NintendoEverything 3DS Hardware Review
There are a lot of words one could use to describe a system like the 3DS. “Awesome”, “Innovative”, “Sleek”, “Sexy”; these would all fit the bill very nicely. After all, it’s been seven years since Nintendo first released their genre-busting “Nintendo DS” onto the gaming scene, so it’s only fitting that their next handheld device would be, for all intents and purposes, at least as innovative if not more so than the 140 million seller that the original DS was. While many people have used many words to describe the new 3DS system, and all of them ring true, one word is better than any other at illustrating everything there is to know about this $250 fun-box.
The 3DS is absolutely and unwaveringly Nintendo.
Let’s just get one thing straight from the get go: The 3DS is not another iteration of the DS. It’s not like the “DS Lite” or the “DSi” or the “DSi XL”; this is a brand new system altogether, like the PS3 is to the PS2. It has upgraded graphics, new controls, a new interface, brand new games, and a plethora of other features that differentiate it not only from previous Nintendo handhelds, but from any other gaming device altogether.
The name, “Nintendo 3DS”, is fitting considering that the systems biggest selling point is its stereoscopic 3D top screen without the need for 3D glasses. This means that, similar to movies like Avatar and Up, we can see depth to the images displayed whether we’re viewing the 3D pictures that the system can take, playing 3D games, watching 3D videos, or just browsing through the 3D menu screens. And yes, you heard me right—you don’t need 3D glasses or any special equipment to see this effect.
Now, despite the fact that many people would be sold on just that fact alone, Nintendo has been gracious enough to include not one, not two, but three individual games (each with multiple mini games within them) pre-installed on the system that you can play without the need for a game cartridge. These games are primarily used to show off the various features that the 3DS comes with, but don’t be fooled—more than one of them are legitimately fun as standalone games.
