Nintendo 3DS *HANDS-ON* *EYES-ON* Preview

[cybereality]

I just got the chance to try out the Nintendo 3DS this morning. Nintendo has these demo stations at select US cities, and of course they had one in the heart of New York City. You can find a list of the events here:
http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/events" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I spent about a half hour there, and was able to demo around 6 different games. Let me just cut to the chase: it has exceeded my expectations. Its everything we've all hoped, and more. The 3D was literally some of the best, if not the best, 3D I have ever seen in my life. I can safely say there was no ghosting, colors and brightness were great (even better than many 2D displays), resolution looked fine, and the 3D effect was breath-taking. The reason I say it looks better than current glasses-based systems is that you are not losing so much light. This is one of the first times I have seen a full quality, full color 3D image, like ever. Well, I have seen that on HMDs, but lets just ignore than for the time being. In terms of single screen solutions, this is really something to see. This really is the kind of thing you dream about as a kid, but now it is a reality. This is going to be *HUGE*. Everybody that was there was amazed by it, even a group of older women that thought it was a cell-phone. They were still amazed. Nintendo has managed to bring out a screen (possibly sourced by Sharp) that really does look as good or better than a lot of modern 3D HDTVs and PC monitors. Now, its not without some faults. Mainly that the viewing angles are ultra-narrow. There is really only one position that it works in. You might have a degree or two of horizontal wiggle-room, but thats about it. Vertical movement is also a no-go, but is a little better than horizontal. If you go outside the sweet-spot what you get is a 100% ghosted image, and then the eyes swap (pseudo-stereo). This makes it easy to realize when you are doing it, but still annoying. Honestly, the viewing angles aren't that much better than even my DIY parallax barrier (though it blows away my DIY setup in every other aspect). For some games this isn't any issue, but with fast-paced "button-mashers" you tend to shake the system a bit and you get some ghosting. This becomes more of a problem with the games that utilize the motion-controls. When you have to move the system around to play the game, it is very easy to shift the sweet-spot outside your view. Again, it is easy to correct, but still annoying. I guess its just a limitation of the technology, not much Nintendo could have done.

The games I played were: Street Fighter 4, Pilotwings: Resort, Asphalt 3D, Madden, Steel Diver, and the AR games. Demos were limited to around 3-5 minutes each, but I played some multiple times.

Asphalt 3D was the first game I played, and also had the best 3D implementation. I was seriously blown away when I first saw it. The 3D effect easily beats my Zalman, and is even better than the Panasonic VT25. The car had a nice depth to it, and felt really solid. The track also went into the screen, and you had a good sense of speed. I'm definitely picking this up on launch day. The game itself was a competent racing game, nothing special, but it was alright. Some cool cars and nice looking levels. The graphics looked at least as good as stuff on PSP. The analog controls were pretty good. Still not up to par with Xbox/PS3 controllers, but much better than the nub on the PSP.

Street Fighter 4 also had a good 3D implementation. Characters were at screen depth, and the background went into the screen. Very nice look. Graphics were pretty nice, lower quality but still comparable to the arcade. The controls seems solid, and the touch screen helped with special moves. This is the Super version, so it has all the characters in it (not sure if they were just unlocked for the demo or what). Really good fighting game, lots of fun. I will be sure to pick this one up.

Pilotwings was pretty fun, but I found the 3D to be a bit lacking. The plane itself looked really nice in 3D, but I found the landscape to be pretty flat. I guess this is realistic, since you can't see 3D past a certain distance. But I think they could have done more with it. When you were flying though rings and balloons, those did look very 3D, so that was cool. I still want to get this game, as I am a huge fan of the series, but it seemed like a safe move from Nintendo.

Madden seemed pretty bad, but I don't watch football so maybe that biased my opinion. The 3D was not well done at all, and the graphics were really shabby. Obviously a quick cash-in title.

Steel Diver was actually really cool. I played he periscope mode, where you actually have to spin around (in real life) to find enemy ships and shot them. With the screen close to your face, this is a very similar experience to using an HMD with headtracking. Combined with the 3D, this was really something else. The 3D was also well done, but maybe not as amazing as SF4 or Asphalt 3D. I think I might want to get this one too. If studios can make more games like this, then the 3DS will be an even bigger revolution than I thought. Imagine playing an FPS game like that! Wow! Through in some AR into the mix and we are really getting something special. This is the type of stuff that not too long ago could have cost $20,000 for a head-tracked 3D head-mounted-display with a stereoscopic camera. Nintendo is about to release a consumer version of this for $250. Simply amazing.

The AR (augmented reality) games were cool, but they were more of a tech demo than anything else. Just enough to show you what is possible, but not really stand-alone applications. However they did work pretty well. The system would track the marker with pin-point accuracy (better than I have seen on the PC with ARToolkit, for example). And there would be some mini-games were you would have to shoot targets and things like that. Showed a lot of potential, and I'd like to see what game developers do with this.

Overall what Nintendo has done is pure genius. This system is going to be a huge success. Not only is there no way it can fail, but I think it will be the hot item was a long while to come. I can guarantee that pretty much every kid is going to have to have this system, and many adults will want it too. It just really is the next-generation, more than almost any other portable device that has come before it. Not only will Nintendo change the face of gaming with this system, but they will push 3D finally into the mainstream. If they manage to start selling 3D movies on this (which is what they've been saying) then it will open up the market to more than just gamers. I can't imagine anyone taking a look at this system and not "get it". This is no gimmick. This is the future, and the future is NOW!

[Likay]

Been payed or something?
Just joking and the 3ds has been on my must-get-list since a few moths ago. I haven't preordered but i'm counting down the days now (release 25'th this month).

[Fredz]

Unfortunately the sweet spot is as small as I expected, that was the only question I had concerning this console since the rest was pretty much settled by now. I thought Nintendo had found a solution for this by reading a review saying that the sweet spot was much better than on the Optmimus 3D, but that doesn't seem to be the case. So I guess any mobile devices with an equivalent technique will produce similar results (ie. mobile phones with parallax barriers or lenticular screens).

[cybereality]

Yes, the sweet-spot is small, but it is still totally usable. For most games this will not be a problem, and it is just a matter of keeping your head and hands still (which I am accustomed to using the Zalman and my DIY solution). Only on really wild games, or games using the motion-controls does this become problematic. And even then you can still work with it. No, its not perfect, but its much better than anything else we have today. Wearing glasses on a portable system would suck: more to carry, more chances to break them, 50% or more loss of light, IR interference with other people in public spaces, the "dork" factor, etc. There are only 2 solutions to this currently: use a parallax barrier with optical eye tracking (which might have been possible), or use a lenticular or similar multi-view type screen. And I think what Nintendo went with is probably the best we can hope for at this stage in the game. It is more than enough to sell the idea of 3D, without being encumbered by bulky glasses or headsets, which is what we need. Surely there will be better auto-stereo techniques in the future (and some prototypes are probably even better than this already), but what Nintendo has here is something affordable and acceptable quality, and that is actually a real, mass market device. We could grow old and die waiting for that Princess Leia floating hologram stuff.

[Chiefwinston]

So how good is the out of screen effect? I have 3 of these already on order.

cheers everyone

[cybereality]

None of the games I played really had much out-of-screen effect. I am sure the system could support it, it was probably just a matter of choice for the game developers. I bet once the system has been out for a few months to a year, we will see developers pushing the boundaries and doing out-of-screen 3D. And I have 2 of these on pre-order myself. Nintendo is going to make a killing.

[Chiefwinston]

Thats funny as hell cyber. But its also probably quite true. I feel there are enough people making some serious cash utilizing 3D- both with 3D software and 3D hardware that its crossed the line of no return. As in Artist and hardware people have created a self sustaining way to make big cash. And no amount of negative opinions will turn that tide back. The future for mainstream 3D is cemented in place. The artist will now procede to create wonderful and crazy new content in ways we haven't even imagined yet. Its gonna be cool. real cool.

cheers everyone

[Likay]

I know how autostereoscopy looks (i have a w3 and is fully satisfied for such small screen) and i can imagine the 3ds isn't worse. Implementing this kind of autostereoscopy with handheld devices indeed has it's place!
About printing money though: How many already decided to get one?

[cybereality]

In Japan the initial shipment of 400,000 units sold out in less than 24 hours. Nintendo's target is to sell 4 million units worldwide by the end of the year. I would be surprised if they DON'T surpass that.

[Chiefwinston]

I bet if you don't pre-order this item. You might have a long wait. Nintendo is famous for under producing product to the demand. Thus, getting headlines to the effect "Selling out as fast as they can make it". I've seen them do this several times.

cheers everyone

[Likay]

I bet if you don't pre-order this item. You might have a long wait. Nintendo is famous for under producing product to the demand. Thus, getting headlines to the effect "Selling out as fast as they can make it". I've seen them do this several times.

cheers everyone

Thank you. Laying preorder right now.

[cybereality]

Also, I got to play Nintendogs+cats. The 3D actually looked pretty nice, but I found the game to be really boring. Granted I thought the original game was boring, so if you liked that I guess you will like this one too.

And yeah, everyone here should pre-order. This thing is going to sell like hotcakes.

[Chiefwinston]

Thanks for all the great info Cybereality. One last question though. I've been wanting a 3D camera for a while. Will this hand held be small enough to shoot through a pair of shutter glasses? I'd like to add a few pictures to my posts now and then that are in stereo. And that will allow for cross eyed viewing.

cheers everyone

[cybereality]

I wasn't able to test the 3D camera capabilities of the system, so I don't really know. But the size was similar to the DS lite, if that gives you any idea.

[Chiefwinston]

Well one result of the horrible disaster in Japan is that there are no current workable plans for a seccond shipment of 3DS's to the world. Its not really important in the scheme of things though. My family has the Japanese people in our thoughts and hearts. May all of you be safe.

Regards

[cybereality]

Where are you getting your information? From what I saw, Nintendo said the launch will continue as planned (as least US launch):
http://www.examiner.com/console-gaming- ... earthquake" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, the units are made in China, so they probably ship them directly from there.

[Okta]

Nice review Cyber thanks.

Im more excited about this thing than i ever thought i would be, almost to the point of pre order!
I only recently jumped on the DS wagon and acquired a DS lite and an N5 card (which has pretty much crapped itself).
I must say i think Nintendo games suck on the whole. But i mainly run emulators on it. Cant stand cutesy anime characters in my games.
All i really want is a decent multi player dungeon crawl- no where to be seen, even on the psp.

Also disappointing to hear that the stereo cameras are VGA, what the hell? With no video! I guess that will be for the 3dsi model upgrade path.....
The viral networking feature sounds awesome though it will come down to software creativity to shine.

[Chiefwinston]

Sorry Cybereality, I wasn't trying to scare anyone as to were their 3DS may be. The Shipment to to the US is already here and in distribution channels. However, a business analyst on CNN was taking about a disruption in supply lines for many electronic components. The analyst was only making his opinion that a second shippment to the US would be impossible to access. And looked like it would be delayed until who knows when. None of this was from Nintendo. It was only suggested that a second large shipment to the states would likely be delayed thus whats here now is all we'll be getting for the time being.
Agian my thoughts are with my Japanese friends these days. We are worried about you and are thinking of you constantly. I would highly recommend people donate to a reputable agency for these people- they are our friends and neighbors. Be a compassionate human being and not a barbarian. Do the right thing. Don't wait for others to do it for you.

regards

[cybereality]

@Okta: Yeah, this thing is really exciting. Well worth pre-ordering or camping out for. Just make sure NOT to put any flash cards into that thing. Supposedly Nintendo put some aggressive anti-piracy "features" in the 3DS and could remotely brick your system if you use home-brew or pirate software. Just a heads-up. And there's supposed to be a software update to allow 3D video recording. It may come out later this year, I think (not confirmed though).

@Chiefwinston: I see. Well it seems the US launch will still be fine, if it gets sold out this won't be a first for Nintendo.

[PalmerTech]

Keep in mind that the Wii has the exact same use logger, Cyber, and they have never done anything like remote bricking. Too much bad publicity/false positives, I guess. If homebrew were confirmed for this, it would be a day one purchase for sure in my book. As it is, sounds like I might get one anyways!

And Winston: Keep in mind that Japan has one of the strongest economies in the world, and they have not asked for any aid. Donating to Red Cross, or anyone else right now, is really just a ploy for them to get spare money to keep to themselves. It might help someone at some point somewhere, but until the Japanese lets organizations like them actually help, your money is best kept in your wallet.

[cybereality]

@PalmerTech: Well I know a lot of it is scare tactics, but its not a totally unreasonable assumption. Microsoft has done things like this, its not unprecedented. Surely there will be homebrew at some point, and I plan to develop some of that myself, but I would be weary of using popular DS flash cards on this thing. At least until they bring out 3DS specific cards. That's all I was saying.

And Japan has not asked for aid, but it certainly can't hurt. I know I have donated some money, it really doesn't cost that much. There is a Japanese branch of the Red Cross, and they are actually helping people right now. Although when you donate, only a certain portion of that actually goes immediately to Japan. Still, its for a good cause. Its not like they are buying beer with the money.

[Okta]

Many available flash carts, acekard2i, R4, DSTwo are confirmed working with a firmware update. Only for ds games no 3ds games tested yet.

[Freke1]

One use of the gadget is to check kids 3D vision. Sometimes kids have a "lazy" eye.
link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Optometri ... et=&ccode=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[cybereality]

@Okta: Ok, thanks. I haven't looked into it much. Just saw some articles warning against using the flash carts. I'll probably still wait for some 3DS specific carts to come out before I try it. Not gonna take any chances when I first get the system.

@Freke1: I think this is true, and may be a revolutionary tool for discovering vision problems in kids. However, I'm sure a lot of people would rather believe that the system is broken, or that 3D sucks, before they accept theres something wrong with their vision. I know I just spoke with someone the other day that got to try the LG 3D smartphone and the first thing he said is that he "looked at it for 5 seconds and got a splitting headache". No mention if the 3D was cool, no mentions if the phone was fast, or had nice features. All he said was that it gives you a headache. Now, I have to believe he wasn't lying, so clearly some people have issues (or he was looking at it on the off angle and didn't realize what was going on). But I have heard the same thing from many people I've spoke to in real life. Its very possible they all have vision problems and never actually went to the doctor and got checked.

[cybereality]

Looks like the remote bricking may not be just a rumor:
http://nintendo3dsblog.com/proof-ninten ... -you-to-do" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Okta]

Its possible it could happen in the updates but not likely and im sure the carts will just update their firmware to suit. If i had paid full price for almost any DS game i would be PISSED as they are so poop house on average.