Hardware My First Impressions of the 3DS

[lostdwarf]

The very first thing I noticed about the 3DS, before even looking at the screen was "oh, is that supposed to wobble so much? This is bad"

When the lovely grinning Lady at Gamestation handed me the 3DS that the WHOLE TOP PART WOBBLED A LOT when open!

She didnt know why and the other guys at Gamestation didn't seem to have a excuse... I opened it totally flat and it didnt wobble but I couldn't play it like that. It didn't wobble when closed either. The wobble was annoying and happened so easily (like the point it opens to was worn badly) it has made me want to check mine before I pay for it!
I hope this is just a bad model... can anyone else confirm/deny this with a different console please? This was Gamestation Lincoln UK

thats the only thing I found wrong with it.

I have been geeking out online for a year now about this console and the screen still blew my mind.

I played with Augmented Reality Dragons and Faceraiders (BOTH the most exciting things I have ever played in my whole 30 years!) so I have only seen the real world through the screen.
It is amazing.
It is like there is no screen at all,.. like they cut a big hole in the top and your just seeing the world as you do normally. To begin with your eyes TRY to SEE the 3D but you quickly realize you just look at it normally and its all real... exactly like the real world. The quality of the image displayed is noticeably loads better than the DSi too. Loads better. It really just looks real. Made my head spin by putting my hand up to the camera, which is almost at arms length only to have it projected onto my nose! Epic!

I won't spoil the Augmented reality for you but it is beyond what I expected. A lot of posts online put down the graphics of this console but just the Augmented reality set in the REAL WORLD had fantastic graphics and fit in ever so well. Also the Table at Gamestation is black and the room is badly lit and everything worked perfectly.

I moved the 3DS around a lot and found that personally I didnt loose the 3D unless I moved it to a position I couldnt play it anyway. Also I stood behind a friend while he played and I could see the 3D just fine and even side by side with him I could see it with only minimal double-ing.
The console is very small. The blue one just looks superb (though I have a black one on order)
The screen is big and crisp and it just looks real 3D like my fingers do typing this from my point of view.
I almost forgot to test the buttons but managed to snatch back the 3DS to try most of them.

3D SLIDER: I don't think it changes ANYTHING! when you go all the way to the lowest setting it POPS into 2D and when you wove it up it POPS into 3D! I didn't get it, I thought it supposed to show differing levels of 3d?

CIRCLE PAD: Brilliant. Simple as that. It's so tiny!

A.B.X.Y: Good as you would expect.

SELECT/HOME.START: Really nice, they are buttons, they press in nice and the home screen comes straight up.

D-PAD: Same as DSi = Good.

CONCLUSION.
I hope the hinges are not all wobbly. The wobble was in the direction it opens... not side to side.
I had half an hour with it, I had no problems with the 3D, it was just like seeing anything that is real. No headaches. My mouth is stuck in a "wow" position.
Nothing can compare to seeing this for yourself. It is a different 3D to the cinema. It looked real.
Nothing can compare to the graphics on this, now I know what it looks like I see how any game on this will look and seem more real.
The dragon's body went round... you could see its fatness... its weight...
The future is only one month away!

Hope you guys found this helpfull/intresting, please feel free to ask anything.

 

[lostdwarf]

I have posted this on a couple of other forums and a few people are telling me that the 3DS they tried did not wobble at all. One comment suggests they could have dropped it.

 

[donelwero]

Thanks for your post/review. With everyone talkgin about the headaches and stuff...

I'm totally excited about the AR capabilities of the 3DS, your review just made it bigger.

 

[dragon574444]

Cool. I'm sure the "wobble" is just a flaw with that particular 3DS. I don't think Nintendo would be putting out a console with that sort of defect.

 

[ByteMunch]

About the 3d slider... That doesn't work in the "Real world" (through the cameras) Sorry

 

[lostdwarf]

About the 3d slider... That doesn't work in the "Real world" (through the cameras) Sorry

Oh I remember reading about this now. Doh!
It felt so odd the way it jumps between states. Through the camera's that is the best way I can describe the effect. It does not look 3D, it looks real.

 

[Stevetry]

CIRCLE PAD: Brilliant. Simple as that. It's so tiny!

I was waiting for that

 

[Ikki]

It is a different 3D to the cinema. It looked real.

That's what I've been wanting to read ever since people began posting impressions. I don't really find the 3D at the cinema well, 3D.

I'm glad you had a great time, makes me look forward to her even more.

 

[KingAsix]

I simply cannot wait to get a whole of that AR feature...Like really...I hope developers use it could this could be a excellent game mechanic if utilized properly. I also hope I can afford at least one game...If I get it at gamestop the tax will kill me, but I don't wanna wait for it to get to me if I order from amazon...decision decision

 

[geenlung]

The PS3 and PSP both have AR systems as well (Eyepet and Invizimals). Are they on par with the 3DS or does Nintendo do AR better?

 

[lostdwarf]

The PS3 and PSP both have AR systems as well (Eyepet and Invizimals). Are they on par with the 3DS or does Nintendo do AR better?

3DS does it much better. No drop in framerate, the image is smooth and 3D. Its just like the PS3 Move demo AR, but better.

 

[Stevetry]

this is a nice post tell lost of thing we wanted to know this really got me hype

 

[lostdwarf]

Ok I have been thinking how to word this correctly.

The 3D is like looking into a mirror and seeing through it... or simply looking through crystal clear glass at the world.

The Augmented Reality was related to the cards position, at one point I put out my hand and spun the card around and the dragon went with it and I was left looking at the back of the dragon, it did not turn around. Like a hologram.

Augmented Reality on a PC or PS3 etc is great... you can see the animation in 3 dimensions by spinning around the symbol (AU needs a guide point) and you can see yourself with the webcam too.

Augmented Reality on the 3DS is on another level completely.
The first thing is:
It is in true 3D and the animation is 3D, this is incredible, it actually looks like it is in our world, even bright colourfull toys look real-er (the yellow boxes on AR games) they look solid and actually sit on the table and a hole looks deep and real.
The second thing is:
I could move my screen around the AU card and the world (it see's everything in the world as it is... if its far away it seems to know its far away and bullets take longer to hit walls further away and bounced off peoples shopping bags!) AND I can spin the card.
The third thing is:
The camera is facing AWAY from you. Seeing what you can see from your eyes view but adding more instead of showing you - you (which you cant see from your point of view) and adding to it to the screen. Its complicated. ha ha.

Its like PS3 MOVE but deeper and looks better. Like the 3ds is a tool to see another spectrum (like night vision goggles or the chandra x-ray telescope). If you look through it you see all the hidden fun!

hope this explains how mind blowing this is for me.

 

[xist]

So does this mean you have one pre-ordered? Also did the Black version look nice?

 

[lostdwarf]

So does this mean you have one pre-ordered? Also did the Black version look nice?

I have a black one pre-ordered at toys r us and gamestation (toys r us is loads cheaper but I am playing it safe to make sure I get one and will get my deposit back on the day towards a game from gamestation)

I only played the Blue one. I only saw the blue one. Its very nice and proffessional looking.
I did not play any games, just face raiders and AR games which only use the cameras so you see the game in the real world.

 

[Skitty22]

The person in my local gamestation would not let me have a look at any of the games or hold the thing , I went in to see if they would change my colour to black something i was told they would do without question for me when i pre-ordered, but they said they would need to cancel everything and re-do it. i personally think this was a excuse.

Anyway from what i saw in 2D as the slider was clearly switched down. it looked nice , the gamestation demo unit did have alot of fingerprints on it indicating it will pick them up like a rocket.

 

[dsfanatic5]

If you put any handheld system in the hands of the public, it's 100% certain to get messed up. As far as I know, none of the Nintendo handhelds with hinges have released "wobbly" right out of the box, but have been known to crack or become defective with steady use.

I liked the feedback on the things you liked, and I'm excited about the AR games too. I can't wait to see the screen for myself.

 

[geoflcl]

Thanks for your impressions!

Up until this point, I haven't come across a preview that detailed the Augmented Reality features of the 3DS in that great of detail. Before, I wasn't very excited about this aspect of the 3DS, but now I'm much more excited!

 

[KingVamp]

CIRCLE PAD: Brilliant. Simple as that. It's so tiny!

I was waiting for that

Um... is that a good waiting for that?

Psp one is like 4 times smaller.

A.B.X.Y: Was it clicky?

Little off-topic

Is clicky buttons better than non-clicky buttons?

 

[Guild McCommunist]

CIRCLE PAD: Brilliant. Simple as that. It's so tiny!

I was waiting for that

Um... is that a good waiting for that?

Psp one is like 4 times smaller.

A.B.X.Y: Was it clicky?

Little off-topic

Is clicky buttons better than non-clicky buttons?

The Circle Pad looks tons better than the analog nub although if you get used to the nub, it isn't really that bad.

And by "clicky" buttons do you mean like PSP clicky or DS clicky? PSP buttons are much more extruded than the DS ones and are "more clicky". Personally I'm a fan of less clicky stuff (The DS had better buttons than the PSP, honestly, although both were still perfectly fine). Just makes it easier to play faster paced games, it seems.