Nintendo 3DS Review

Nintendo 3DS has been touted that it will be a big hit in hand held console arena, but it looks like there isn’t a huge hype or marketing about this Nintendo 3DS. There isn’t even a report on a huge turn out at the gadget’s official launch. It is a sore defeat for Nintendo since having lost a huge market share in every single aspect in the gaming industry. Nintendo Wii seems to be tackled by Playstations Move and Xbox’s Kinect. Nintendos DS is also badly trashed by Sony’s PSP. Now the 3DS don’t seem to have created the shockwave that it was previously expecting to see. What is even more scary is that Sony is coming up with is new PSP known as the NGP

Nintendo has always been tagging their gadgets with a hefty price tag. With a price of around $399 for the Nintendo 3DS, you can easily pick up a Nintendo Wii with that price tag. What’s more, each game cartridge costs around $50 each. But Nintendo is not worried about the slow pick up, only those who have had their hands on the Nintendo 3DS will they realize how amazing this game console is.

Hardware specs of the 3DS

A 3D camera

This device itself can double up as a 3D camera, even though you cannot expect a super hi-resolution image with high mega pixel, the 3D effect of the image taken is surprisingly impressive.

Analog directional pad

Nintendo has finally understood that it is important to have an analog control stick in a gaming device. It also includes the conventional directional pad so that users can decide for themselves, which is more comfortable for them to game with.

SD card

Nintendo 3DS comes with a SD card slot for transferring of files such as music, pictures and downloaded data. Even though the SD card slot is not something new, since the DSI version of NDS has already included this feature. But still, it is something good to include in a game console.

Battery

Similarly to other past handheld consoles created by Nintendo, it makes use of an internal rechargeable battery. The battery life is not going to be long lasting since running games in 3D mode will naturally require more battery juice. You can increase the battery life by turning down some of the 3D effects or dimming the screen down a little to switching of wireless functions.

3D effects.

This console did not bullshit about it’s power when it claims that you can view 3D without the need for any special glasses. You can really experience the full awesomeness of the depth and eye popping details in the game itself. Objects will really look like they are out of the screen and not just showing depth inside the screen itself. But if you tilt the device to the side, you will start to see double image.

Quick switching

This device allows you to switch between 2D and 3D with a simple flick of a switch. You can play old NDS cartridges in the new 3DS but the game will not be rendered in 3D if it is not a 3D game.

Dual screens

Nintendo is the only console that creates dual LCD screens. The one at the top is the only one that can display in 3D, the bottom one is a touch screen for interactivity. Nonetheless, still the displays on the newer 3DS appear to have higher resolution and clarity the older versions of NDS.

Charging dock

The new 3DS comes designed to fit into a charging dock. So you just need to put it on a charging dock and it will charge without the need to insert the cable manually. But this means you are not able to play as you charge. If you intend to charge as you play, you can still opt to use the traditional method without going through the dock.

In summary, if you ask me, the Nintendo 3DS is not a good worthy purchase unless you are a hard core fan of new gadgets and gizmos. Playing 3 D games may seem cool but the fact that Nintendo has lost a huge market share of great games mean that you may not be able to enjoy the games you previously loved in the form of 3D. When is the last time we hear Final Fantasy series on Nintendo console?

What I might be expecting to see will be a repeated range of games from the past NDS re-created into the 3D version. This console will only be suitable if you have not purchased any NDS previously since the new 3DS will allow you to play cartridges from the old NDS , and really love certain titles that are only limited to the Nintendo console. Otherwise, I feel that it is a waste of money since most of the best game titles are already bought over by Sony and their range of game consoles. Do note that there is also a Sony Experia portable gaming phone for the casual gamers to consider and a newer advance PSP called the NGP in the pipeline.