Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo 3DS: System review

Score: 9.0/10

                3D is everywhere nowadays, and all the big TV companies are demanding you get into this new dimension to watch your favorite shows in this format. Honestly, having those 3D TV’s and those glasses is just a pain, what if there was a better way? Introducing autostereoscopic display, the 3D without the need of 3D glasses! With this under its belt, the 3DS already has a lot going for it, besides being the next in the DS (DS standing for Dual Screen) line-up. Surely the "best selling console of all time" can't be bested, or can in under the new 3D craze?

                The technical babble around the autosterioscopic display is this: It uses a parallax barrier to give its 3D effect. This means it creates two images, and from a correct angle (i.e. looking right at it) there're barriers blocking one image from one eye, and barriers blocking the other image from the other. This is what provides the illusion of the object popping out.

                Now, 3D is hard on a battery, so how long can it last? Not long with the 3D on and high brightness setting, 2-3 hours. Without 3D and high-medium brightness, it's anywhere between 5-8 hours, which is about as good as the DSi. So, unless you have a cable around, 3D is pretty exclusive due to the poor battery time.

                The 3DS, to throw more techno-jargon out there, has the most memory of all the DSes, the highest display quality, and the best processor. It also has infrared connectivity, which offers a quicker and easier alternative for connecting.

                 So, you know all about the technology, now for the big question: What games are available? As of release, notable titles include Super Street Fighter 4 3D Edition, PilotWings, Asphalt 3D, Ridge Racer, and that's about it. Not much, but it's a start, better than the PS3 launch. The biggest game, in my own opinion, is the AR Games. AR technology, for those who don't know, stands for Augmented Reality, and it is basically the coolest thing in the world, but it's so hard to program. It takes the environment around you and makes it interactable.  You have several cards with your system, one in particular introduces people to AR technology. You put in on ANY flat surface (even a hand, if a table or floor is too much), and if you're like any normal person, your mind will be blown. You'll see a box, on your own table (perhaps even in 3D), and it will offer a world of games, warping your table to make games. You can twist, turn, move, even circle around this alternate reality, and angle in a new way, which is where AR really rocks. How about you're playing archery on your chair and you can't hit the last one.  Just move to another spot for a new view, new angle, of the same non-existent reality in your actual reality.

                Also included on the system is Face Raiders. It's a little bit of the same, it uses AR technology to attack floating faces of your photographed friends. You can't really circle around it, which makes it not as mind-blowing. You can move around, but not circle around.

                There's the Mii builder from the Wii, and a "Mii Plaza" designed for use of Mii’s and the StreetPass. What is the StreetPass? When you have your system in sleep mode (turned on, but closed), you can pass by people with 3DSes and invite people into your Plaza. What can they do there? Give you puzzle pieces for a 3D puzzle, and help fight in a epic quest to save the king...you! It's pretty exciting to walk around for a day, and come back to your plaza full of new people.

                And all that walking isn't futile otherwise, the 3DS also functions as a pedometer. With each 100 steps (I believe), you get one "Play Coin". Play coins can download new "heros" for your Mii Plaza minigame, unlock new content in AR Games, and sometimes download new content for games (if rumors are true).

                Also included are three cameras, two on the outside of the system to take 3D pictures, and 2GB SD Card for all those pictures. The standard sound recorder from the DSi is also included. Also, those who update their firmware to the newest as of date (1.1.0) (i.e. update their system through internet connection) will get a 3D version of Ok Go's White Knuckles video.  I'm pretty okay with a great music video of a good song in 3D for free.

                Overall, it's hard to dish out $250 for this system, but being the greatest selling system ever kind of speaks for itself. The 3DS has a lot of potential just as the Wii had, and it also had a small pile of games for release. Different being the talk of Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, Paper Mario (in proper turn-based RPG), and Star Fox 64, all coming out in 3D. The additional difference is the expensiveness of 3DTVs; in contrast to that, even the 3DS looks cheap. If you can't see 3D well (like me), it's still an amazing system.