Nintendo 3DS gets official, includes 3D camera; First Hands On
6/16/2010 01:12:00 AM
kenmouse
, Posted in
We've been reading about it for what seems like ages, looking over images of the FCC prototype with a magnifying glass, and now Nintendo is showing it off at its E3 press conference. The company that Mario built is trumping up how superior its glasses-free technology is better than others, "a solution that lets you take 3D gaming along with you wherever you go" according to Reggie. The upper screen is surprisingly only 3.5-inches, not the wider that we'd expected. There is a slider on the side that lets you tweak the 3D effect, seemingly enabling you to adjust its depth based on your distance from the screen -- or turn it off entirely. As with the current DS, the bottom is a touchscreen, and is not 3D.
That's what looks to be an analog stick on the side there, as well, that Nintendo is calling a "Slide Pad." There is a gyro, motion sensor, it's compatible with DSi games, and has two cameras enabling 3D photos. Nintendo is also talking up partnerships including Disney, games that are said to be playable today, at the show, with one of the highlights being a new Kid Icarus game which looks quite action-packed to say the least -- and has better graphics than most of the Wii titles Nintendo has shown thus far. Nintendo has mentioned the 3DS will have the "biggest launch support ever" from third party devs, and a 3D Nintendogs should be a huge seller -- if only because it has cats too. Other games include Madden, Ninja Gaiden, Resident Evil, a Batman title, Splinter Cell, and, finally, a Metal Gear Solid entry.
Nintendo is also talking about how the system will seek out WiFi hotspots or other 3DS systems "without you knowing," which sounds a bit ominous, to be honest. Systems can communicate regardless of which games are being played. It can even pull in new DLC directly from other consoles, all without a monthly fee.
Still no release date or price, but Nintendo is showing off two colors, red and blue, and they're said to be playable on the show floor. You can be sure we'll be running there right now.
First Hands On: Nintendo 3DS
What's the Nintendo 3DS screen look like? It looks great.
The instant you put the 3DS in your hands, you recognize the feeling. It's a DS through and through, but maybe a touch lighter than the DSi I've been accustomed to.
In our 2-minute demo, we weren't able to actually play anything. Instead, Nintendo had the demo units (tethered to models) running through a loop of interactive 3D images of famous characters like Mario and Yoshi. Head-on, the new screen is bright, colorful and, yes, 3D. You look a bit more into the screen than the images jump out, like a window—an effect that's surprisingly natural, actually—until you view the screen from the side. Anywhere but head-on, the 3D effect fails completely and the colors wash out a bit.
With the 3D slider cranked all the way down, the screen is basically flat 2D. (I'd say, fully 2D, actually). Increasing the 3D with this slider is extremely smooth—maybe even a little loose (I could imagine accidentally sliding more or less 3D)—and instantly noticeable gradient that's difficult to describe. Imagine a polygon-based character becoming intrinsically more corporal and easier to see—a character that just, well, pops out a bit. That's what the screen feels like.
As for the new analog stick to the left of the screen, it has just enough resistance to pan and tilt your view with precision. I'm guessing this stick will purely be moved to tweak one's view in games, and just as the 3D screen is instantly comfortable to look at, this analog is instantly comfortable to use.
I'll hand it to Nintendo, they seem to have made 3D extremely intuitive. In our admittedly brief hands-on, we were impressed but not necessarily floored by the tech alone. The screen has a somewhat low resolution with plenty of noticeable jaggies. We're guessing if it were sharper, we'd have gotten a bit more of that "this is the future!" buzz .
Until developers really exploit the new technology, the experience is akin to the average decently made 3D movie: Neat, but not necessarily integral to the experience. Nintendo still needs an Avatar to really sell the idea...you know, to anyone but the millions upon millions of people who will already buy any new Nintendo product no matter what.
That's what looks to be an analog stick on the side there, as well, that Nintendo is calling a "Slide Pad." There is a gyro, motion sensor, it's compatible with DSi games, and has two cameras enabling 3D photos. Nintendo is also talking up partnerships including Disney, games that are said to be playable today, at the show, with one of the highlights being a new Kid Icarus game which looks quite action-packed to say the least -- and has better graphics than most of the Wii titles Nintendo has shown thus far. Nintendo has mentioned the 3DS will have the "biggest launch support ever" from third party devs, and a 3D Nintendogs should be a huge seller -- if only because it has cats too. Other games include Madden, Ninja Gaiden, Resident Evil, a Batman title, Splinter Cell, and, finally, a Metal Gear Solid entry.
Nintendo is also talking about how the system will seek out WiFi hotspots or other 3DS systems "without you knowing," which sounds a bit ominous, to be honest. Systems can communicate regardless of which games are being played. It can even pull in new DLC directly from other consoles, all without a monthly fee.
Still no release date or price, but Nintendo is showing off two colors, red and blue, and they're said to be playable on the show floor. You can be sure we'll be running there right now.
First Hands On: Nintendo 3DS
What's the Nintendo 3DS screen look like? It looks great.
The instant you put the 3DS in your hands, you recognize the feeling. It's a DS through and through, but maybe a touch lighter than the DSi I've been accustomed to.
In our 2-minute demo, we weren't able to actually play anything. Instead, Nintendo had the demo units (tethered to models) running through a loop of interactive 3D images of famous characters like Mario and Yoshi. Head-on, the new screen is bright, colorful and, yes, 3D. You look a bit more into the screen than the images jump out, like a window—an effect that's surprisingly natural, actually—until you view the screen from the side. Anywhere but head-on, the 3D effect fails completely and the colors wash out a bit.
With the 3D slider cranked all the way down, the screen is basically flat 2D. (I'd say, fully 2D, actually). Increasing the 3D with this slider is extremely smooth—maybe even a little loose (I could imagine accidentally sliding more or less 3D)—and instantly noticeable gradient that's difficult to describe. Imagine a polygon-based character becoming intrinsically more corporal and easier to see—a character that just, well, pops out a bit. That's what the screen feels like.
As for the new analog stick to the left of the screen, it has just enough resistance to pan and tilt your view with precision. I'm guessing this stick will purely be moved to tweak one's view in games, and just as the 3D screen is instantly comfortable to look at, this analog is instantly comfortable to use.
I'll hand it to Nintendo, they seem to have made 3D extremely intuitive. In our admittedly brief hands-on, we were impressed but not necessarily floored by the tech alone. The screen has a somewhat low resolution with plenty of noticeable jaggies. We're guessing if it were sharper, we'd have gotten a bit more of that "this is the future!" buzz .
Until developers really exploit the new technology, the experience is akin to the average decently made 3D movie: Neat, but not necessarily integral to the experience. Nintendo still needs an Avatar to really sell the idea...you know, to anyone but the millions upon millions of people who will already buy any new Nintendo product no matter what.
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