3DS Impressions: Our Take On Nintendo's New Handheld

Announced last March, Nintendo’s 3DS has been highly anticipated by gamers the world over. Any new Nintendo handheld is big news; the company has dominated the category since the release of the original Game Boy in 1989. While competitors from Sega to Sony have tried to make a dent in Nintendo’s market share, all have failed. The 3DS, which is the successor to the most lucrative game system in history in the DS, is Nintendo’s hope for staying on top of the handheld mountain. The 3DS released in America on March 27, and while Nintendo hasn't announced how many units were purchased yet, the Japanese launch – in which the unit was virtually sold out across the country – points to a strong first day in America (though our unscientific research may suggest otherwise). Here are our impressions of the unit, the technology, and the features of 3DS. It's worth noting that this is not intended to be a definitive, final review of the system, as our opinions will likely change in the future based on the 3DS software library and possible system and feature updates.

The Features

The 3DS interface is nicely designed. Games and apps are organized in a scrolling, horizontal bar similar to Sony’s cross media bar. While Pictochat is gone, there’s a lot to dig into.

Online Play/Friend Codes: While the 3DS still uses Friend Codes, Nintendo has made the system much more useable and now comparable to Xbox Live and PSN. Instead of a jumble of Friend Codes for each game, each DS owner only has one Friend Code attached to the 3DS itself. Once you’ve added a friend, you can access their profile, which provides information such as their online status and what game they are playing. In game, you can scroll through a friends list instead of re-inputting a code. If you’re near a friend, you can bypass the Friend Code altogether via the local friends search option. Online play is accessed through in-game menus.

Nintendo 3DS Sound: This mode allows you to play music saved to your SD card and record brief sound bites that can be edited (slowed down, sped up, pitched higher or lower) with a simple X/Y axis onscreen slider. You can also add songs to a StreetPass playlist and share them with other 3DS units.

Mii Maker: This Mii editor is similar to the Wii version. All the basic functionality is there. The camera mode automatically creates a Mii for you based on a photo you take with the forward-facing camera. Mine turned out pretty ugly, but perhaps the 3DS was trying to tell me something. You can send Miis to other 3DS units via StreetPass and use the Mii Channel to receive new Miis, but you can not upload Miis to the Mii Channel from the 3DS. There is also a QR reader (square, more complex UPC codes that are common in Japan and gaining popularity in the U.S.) that uses the camera to scan a code and award you with a new Mii. We received Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime from a promotional QR code Nintendo gave us.

Mii Plaza: This mode is for the Miis you collect with the StreetPass function. Basically, you leave your 3DS in sleep mode while you walk around, and you’ll automatically receive notifications when you’ve passed a fellow 3DS owner who has Mii StreetPass enabled. Just hit approve, and his or her Mii will then populate your Mii Plaza. You can then use that character in the game Find Mii, a light turn-based RPG that’s included. Jeff Cork and I used this feature to trade Miis, and it worked well.

Download Play: Allows you to connect with nearby 3DSs to play single-cart multiplayer. We experienced problems with this feature, including numerous game crashes on multiple titles.

Activity Log: Keeps a record of the games you play, including the total playtime logged in each title. The 3DS also has a pedometer that records the number of steps you take while carrying the unit in sleep mode. The pedometer can also be used with certain titles, like Nintendogs, which allows you to “walk” your dog while you walk in the real world.

Play Coins: Play Coins are a 3DS currency that you can earn by walking around with the unit in Sleep Mode. The unit’s pedometer keeps track of your steps, and you earn one Play Coin for each 100 steps taken (up to 10 coins per day, and a limit of 300 coins total). These coins can later be spent in the Mii Plaza on a puzzle minigame or on buying party members in the Find Mii turn-based RPG. Being able to buy new puzzle pieces and Find Mii combatants are valuable options for those who live in less populous areas and are unable to exchange pieces or Miis with passersby.

You can also use Play Coins to buy new levels in some of the AR Games, including archery and fishing. Some 3DS titles let you spend Play Coins for in-game items as well. For example, Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition lets you exchange Play Coins for “Figure Points,” which unlock statues of Ryu, Chun-Li, and other characters.

Note: While Nintendo has promised features like Netflix streaming movies, 3D movie trailers, and an Internet browser, those functions are not yet implemented.

StreetPass and SpotPass

Nintendo is placing a big emphasis on the 3DS’ Wi-Fi functions. Two of the ways the system will use Wi-Fi are the StreetPass and SpotPass modes. Both work in similar ways: You turn the modes on, then walk around with your 3DS.

In StreetPass, you can exchange Miis with fellow users you pass (you choose the Mii and greeting you’d like to share) or other game-related data, songs from your SD card, or in-game items. SpotPass will find local Wi-Fi hotspots and automatically download games, system updates, and other data from Nintendo. Nintendo also plans to set up its own hotspots in major cities to service 3DS owners. Of course, both of these functions can be accessed by developers for use in their games.

The Hardware

Priced at $249.99, the 3DS costs 100 dollars more than the DS did at its launch in 2004. With such a hefty price tag, you’d expect a unit with a more premium look and feel than the ugly, cheap looking original DS hardware. For the most part, we were impressed with the unit. It’s comparable to the build quality of the DS Lite, the much-improved second iteration of the original DS. It’s approximately the same size as the DS Lite as well.

The unit comes in two colors: Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black. Both colors are attractive, but we preferred Cosmo Black. The finish is high quality, similar to that of the DS Lite or the original PS3, and features a gradient effect, gradually shifting from a dark black or blue to a lighter tone on the back of the unit. Overall, it feels well made and durable, a hallmark of past Nintendo devices.

The unit has a physical power button along with the traditional d-pad, face buttons, and left and right shoulders. The select, start, and home buttons are placed under the bottom screen. It also adds an analog pad, similar to the PSP’s. However, it feels much better; it’s got a rubberized finish and is concave, making it more comfortable than the PSP’s analog nub. Volume, wireless, and 3D functions are assigned to sliders on the side of the unit. The cartridge slot is located in the same location as it was on the DS Lite. It accommodates both 3DS and DS cartridges.

The top screen, which is used for 3D display, is a wider aspect ratio than that of the DS, measuring at 3.53 inches wide by 1.81 inches high and featuring a resolution of 800 x 240 pixels. The lower touchscreen sports a much lower 320 x 240 resolution at the same dimensions as the DS’s screen (though the resolution is slightly higher than the older system’s 256 x 192 frame). As before, the touch functionality is accurate and responsive.

The unit also comes with a charging cradle, which lets you set it on your desktop to charge through a plastic wedge base. This also comes in handy if you want to play at a table or desk, allowing you to keep a steady viewing angle.

Like the DS, the unit has stereo speakers and a headphone jack. The audio quality is surprisingly clear; these tiny speakers perform admirably for their size. We wish the volume went a bit higher; you’ll need headphones in a noisy environment. The microphone, which I used for both recording my voice and for commands in Nintendogs, worked well, though the recordings had the tinny, thin sound I associate with early USB computer microphones.

The 3DS includes back- and forward-facing cameras. The back-facing array is actually two stereoscopic cameras, which allow you to take 3D pictures as well, and save them to the included 2GB Toshiba SD memory card (which fits into a slot on the side of the unit). With a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels and no flash, the 2D images aren’t on par with most cell phone cameras, let alone dedicated digital cameras. By comparison, the iPhone 4’s highest resolution photos are 2048 x 1536.

The included stylus now fits into a slot on the top of the unit, under the hinge. It has a metallic finish, and now telescopes out to make it a bit longer than the stylus on the DS Lite; it’s a small, but nice improvement for those of us with bigger hands.

Augmented Reality

One of the coolest features of the 3DS is its ability to use its 3D cameras for augmented reality games. The unit comes with a pack of six AR Cards. Five are pictures of familiar Nintendo characters (Mario, Link, Kirby, Samus, and three Pikmin), while the sixth has a question mark on it. The character cards work simply: set them on the table, focus the 3D camera on them, and a 3D model of the character will be displayed on the surface of your table or desk, allowing you to take a photo. The question mark card is more interesting, as it opens up some minigames to play in three-dimensional space.
 
The best was a target-shooting mode, which opens up from the card after you lay it on the table and point the camera at it. You aim by physically moving your camera view around, shooting targets until you open up a boss battle with a dragon. Seeing computer graphics overlaid on a real world environment is a very cool trick that Nintendo will hopefully expand on in the future. Some other games are also included: a fishing contest, a graffiti drawing mode, and AR Shot, a fun contest where you aim a pool ball toward a goal over morphing, changing 3D topography.

Face Raiders is another game that uses AR functions. You start by taking a photo of your face, which is then transposed onto a ball with a propeller on top. These face balls then start hilariously flying around the room you’re in (displayed through the 3D camera) and attacking you. You must then destroy your flying doppelgangers by shooting balls at them. It’s a fairly limited experience, but it’s fun and will be useful in showing off the 3DS’ unique functionality to your friends.

The Tech

The 3DS experience is something very special – the first time you see 3D effects in real time without glasses is memorable. It’s an amazing bit of technology. In my play sessions, I didn’t encounter any issues with eyestrain, which some doctors in Japan had worried about prior to the 3DS’ launch. For those with more sensitive vision, you can turn down – or totally disable – the 3D display at any time with the slider control. Every game we played was fully functional in 2D. However, I have some reservations about the 3D viewing angle, which must be very precise. Tipping the unit in any direction, even slightly, will result in an annoying “double vision” effect.

Visually, the initial batch of titles reveal a system that falls somewhere between the DS and the PSP in terms of graphical power. It’s not a huge step forward, but the screen displays are bright and clear, and we noticed plenty of details – like lush fur textures in Nintendogs, and nicely rendered 3D environments in Pilotwings – that aren’t possible on the DS. Add in the wow factor provided by the 3D effects, and it’s a handheld that impresses. With a relatively weak launch lineup, we’ll have to wait to see what the 3DS can do when more elaborate games like the Ocarina of Time remake, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries are released.

Battery Concerns

Our major complaint thus far is the 3DS’ battery life. Nintendo estimates that the system can go between three to five hours between charges, depending on what functions you are using. This revelation drew criticism prior to launch, and it appears to be a very real problem. In my time with the system, I’d estimate that the 3 to 5 hour window is sadly accurate – don’t expect this to last you through a trans-Atlantic flight like the DS did. At least the PSP had the excuse of a physical disc drive to explain its short battery life. Given that this is another cartridge-based handheld, it seems like a blunder on Nintendo’s part. Thankfully, third-party manufacturers like Nyko are already stepping to the fore with longer-life replacement batteries for the 3DS. They might be the first mandatory accessory purchases we’ve seen in the industry since the lighting attachments we all suffered through with the original, non-backlit Game Boy Advance.

The Bottom Line

As a policy, we don’t assign a grade to a system at launch, as too much can change over time in terms of both system updates and software. Ultimately, the games will define a system; you can read our thoughts on the launch lineup in our Reviews section. However, outside of Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, nothing in the launch lineup seems like a defining or system-selling title. Let’s hope Nintendo has some surprises in store for us.

The 3DS itself is a well designed, solidly made piece of hardware. Though more expensive than past Nintendo handhelds, its build quality and finish look and feel very high quality. The controllers, buttons, and ports are all comfortable, durable, and well placed. While it’s not a graphical powerhouse, even the initial launch games impressed us; it’s definitely a big step up from the DS.

Of course, the real hook is the 3D display, which is quite impressive. The glasses-free experience delivers a great sense of depth without sacrificing clarity or resolution. To deliver something that’s never been done before – and on a relatively affordable handheld – is a major accomplishment. The big question is whether developers will make games that utilize the effect in interesting ways, something they have largely failed to do with the Wii’s motion controls. Still, our initial impressions of the 3DS are positive, and it appears to be yet another triumph for Nintendo in the handheld market.