to load). I REALLY, REALLY hope that this will be addressed in the “Mega Update” scheduled for the end of may. I mean, I know I’ll get used to it but… it’s annoying.
Speaking of the “Mega Update”, as soon as I connected my 3DS to the ‘net, there was a software update already available, but it’s not the “big one”. This only fixes stability issues, but according to some reports, it’s better to have it, so be sure to apply it. It even has a gift: in the US update, is a video from OK Go (“White Knuckles”).
The 3DS comes with a basic array of software, very nice looking and also very Nintendo. The problem is what it does NOT come with: the Browser, the eShop and the ability to transfer your purchases from your old DSi. All of these are scheduled to come in the end of may “Mega Update”, but now it feels as if you are downgrading from the DSi in some aspects, until that is out.
The Mii Maker is a very nice port of the Mii channel in the Nintendo Wii, and of course can import your already existing Mii from there. It also comes with the usual suspects: Camera (with 3D photo support, as I said before), Nintendo 3DS Sound (an upgrade to Nintendo’s DSi sound from the previous console), DS Download play and settings.
It has two 3D “Demo” games: Face Raiders, which I haven’t played yet, in which you put your face an your friends face in little chopper-like things… O… K. Yeah, whatever. The one that REALLY impressed me is the Augmented Reality games that are played wit the AR cards that comes with the system. It is VERY cool and (almost) pays for the system. The potential is there… I can only hope for Square Enix to do something with it (drools…) Check it out here.
For all of you, Personal Trainer: Walking users, the 3DS has a built-in pedometer which software that has the basic functions of it built-in. Problem is, is easier carrying around the PW:T small pedometer than the 3DS :-P
Haven’t tried the social features of the 3DS just yet (I don’t really expect they will have a lot of potential here in my place of residence), so I’ll pass on commenting on those. I can see them as very big in Japan, though.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
Before my final conclusions, a quick take on my (for now) only native 3DS game. While not nearly as full featured as, say, the PS3 version, it’s nice. It only has Exhibition, UEFA Champions League and Master League, but I think that’s a decent set of features for a mobile game.
The control scheme and all is exactly as its other console counterparts. What sets it apart, obviously, is the 3D visuals. It takes a little to get used to the in-field view (kind of a 3rd person shooter) in a soccer game, but once you get past that and immerse yourself in the depth of the stadium, the feeling is excellent. Is a highly recommended game (if you like soccer) for the level of immersion that you can achieve and it gives me high hope that as soon as companies develop the full potential of the 3DS, we’ll see great games for this platform (*cough, cough* Square Enix *cough, cough* Final Fantasy *cough, cough*)
Final Thoughts
(my 3DS)
I will have to make some adjustments migrating from my old and trusty DSi, battery life will be shorter (I have to try and compensate for that) and the grip/feeling of the unit still feels awkward (also, damn fingerprints!), but that is (I think) a matter of “getting used to”.
What really bothers and worries me is the lack of functions and the slowness of the system. If only for that, you may want to wait until these have been resolved (hoping for the update un may) before buying one.
For a technophile like me, is a very capable and nice machine (besides the 3D effect really is cool), so if you are in that boat you can get it now and wait for the fixes to come. So far I find that I’m liking it more than not (even with the little quirks). As I have stated many times before, there is great potential in this and I see great games coming to the platform.
Feel free to ask any question that you may have or just to leave a comment.
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