[Panthera]

(Posting this as a new thread and in the general forum, because I felt there would be more interested here. If mods disagree, please merge with other 3ds thread or move to appropriate forum, and I apologize for creating a problem)

So, I traded in my DS lite on friday and got my cosmo black 3DS. After owning it for a few days, I thought I'd try to write down some impressions.

Jump down to Ending notes for a bit more TL;DR version.



First, the 3D. The 3D effect is absolutely there, creating a lot of depth in the image, as others have mentioned, the effect is inwards, and creates an "extra dimension" of size. Having said that, I struggle with eye fatigue after having used the 3D effect for only a short while, something that comes especially fast in the AR games, where you need to move the DS around.
This is probably mostly because the 3DS has a really narrow view range, you have to hold it completely still in front of you, and moving either you or it less than an inch distorts the picture and makes everything unclear (and often double).
It is, for example, impossible for me to watch my bf playing, no matter how close to him I'm sitting, or how much I hang over his shoulder.

The 3D slider is greatly appreciated, I prefer having it on half effect, but I can't see that much of a difference. Turning it off makes the screen brighter and a bit more clearer, but the 3D menus are well made, and not difficult to look at, as long as you follow the same viewing rules as in the games; 25-35 cm away from the screen and look straight on it.



The Features:
Having upgraded from a DS lite, the menu is great, and really intuitive to use. Settings, options and light is much easier to access, and the built in help and hint system is a nice touch, though a bit excessive. The 3DS comes with several included programs, most centered around streetpass and friends. It's also supposed to get a browser and an e-shop, but these are not available yet.

3DS camera:
I really enjoy the camera, mostly because I like taking pictures, and being able to take 3D pics is both fun and experimental. Having said that, the camera is crappy. It is very sensitive to light, not being able to handle most inside sources, and often looks grainy (somewhat worse than the pics I've added here taken with my iphone)



3DS sound lets you record and presumable listen to music, haven't actually tested this one yet.

Mii maker:
Fun little program. Taking a picture to make your mii works surprisingly well (though it can't handle glasses) and both my bf and me are very happy with how our miis' turned out. Besides first creation, you won't personally have much use of this one, besides having your friends make their own miis.

Street Pass Mii Plaza:
Mii plaza imports your mii, and opens for street pass importing when you pass other 3DS's. It has two games; Puzzle Swap, a picture game where you get picture pieces from imported mii's and StreetPass Quest where your mii has been kidnapped and need other miis to save it.
Living in Norway almost guarantees that I won't use this much, as even here in the capital I'll have a hard time randomly passing other people carrying around a 3DS. This feature seems like it's made for America and Japan, and is not really reality checked for international use.

AR Games:
Probably one of the most unique features of the 3DS, you place an AR card on the table, it warps into an environment on your DS. It includes several games; target shooting, fishing, a minigolf/billiard type game, and several photo ops, either with your miis or with included AR character cards from Nintendo games.
Of all 3DS features, this is the most unforgiving. The shooting and minigolf requires you to move around with your DS, but to keep in contact with the card, you have to keep the DS almost completely still.
The camera/game is also very sensitive to the light and makes both taking pictures, and playing in indoor lighting almost impossible.
Playing is frustrating more than anything else, since it's almost impossible to keep a clear view of the 3D effects, and moving the DS around to accomplish the goals.

Face Raiders:
Here you import your face into the game and try to "liberate" it by shooting chopper helmets with your/your friends' face on in your live environment. As with the other features, this one also struggles with the light sensitivity of the camera, making it hard to import a good picture of your face (it said my bf was a woman and gave him lipstick), and as the Mii maker, it doesn't work well with glasses. The game in itself is a fun diversion though, and the camera tracks the environment very well, even though you move rapidly.

Then you have Activity log, which logs your steps taken and games played, Download play, exactly the same as on other DS's, you can import demos or whole games from other DS's and System settings.

Controls:



Two obviously new things with the 3DS are the control pad and the buttons under the touch screen. "Start" and "select" has moved to the flat area under the touch screen, and are push buttons, even if they don't look like it. Between them is the added "home button" which suspends the activity you're currently doing, and returns you to the home menu. This mostly works fine, but makes it impossible to actually close a program with one push. To close the suspended program you have to use the stylus to press the close button on the touch screen.
I would love to either be able to use a button to close programs, or be able to press "close" without taking out the stylus (which is placed behind the DS next to the game cartridge slot, and is really hard to take out)

The control pad is nice, and absolutely better to use than the direction pad, but personally I think it's a bit too responsive, Which makes me struggle with entering rooms and doing precise actions. On the other hand, I seem to have the same trouble with the direction pad, jumping two and two options when I try to scroll lists, so it might just be my DS lite was a bit tired and needed more force than what's normal.

Playing DS games:

The 3DS plays normal DS games completely fine, and should be able to play all region free cartridges, though it does not expand the top screen to match the widescreen of the 3DS, rather creating two big black lines on each side of the picture, making it the same image size as the DS lite.
It seems to be a tiny bit more fuzziness in the outline of characters/the environment, but it's not very noticeable. I see it because I can compare the image to my bf's DSi XL.

Ending notes:
I'm mostly happy with my 3DS, since I bought it mainly for better internet access (I can now connect to my phone's personal hotspot!), but I feel like I bought half a product. Most of the games are only playable when the sun is out, and I'm afraid I will never be able to play the streetpass games, or fully utilize the social features.
Add that to the fact that neither the browser or e-shop (which was one of the things I was looking forward to) are available now, or in any recent future (I do understand that this is because of the catastrophe, and I do not blame them for postponing it after recent events, but I do not understand why they didn't plan on having it ready for launch), the 3DS currently feels bare and unfinished.

I still feel personally that 3D is mostly a gimmick, and do not understand the excitement around it. I plan on trying a few of the 3D games when some interesting are released, like Zelda and Hollywood Crimes, but I think this is a feature I'll use sparsely and with many brakes, or just turn it off, as it keeps tiering me out after just a short while.

If you are considering buying a 3DS, I suggest waiting, at least until the e-shop is released and more games are available.
The latest update only brought a 3D "limited" video.

[zane]

thanks for the thoughts. Yeah il definitely be waiting. If i had it my way theyd just keep making adventure novels for the ds forever. The 3d aspect does not appeal to me at all, and if i wanted a new portable for better hardware, then id go with the new psp which promises to have insanely good specs. The question of course wil be whether developers flock around the 3ds the same way they did with the last system. What made the ds worth owning was the totally massive and diverse library of games its built up.

[Burns11]

Originally Posted by Panthera

as long as you follow the same viewing rules as in the games; 25-35 cm away from the screen and look straight on it.

I guess that is part of my problem. I thought it looked horrible and it gave me a headache, but being 6'5", a foot away from my face is an awfully uncomfortable playing position.

[MdaG]

Maybe it's time for me to get that DSi XL?

[laffer]

Nice review, sounds pretty sweet for the most part BUT -

Originally Posted by Panthera

Having said that, I struggle with eye fatigue after having used the 3D effect for only a short while, something that comes especially fast in the AR games, where you need to move the DS around.
This is probably mostly because the 3DS has a really narrow view range, you have to hold it completely still in front of you, and moving either you or it less than an inch distorts the picture and makes everything unclear (and often double).
It is, for example, impossible for me to watch my bf playing, no matter how close to him I'm sitting, or how much I hang over his shoulder.

This part I really dislike. I already get eye fatigue quite easily and I just know this would be a huge problem for me with this thing.

And I hate how it's impossible to watch someone else playing, for whatever reason I've always enjoyed watching other people play, and especially at times when handhelds are the most useful... trips and such... I find I often even prefer relaxing and watching someone else play rather than playing myself.

So both of those are huge drawbacks for me

But even so, I'll probably end up getting one regardless as I've always had this thing for 3D... ever since I got one of those Viewmaster toys as a young kid (that thing totally fascinated me! ).

[Panthera]

I think it has something to do with sensitivity. I'm sensitive to light and easily get headaches, especially from flashing lights and things that don't "look right". I even get a headache from those cards you turn and can see two images/the image change.

My bf has none of these problems, and doesn't seem to have any reaction to the 3DS either. Another example. We watched the banned pokemon episode (the one banned for causing seizures) and while I had to look away almost instantly whenever the strobing light came, I felt it overpowered my eyes/brain, he just watched right through the whole thing.

I should also mention I struggle with all 3D, and while the cinema 3D is (now, it has gotten better) mostly okey (if made right, like Tangled. The Last Airbender had atrocious 3D and gave me a bad headache from all the zooming and unclear focusing), I haven't found any other 3D I can see properly. I hate the red/blue 3D. It seems my eyes focus a bit different than what's standard, as I never feel it works, I always seem to see a hint of a double/triple image.

@Burns11: For me, the distance is a bit far away, I've recognized that I prefer holding my 3DS closer. It mostly works, but it makes the viewing angle even more unforgiving. When I want to use it without glasses I turn the 3D effect off.
Must say though, the face raider game seems to work very well no matter how close you hold it. I wonder if it is that the 3D on the "head choppers" is a bit more subtle, and the backgrounds are all 2D?

Oh, and I forgot to mention battery capacity in the review. At the moment I keep my 3DS plugged in almost all the time, as I use it in the living room, but I have a feeling it will be a transition to go from a DS lite that I could play 6 hours a day for 3 days before charging, to have to charge every 4th hour (I've turned down the lighting, and therefore bought a bit more game time).
For people using it as a handheld, travelling a lot, I have a feeling they won't get to use it fully.


Oh, @laffer, if they turn the 3D effect off, you can look over their shoulder when they play. All 3D games are supposed to work in 2D, and besides, sitting completely still on a moving train/boat/bus? Not good for your neck.. It has a nice "depth" effect even without the 3D, but of course, you don't get the "the images go far into the screen" effect.

[orient]

Thanks for the impressions. I picked up my system today.

In regards to the 3D, I found the viewing angle to be quite comfortable and natural. Once I adjusted the 3D slider to just under half way, I could see the 3D effect perfectly and trying to find the "sweet spot" was never an issue.

I see you have AGAIN there! Have you played much of it? I completed it awhile back but am curious to hear other opinions on it.

[Panthera]

Haven't played it at all yet unfortunately. I imported it from Canada quite recently because I want to play the studio's games, and I was afraid it would disappear if I waited too long.

Currently a bit busy playing Pokemon White.
I picked out a game to use as a size comparison and it was one of the games I have in the pockets of my case.

Both Again and Last Window are next om my "must play" list.