I'm more than happy to upload video of it in action, but not until the official 'testing period' hits on the 14th as like I said, the manager is already putting himself on the line on this one. I don't want to cause him any more hassle, primarily because if he gets the sack then I lose my inside source for good info and free stuff. Besides, if you wait til the 14th I should have more demos available and therefore more footage, may as well do it all in one go, right? Footage will most likely be pretty poor though, the only camera I have available is on my phone, which is like, 6 years old. And on its last legs. Samsung U-600. So...yeah, not exactly up to date. But with any luck I'll have more titles available like DOA, Pilotwings, maybe even Starfox if I play my cards right.
I never tested the touch screen all that much, so I don't know if it accepts multiple inputs or not. I wasn't aware it was a feature they were including so instinct took over and I used it much the same as my current model's. I'm glad they kept the design so similar, it makes the 3DS very intuitive. Didn't play around with the menu yet either, will let you know how it feels when I get another chance to see my lady friend and the new toy.
The analogue stick on the test model felt pretty soft and rubbery to me, but you don't even notice it during gameplay so it left little lasting impression on me, to be honest. Within about five minutes I'd already adjusted to it's presence and texture, like it had always been there. It feels very natural, like it belongs there. Perfectly positioned, extremely responsive, the recessed design works wonders. Because it curves inwards slightly instead of outwards like the PSP stick, it doesn't need grooves on the top to stop your thumb slipping off, ergo it doesn't leave uncomfortable imprints on your thumb during major gameplay sessions. It didn't feel particularly weak, so with any luck it won't suffer the sort of fail rate the PSP stick has. I'm also hoping they see sense and add a way of recalibrating the analogue stick to the home menu. Seems logical to me. JoySens has saved my PSP from the scrap heap so it'd be foolish not to include it IMHO.
The key info to take away from this IMHO is how intuitive and easy to use the system is, especially for those with existing DS models. There haven't been many serious changes, so everything feels much the same, only better. It also feels pretty sturdy, I get the impression that the hinges are a little stronger this time out, which is a weight off a lot of minds, I'm sure. Simple logic, really. All they've done is make a few tweaks to iron out the minor flaws in existing DS hardware, then ramped up the processing power. The only real concern is the battery life, although I've yet to confirm the life expectancy personally, but no doubt they'll let me know roughly how long it lasts when I see them next.