Way back in 2004, I picked up a Nintendo DS. Strange thing is, I originally got it for a GBA game, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Funny thing is, I still have this game in my DS system.
The only reason at the time I got a DS system is that I never had anything beyond an original Gameboy system in my portable gaming arsenal and I wanted to play the new Kingdom Hearts game at the time.
When I first saw what the 3DS could do when it was revealed, I had to make sure that this is what would be upgrading my oldschool NDS. I was all for the concept of having 3D without the use of glasses. You see of these new TVs that required the use of glasses but at the cost of having to buying individual glasses for extra people in the room. Also, these glasses are not cheap either! Some are roughly $150 and have to have batteries charging them. WTF seriously? I can’t help but to think back on the old school 3D glasses with the red and blue filters that provided some eye popping effects with the simplest materials. If there was going to be any device that would be entering my household with 3D capabilities, it would first be the Nintendo 3DS.
To this day, I’ve had my old DS and played it every now and then. Back in the day with Nintendogs being a popular game, to older titles like Rub Rabbits and Feel the Magic, to now with my semi recent time killing addiction that is Pokemon Heartgold and White titles, I haven’t really had the need to upgrade my old DS. I’ve played the previous upgrades for the DS, the Lite and DSi systems but didn’t really see much need to get these systems as well as they just had some features that I didn’t have much use for at the time like the slimmer body designs or the DSi’s camera features. And I did not care to get a DSXL as it was way too bulky for my portable needs. As portable systems go, I think this may be one of my favorite ones yet.
The 3DS has backwards compatible capabilities so you can play older DS games on it but the 3D effects are not usable for the older games. In my use of the 3DS for older games, it doesn’t seem to use the full upper screen as it does with the actual 3DS games. Also, the 3Ds cartridges have a tab on the upper righthand side of the cartridge to prevent it from being played in an older DS system.
It roughly feels like the same weight and visually looks the same size as the DS lite and DSi, until Nintendo decides to put out the “3DS Lite”, maybe. It has the same type of camera on the inside of the system like the DSi and XL but but is now above the upper screen instead of the center of the system and unlike those two, the 3DS has two 3D cameras for taking pictures.
The 3DS now has a new circle shaped analog slider for those who like to have something other than the traditional D-pad for more precise movement for games.
There is also a slider to the right of the 3D screen that you can self-manage to control the intensity of the 3D effect. Some people I know have some difficulties with the full 3D effect and have tended to lower the 3D effect on the system to reduce strain to the eyes. My experience with the 3DS so far has been good with having the 3D effect on at full but then having the actual system a certain distance from my face. When I first tried the 3DS at my local Best Buy, it was in a fixed location and I could not handle it with the freedom I have now. At first, my eyes had to strain at the screen due to the distance of the system from me but now I am having no problem with the 3D effects on the screen.
The locations of the select and start buttons have been moved to the bottom of the touch screen with the addition of a new “home” button in the center. The power button now resides to the right of the screen where the start and select buttons are on the Lite and DSi. The volume control goes back to the slider type function that the old DS has but resides on the left side of the system while the headphone jack is moved to the center of the bottom of the system. Those familiar with the DS Lite’s power switch, the 3DS’ wireless on/off resides on the right side of the system with the slider type switch.
The upper screen and touch screens are larger than previous models except for the XL. Accessories that come with this particular system are an extendable stylus and a charging base for the system. So instead of having to directly plug in the charging cable to the top of the system, you can plug the cable into the charging base and then easily settle in and remove the 3DS with freedom as two charging prongs charge the system through its charging contacts that are on top of the system. There is also a moveable piece on top of the base so if you wanted to play the system and needed to change games while on the base but didn’t want to interrupt the charging process, this makes it possible.
As more games come out for the 3DS, I will review as they come into my possession. As for the other features such as Street Pass, AR Games, Face Raiders, Mii Maker, Activity Log, etc, I will review them within my next blog as I just wanted to stick to the hardware portion of this review. So stay tuned!
