Joe weighs in on the 3DS and wonders if 3D is all its cracked up to be. http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/ds/2010/07/30/nintendo-3ds-first-look/1
I know theres swarms of die hard Nintendo fans, but i just can't take any of their games seriously bar Zelda.
Given the amount of criticism Nintendo has received in the past for a new idea that turned out to be a master-stroke, I'm going to have to wait till a few months after release for this one until I'm sure. The 3D fad is kinda irritating already now, and the 3DS seems to be a more powerful DS with a new gimmick. Look at how the DS was first received, with Ninty even going so far as to label it as the "third pillar" in their line up in case it failed so they could rest back on their GameBoy brand. Compare that to it's image now, completely outshining the GameBoy brand to the point that it's almost forgotten. On the flip side, I love my DS to pieces, there are some fantastic games that simply wouldn't work on a home console or the touch-lacking single screen PSP, so I'm really anticipating what developers are going to do with the extra power. Thing is though, the DS games I've loved have been based on innovative mechanics and/or great gameplay rather than graphics. Take, for example, Trauma Centre, Elite Beat Agents, Warioware, even Pokemon. In these instances, I'm not sure the extra horsepower is really going to make much of a difference. I do know what you mean when you talk about milking franchises dry, but Nintendo above all other companies seem to actually be able to offer something different each time when you are talking about flagship titles in respective series. For example, everyone has a difference in opinion on their favourite Zelda game, because although they're all from the same series and have almost the same core mechanics, the experience in each case turns out to be a very different affair. Overall, I'm just plain unsure. As I said, think I'm going to wait this one out and see how it develops. Problem is, I can see a lot of people doing the same. Especially those that have just dropped £150 on a DSiXL. Given the success of DS lite over DS phat, why would you buy the first model knowing a revamp is just around the corner?
3D is like any other new graphical toy, no dev knows how to use it when it first comes along. Look at HDR and Bloom, when it first arrived devs just stuck it on everything and it looked awful. Now we're all used to it, and would complain if a high-end game didn't have it. Give it a year, and we'll start to see games that actually make use of the 3D.
I can't really comment until I actually hold one and see the effect up close. But it does sound kinda cool. But at the same time it also sounds like something you would end up turning off after a couple of days and rarely turning back on. I'm not much fussed though as I won't be getting one anyway. I find the bulk of Nintendo's games are aimed at children or people who like brain teasers. I fit into neither category. And while I am sure there are a few decent games around, it is not enough to warrant buying one.
That's one of the drawbacks though, is that by giving the option of disabling 3D is that they've technically handicapped the use of it for any meaningful game mechanics.
"Well, it may just be our ingrained cynicism talking, but what about them? Honestly, we’re getting a little tired of ported classics and the same milked-dry franchises getting wheeled out every time there’s a new SKU. It may well be that Paper Mario on the 3DS will be an absolutely brilliant game, but we’re so sick of that little Italian plumber and his bloody moustache that we flatly refuse to get excited until we see it in action. We’re certainly not going to jump for joy just because his hat now has an added dimension." I bet you bloody do! You know how Nintendo work, they show you nothing until it's ready and reports suggest they will deliver on time. The hardware maybe ready now but the games aren't, I'll happily take a tour of your offices in compensation for the retraction of your negative tone above!
As always with Nintendo handheld systems, best to wait for the 1st hardware refresh before buying.... Look at all that spare real estate around the top screen, does anyone think that they wont launch a version with a bigger screen when production cost have sufficiently fallen...?
While balance is always nice to have, this is the first of the many, MANY hands-on reports of the 3DS I've seen that hasn't been incredulously delighted with the console and how well the 3D effect works. 3D gaming without glasses and being able to watch 3D films and TV on the move aside, in its 2D guise it's still a very compelling powerful little console. So yeah. This is the first Nintendo product ever I'll buy at launch, and I hope Joe gets over his period in time to put down his iPhone and his snobbery and just have fun playing a game
why are you so taken by the fact you can turn off the 3d effect - 3d vision (thank goodness) has this also... and for the same good reason.
The Mario screenshot in the article is a piece of fan art from 2008, by the way. Just to stop anyone else wasting a few minutes googling
The DS has been out for over half a decade and you're calling this rushed? Really? It's still several months until launch, they have time to pull some games together. If they don't, so what? I don't remember the last system that was worth bothering with within a year of launch anyway, it took Sony around 3 years to get the PS3 looking good. Sure a few killer apps at launch would be ideal, but this never happens, and with Nintendo's dominance of the handheld market it doesn't need to. They'll gain traction as better games come out just like every other console in history. Can't say I have the same faith in Move and Natal.
[3D] I went to a PC World the other day to see what 3D was like on a home TV. The TV was a Samsung, 46", £2200 and one of the things I checked out was a cartoon called Monsters vs Aliens. I went to see this at the cinema and it's not a bad film. On the TV screen the 3D was 10x better with much more clarity and brightness. A scene where there is a red ball being bounced on a string towards the camera made the cinema go "oooh", in front of this TV screen I went "oh ****". A scene in a concert of Black Eyed Peas where there was ticker tape/confetti falling from the ceiling was stunning ... even more so when Fergie decided to strip a layer off ... I could have happily reached in and helped her ... Anyway ... The only reason I'm typing this out is an indication to the ones who haven't got off their fat lazy asses to check out the tech for themselves. I witnessed it and it worked surprisingly well. I say surprisingly, because I've read so many people voicing opinions about 3D not working, or being crap or a multitude of other things negative. Regarding the price ... yeah it's bloody expensive right now, but it won't be in 2 years. It works for me on PC, it works for me on that beautiful Samsung screen (although I hear Panasonic 3D is slightly better) and I hope 3DS and PS3D works for me too. The only thing I would improve on that Samsung is the screen size - it needs MORE size. I think the confetti was a nice touch, but 46" (even though that is more than enough for most people in most circumstances) just felt limiting to the 3D effect. The confetti disappeared as quicky as it appeared. Fergie in life-like proportions would be so much better ... everything needs to cover the field of view much more. As for the 3DS ... it's early days. Maybe it'll go the way of the Virtual Boy, but just maybe it'll be the next big thing. I do hope 3DS and PS3D are the ice-breakers and there is much more to come. [/3D]
"Simply, the third party games all looked a bit…uncomfortable on the platform, like the technology was new to the developers and they were still learning how to use it." Maybe that's because the technology is new to the developers and they are still learning how to use it.
It will be 3D porn that really makes it take off, just like the major early DVD sales and the reason VHS killed the Betamax because of the easily available porn.
I'm not interested in any 3D tech until it stops giving me headaches and eye strain... This is mean to be relaxing and enjoying free time, not inducing a world of PAIN!!!
