Nintendo 3DS Reviewed

It has been years since youngsters have got their hands on the original Nintendo DS. Since then, technology have vastly improved in so many ways and so has the Nintendo DS handheld consoles. Almost every youngster owns a personal Nintendo DS just as though they own a pet.

Nintendo announced a new handheld platform during the E3 press conference in 2010. Immediately this was step forward in games design as game developers and publishers look forward to develop for the new 3D handheld. What’s so special about this new handheld you say? well firstly, 3D technology without the use of 3D glasses has just barely been implemented into televisions and now it has been introduced on to the latest Nintendo DS console. Essentially, this is Nintendo making another step in innovation and game design creation just like they have done with the Nintendo Wii and DS.

The Nintendo 3DS is an improved handheld console in every aspect to the previous generation and packs more punch. The top screen is now a widescreen display at 800 x 240 px in 24 bit colour were as the Nintendo DSi was 400 x 240 px in 16 bit colour. The D pad on the 3DS has been pushed down in a addition to a new circle pad which makes 3D games more easier and user friendly to control.

The usual buttons are still intact, thought a new Home button has been included jus beneath the bottom screen along with Start and Select, this button is similar to the Home button on the Wii remote which allows you to pause the game and go back to the main menu of the 3DS, this frankly is a great addition as it allows you to quickly switch from one thing to another instead of turning off the console then turning it back on again.

The console also includes 3 Axis Accelerometer and Gyroscope meaning games with have tilt and motion sensitivity. On the top screen, it has a 3D slider for you to adjust on how much 3D depth you want coming from the game. The 3DS has 3 cameras, yes 3. One camera facing you as you open the lid of the 3DS console and two cameras on the outer lid. These two camera can produce 3D images meaning you can take a 3D snapshot and share it with other users.

What I don’t like about the cameras is the lack of quality only using a 0.3 megapixels, I feel like I am back in 2004 when mobile phones just started using cameras in them. I would be more than happy if they had atleast 5 megapixels cameras as the quality would have been clear than pixelated.

The 3DS interface has been improved from the previous Nintendo DSi version. The main menu structure feels the same but its more fluid and solid. Comparing the two consoles side by side you can really notice how much has changed. Turning the 3D slider up and you instantly can see the 3D effect come into place.

It’s really interesting what Nintendo has done and its something that they will continue on doing. Pushing the boundaries of innovation. This is the first step into the world of 3D without any use of glasses, just pure human eyes experiencing 3D visuals. Nintendo 3DS, it is what it is.

Truly great.