The next generation of computer gaming has reached yet another level. A new handheld console has promised to change our perspective of ultimate gaming forever, and good to know, that it has kept that promise. No, it is not PSP, Wii, or DS. It is way better than that. Welcome to the future of 3D technology gaming, the Nintendo 3DS with its 3DS games. Since the announcement on March 2010 of this new device, game fanatics have long anticipated its release. On February 2011, the long wait was finally over in Japan with the first release of the Nintendo 3DS. The DS in Nintendo 3DS stands for “Developer’s system” or “dual system” basically derived from the method of employing two lenses that gives the left and right eye different perspective images. What’s good with Nintendo 3DS is that the depth of its 3D images can adjust and it can even be disabled to 2D. But the big question is, “Are the Nintendo 3DS Games as good as its system?” Let’s take a review at some of the 3DS games available in the market. |
Nintendo 3DS | Nintendo DSi/DSi XL | PSP | PSPgo | PlayStation Vita | |
| Suggested Retail Price (prices may vary) | $169.99 | $149.99/$169.99 | $149.99 | $199.99 | $249.99 - $299.99 (February 2012) |
| Display | Dual screen: upper - 3.53" LCD, lower - 3.02" LCD touch screen | Dual screen, backlit, 3.25"/4.2", LCD with 256 x 192 resolution | 4.3" full transparent | 3.8" full transparent | 5" OLED multi-touch screen |
| Internal Usable Memory | 64 MB | NA | 64 MB | 16 GB | TBD |
| External Media Storage | SD memory card | SD memory card | Sony Memory Stick Duo | Memory stick micro | New proprietary "NVG" flash cards |
| Size | 5.3" (l) x 2.9" (w) x 0.8" (h) | 5.4" (w) x 2.9" (l) x 0.74" (h) / 6.3" (w) x 3.6" (l) x 0.84" (h) | 6.7 (w) x 2.7" (w) x 0.7" (h) | 5.0 (w) x 2.71" (h) x 0.65" (d) | 7.2 (l) x 3.3" (w) x 0.73" (d) |
| Weight | 8 oz. | 7.5/11.1 oz. | 6.7 oz. | 5.5 oz. | TBD |
| Colors | Aqua Blue, Flaming Red, Cosmo Black | 7.5 oz. | Piano black (other colors via bundles) | Piano black, Pearl white | Black (other colors to follow) |
| Backwards Compatibility | Plays most DS and DSi games | Plays all DS games | Plays all PSP games in UMD format, or available via download; also plays downloadable PS1 games for PSP | Plays all PSP games available via download and PS1 games for PSP | Plays all PSP games available via download and PS1 games for PSP |
| Wireless Communications | Supports local Nintendo wireless connectivity between devices and IEEE802.11 b/g Wi-Fi connectivity | Supports local Nintendo wireless connectivity between devices and IEEE802.11 b/g Wi-Fi connectivity | Local ad hoc connectivity between PSP devices and infrastructure Wi-Fi connection options | Local ad hoc connectivity between PSP devices and infrastructure Wi-Fi connection options | 3G support in one or two hardware releases; standard ad hoc connectivity between devices and infrastructure Wi-Fi connection options in both |
| Online Media Portal | Nintendo eShop | Nintendo DSi Shop | PlayStation Network | PlayStation Network | PlayStation Network |
| Streaming Video | Netflix* | No | PSN movie rentals, and other video content | PSN movie rentals, and other video content | PSN movie rentals, and other video content |
| Internet Browser | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in |
| Console Integration | Yes, with Wii | Yes, with Wii | Yes, with PS3 | Yes, with PS3 | Yes, with PS3 |
| Game Media | Game card and digital download | Game card and digital download | UMD disc and digital download | Digital download | Digital download, alternate media TBD |
| Online Multiplayer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Local Wireless Multiplayer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Estimated Battery Life | 3-8 hrs | 3-14 hrs | 4-6 hours | 4-6 hours | TBD |
| Input Method | Touch screen, face and shoulder buttons, circle pad, motion/gyro sensor | Touch screen, face and shoulder buttons | Analog stick, D-pad, face buttons and shoulder buttons | Analog stick, D-pad, face buttons and shoulder buttons | Front and rear touch inputs, 2 analog sticks, D-pad, face buttons and shoulder buttons |
| Digital Camera(s) | 3 (0.3 megapixels); 3D capabilities | 2 (0.3 megapixels) | No | No | 2 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Graphic Quality | Top adjustable 3D screen - 800 x 240 resolution; lower screen - 320 x 240 resolution | 256 x 192 resolution | 480 x 272 resolution (16:9 aspect ratio) | 480 x 272 resolution (16:9 aspect ratio) | 960 x 544 resolution (16:9 aspect ratio) |
| General Game Price Range | Standard: $19.99 - $39.99 Downloads: $1.99 - $4.99 | Standard: $19.99 - $39.99 Downloads: $1.99 - $4.99 | Standard: $19.99 - $39.99 Downloads: $1.99 - $4.99 | Standard: $19.99 - $39.99 Downloads: $1.99 - $4.99 | Standard: $19.99 - $39.99 Downloads: $1.99 - $4.99 |
Customer Reviews
Good System but Games are Coming Slowly,March 27, 2011 ByKevin "Im_Juice_Lee" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews= Fun:This review is from: Nintendo 3DS - Cosmo Black (Video Game)UPDATE: This system had slow start, but now with a good game lineup on the horizon (Mario Kart, Paper Mario, Star Fox, Luigi's Mansion, Super Mario Land, Kid Icarus, and a few more), the release of several features such as the virtual store and Netflix, and most importantly, the big $80 price cut, I have decided to bump this review up to a 4 star (originally 3). When the console first launched, it was tough to justify spending $250 on it, but now it is quite competitive at $170.
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New Short Review
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1. 3DS launched with very few games, and now a few good ones like Ocarina of Time have come out. E3 announced many good games which we'll see soon. The current lineup is still pretty lackluster and many of the upcoming games are remakes of older ones, but at least it's a step in the right direction. This is currently the biggest con of the system that has everyone online asking "WHERE ARE THE GAMES?". Nintendo has been slow even with their 1st party games which was also frustrating. Hopefully, we'll see some 3rd party developers make some good and new content as they did on the DS.
2. 3DS has poor battery life. The console lasts somewhere between 3 and 5 hours depending on if you turn on WiFi or 3D and how high you keep the brightness and volume. There's also a power saver mode that supposedly saves battery. 3-5 hours is pretty low. It will be enough if you just want to play for a little while or are at home, but it certainly won't work for a road trip or vacation. Compounded with a roughly 3 hour recharge time, the battery problem is further prounounced. This is quite disappointing, especially since the DS Lite could crank out close to 15 hours with the brightness turned down. The 3DS battery life is upsetting and badly limits its portability. Over time, you learn to work around it and really use the home charging cradle supplied. Another alternative is purchasing 3rd party battery pack which doubles the battery life which gets the battery to acceptable levels of 6-10 hours.
3. The 3D effect in most games are used just to add depth. Some games like Ridge Racer use the 3D effect to makes things pop out of the screen at you, but many don't. Some games like Ocarina of Time make good use of the 3D allowing you to properly judge distances and aim, but many other games just tack it on without adding anything to gameplay (and sometimes even hindering it). Like certain Wii games that tack on unneeded motion controls, many 3DS games make poor use of the 3D.
4. Online play is still plagued by annoying friend codes. I wish Nintendo would let us make a username equivalent of gamertags or PSN IDs. Instead we have to enter a long string of digits to add someone as a friend. Nintendo really needs to step up their online gameplay as the entire network is inconvenient and often annoying. Simple things like matchmaking and communicating with friends is a pain.
5. DS game playback is a bit awkward due to the resolution difference between the DS and the 3DS. DS games either are stretched looking blurry/pixelated or only occupy a small box in the center of the screen leaving a black border around the game. So, playing DS games on the 3DS is less than ideal. (But hey, I'm glad we at least have backwards compatibility)
6. Minor complaint: Build quality of the 3DS is so-so. My 3DS has a slightly loose hinge where the top screen isn't exactly helped firmly in place. From searching online, many people are also having some minor quality control complaints.
7. Minor complaint: The 3DS is slightly bigger than the DS Lite. You would expect the new 3DS to be sleeker and smaller than the DS Lite from 2006. I understand the 3DS is more powerful, but I still would have liked it thinner.
8. Minor complaint: The 3D camera on the 3DS is really bad. My celllphone takes better quality pictures (just not in 3D). Don't expect to use this camera after the first day when you're checking out all of the features.
Conclusion: DS was one of my favorite systems with great 3rd party developer support. Hopefully, the 3DS will see the same kind of success and get great games from developers other than Nintendo. I love my 3DS and know it will be an awesome system in the future when more people buy it and better games come out. Thankfully, there are many good games coming in the near future. Combined with the lower price, all we have left is the lingering bad battery life. You know Nintendo is going to release a new 3DS with better battery life and probably slimmer sometime in the future (think GBA Advance to SP / DS to DS Lite). My honest advice: WAIT FOR THAT! I remember I really wanted the original DS (the original "phat" one), but eventually I bought the DS Lite when it came out. I paid less and got a way better system. Every company releases a new model of their system - Nintendo usually does it 16-24 months after the original release, which would probably pit a new 3DS sometime between July 2012 and March 2013. It seems like a long time, but if you can wait, I'm sure it'll be worth it and you'll only have missed a handful of good games or so. If you can't wait, go out and buy the 3DS now and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Bottom Line: Ultimately, it's the games that make a system worth it. Nintendo painfully learned that releasing a system in 2011 without a strong launch lineup results in low sales. At least we are now seeing good games coming in waves and more 1st party Nintendo titles like Mario and Zelda. I think the system is having a slow start, but will have a good future at least in terms of software. If you purchase it now, I'm sure you'll get great use out of it. If you choose to wait a while before purchasing, you may have a new 3DS that alleviates some of the current problems.
I explain all of this in much, much more detail below. So, check out the original review for more detail if you so desire.
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Virtual Store, Netflix, and Browser
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The originally promised features have finally been released! You can use the virtual store to purchase and download older games as well as some little games (similar to Wiiware or DSiWare games). I got some of the free stuff like a free 3D Pokedex and the free titles were OK, and most importantly, FREE. Setting up Netfix was a breeze as well, you just log in with your email/password like you always do. Boom you're in - search, browse genres, or select something from your instant queue. The internet browser worded well too and gets you to webpages, but you can't view Flash content. Remember for all of these features, you need to have WiFi connection.
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Original Review for 3DS @ Launch LONG REVIEW )
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Please, before you give me your hate, listen to what I have to say. Please don't immediately judge me as a "Nintendo hater" or simply down-vote my review. I have owned every Nintendo system since SNES, both handheld and home console, and love Nintendo products. I just want to bring to your attention some of the cons that almost every other reviewer has down-played or brushed aside.
I have been using the system since the midnight release, playing a few different games, and testing the various features. I truly am amazed by the augmented reality and potential for the device. However, I cannot ignore some of the negatives and have compiled a list of cons.
1) On average, I get about 4 to 4 and a half hours with my 3DS with 3D off, wifi off, 1/3 volume, and 2 of 5 brightness. It takes about three hours to fully charge and the battery gets used up very quickly while playing 3DS games (Nintendo reports official charge time as 3.5 hours). The first time I played I had slightly over 3 hours of battery life playing at full brightness, 3D on, and max volume as it was my first time playing the system and I was still in the "oooh, aaaah" stage. After taking a break and letting it charge, I played it again, but this time on medium brightness, wifi off, and volume on medium. The battery was still shy of 4 hours. After that, I just began playing while the system charged. Compared to the DS Lite's 10 hour+ battery life, this is a bit disappointing. I understand that the 3DS needs to have extra brightness to produce 3D and requires more processing power, and therefore takes up more battery juice, but I still would like to see at least 6 hours. So, don't expect to be using this on a long flight or road trip. The good news is there are some 3rd party accessories being released to address this issue such as a Nintendo 3DS Travel Charging Dock with Rechargeable Internal Battery and an extended battery pack. The extended battery pack by Nyko (the one I mentioned earlier), called the "Power Pak," has been getting great praise by early reviews. It raises the 3DS battery life to about 5.5 hours on full brightness, 3D on, wifi on and all the way to 9 hours on lowest brightness, 3D off, wifi off. The only con about this is that it increases the 77mm thickness of the system to roughly 95mm and costs $20. If a bit of extra bulk isn't a problem for you, and you have $20 to spare, this could be a great option.