Today, the big N finally gave their upcoming 3D-endowed handheld system both a price and a release date. After months of both media and fans guessing how much the ticket into handheld 3D gaming would cost, Nintendo has assigned the Nintendo 3DS the street price of $249.99. Early adopters that are foaming at the mouth to get one can hit the streets on March 27. There will only be two colors available for purchase at launch date, “Aqua” and “Cosmo Black”, though more will likely follow.
During E3 in June 2010, I was able to take the 3DS for a test drive and get a taste of what was to come. In summary, my experience with the 3DS was overwhelmingly positive. The familiar NDS layout only got better with the addition of the 3D-enabled top screen, a disc-shaped analog joystick dubbed the “Circle Pad”, and a whole slew of other goodies such as frequent content updates and sharing of game data with others. The 3DS also includes a motion sensor and gyro sensor to detect relative motion and its current tilt to bring motion controls to any game that opts to include them.
The 3D Depth Slider
The 3D screen can be described as looking through a window, where objects seem to float in space behind it. Because everyone will react differently to this new 3D appearance, Nintendo wisely included a 3D Depth Slider control on the side of the device that controls the intensity of the 3D effect. For those that do not care for the 3D for one way or another, the 3D effect can be dropped to zero and function as a traditional 2D screen.
One of my favorite features of the 3DS was the inclusion of a stereoscopic camera system. There are two cameras on the outside of the system’s body that are capable of taking stereoscopic 3D images that can be viewed on the 3D screen. While testing it out on objects such as a potted plant, the 3D effect really did work and capture the leaves in mid-air. Another fascinating demo Nintendo had on display was an example of augmented reality (AR). I’m delighted to report that Nintendo is including this feature with the 3DS, and includes six different AR cards. The 3DS reads these cards with the cameras, and adds an experience overlayed on top of them when viewed through the main display screen. In short, your kitchen table comes to life with interactive, living environments to engage with—a spectacular selling point for me.
Pit from Kid Icarus makes a comeback
Of course, what would a game system be without its games? Nintendo is bringing a mix of nostalgia and fresh to the 3DS. For starters, there are a few fan-favorite Nintendo 64 games that are getting a fresh make-over. Those to get the encore treatment include The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Star Fox 64 3D. Nintendo is also crafting new installments to popular game series, including Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Paper Mario, and Pilotwings. Of particular interest is Kid Icarus: Uprising, a series last seen back in the classic NES days.
The 3DS is also seeing some strong 3rd party support as well. Capcom is on board with Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. The excellent RPG maker Atlus is bringing us Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked. Other well-known series to see a 3DS entry include Madden NFL Football, The Sims 3, LEGO Star Wars III, Ridge Racer 3D (Riiiiiiiiiiiidge Raaaaaaaacer!), Super Monkey Ball 3D, Rayman 3D, and many others.
You can pre-order the Nintendo 3DS on Amazon
The 3DS will launch in two colors: Cosmo Black and Aqua. Hopefully more will come soon.
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