Nintendo 3DS: the verdict

There’s no conceivable reason why Nintendo should be the first to foray into Three-Dimensional gaming. After all, the company has decidedly taken a back seat when it comes to technical horsepower – the Wii and DS packed lightweight hardware in comparison to their respective rivals – and for all intents and purposes maintained an ethos focused on innovation at the expense of graphical superiority. So it’s perhaps of little surprise that when Nintendo proudly unveiled their 3D iteration of the DS at last year’s E3, the stereoscopic addition wasn’t quite going to cut it. Their ace in the hole? 3D without the glasses.

On initial glance, the build of the 3DS bears all the hallmarks of its predecessors – clamshell design, dual screens, touch interface – but open it up and the differences are obvious. A few extra buttons occupy the lower plane, and a nifty new analogue stick finally allows a 360 degree control system – something the DS and its various iterations severely missed. Above hinge, the top screen has also been super-sized to accommodate the new dimensions, and not one but three cameras added to the exterior, allowing users to snap pictures all in glorious 3D.

“Yes, yes, but how does the 3D look?” we hear you cry. Well, much like Nintendo’s campaign slogan proclaims, the 3DS is very much a case of ‘seeing is believing,’ but when you do, it certainly snatches the breath. Using parallex technology – a layer that sits within the screen, covered in tiny slits that send different images to each eye – the 3DS replicates three dimensions with both depth and vibrancy. For some the 3D effect will work from the go, but for others, the console sports a ‘depth slider’ on the side, allowing users to adjust the level of 3D effect to their comfort. Perhaps the biggest shock will come to sceptics expecting the washed-out, hazy grains of 3D cinema: this is as much about vibrancy and depth as it is pop – the action occurring behind the screen appearing real and distances between objects conceivable. That’s not to say it’s perfect: the limits of parallex require the console to be positioned a constant distance from your head to work. And whilst this “sweet spot” allows forgiving margins for movement – certainly a blessing for any future motion-based games (_Warioware_, we’re looking at you) – chances are you’ll find yourself turning down the 3D effect completely for those bumpy bus rides.

Out of the box the console packs a flotilla of built-in software – and just as well: the 3DS has a hefty price tag (just under £200). Taking a heroic trip from the Wii, the popular Mii Maker makes its handheld debut, allowing owners to carry their custom characters on the go. But the real eye-catcher is the Augmented Reality application, Nintendo’s chance to show off potential integration between camera and 3D imaging. Bundled in the console box comes a set of illustrated cards, each creating illusions of a lifelike object when placed on a surface and viewed through the lens. Whilst these are fleetingly entertaining, one special card – marked with a “?” – is slightly more impressive: place it on a surface of your choice and a world of interactive mini games appear, each manipulating its surrounding environment.

What about the games, then? Of all the launch-day titles, _Street Fighter IV_ certainly packs the strongest punch, perfectly showing off the 3DS’s technical muscle. On the home consoles, it has already taken back the beat-em-up franchise by storm, returning with a fresh blend of stunning graphics and an already winning formula – so putting the game into three dimensions could only be a good thing. Nothing here has been culled; only tweaked, polished and prodded to perfection – all presented in rich 3D. With the slider on full, the visuals really pop – text and health bars hover above the action and environments appear palpable, almost as if you could reach in and touch them. The 3DS version also introduces a new over-the-shoulder view mode to utilize the sensory depth available, but after the initial “wow”, serious gamers will find themselves reverting to the classic side-on perspective.

This all aside, an otherwise lacklustre launch line-up and hefty price tag prevent the game from being otherwise perfect. No console has ever been blessed with a prodigious release-date array of titles, but whilst _SFIV_ and _Nintendogs_ are solid, the lack of at least one Nintendo first-party release is certainly felt (No _Mario_? WTF!) Luckily. buyers won’t have to wait long, with a fully-fledged remake of the N64 favourite _Zelda: Ocarina of Time_ landing in June.

So should you buy it? Well, yes and no. Current DS owners might want to hold back on the upgrade until a few more quality titles hit the shelves (and a possible price drop), but anyone uncertain can be assured that the 3DS is a seminal piece of hardware with a whole lot of promise.