If you’re like me then shoot yourself now with anticipation, although you may be wondering what the actual technical specs of the 3DS are. So, without further ado, here’s what you need to know.
3D? Do you have to wear those weird 1980s glasses? No, you don’t! The top screen of the 3DS displays two pictures simultaneously. Each eye sees a slightly different image, which is exactly the same way as the blue and red filters on the old 3D glasses worked. There is a sweet spot, where if you move your head too far out of the way you won’t be able to see the 3D effect. However, this area is much larger than you’d expect from the size of the handheld. The 3DS comes with a depth slider so how ‘3D’ the game is is totally up to you. Slide it one way for off, the other way for total 3D or somewhere in-between – it’s totally up to you.
Games coming out (so far) include:
- Kid Icarus
- Nintendogs + Cats
- Star Fox 64
- Mario kart
- Animal Crossing
- Pilot Wings Resort
- Paper Mario
- Professor Layton
- Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
- Metal Gear Solid
- Resident Evil
- Kingdom Hearts
- Splinter Cell
- Street Fighter IV
- The Sims
- Dead Or Alive
- DJ Hero
- FIFA
- Madden
- Bomberman
- Contra
- Pro Evolution Soccer
- A Boy And His Blob
- Ridge Racer
- Sonic
- Super Monkey Ball
- Final Fantasy
- Dragon Quest
- Ninja Gaiden
- de Blob
- Saints Row
- Ghost Recon
- Batman
- LEGO (various)
- Shin Megami Tensei
- Assassin’s Creed
So at least the 3DS is going to have support from a wide range of developers and publishers.
Nintendo haven’t let the motion sensing ball drop with the 3DS which has an accelerometer just like a WiiMote, so the console knows which way you’re tilting it. Camera-wise, it now has 3: one on the inside and two on the outside, which will apparently let you take photos in 3D. The cameras are only 0.3 megapixels, so you won’t be threatening the likes of David Bailey with it.
I don’t know if DSi downloads will be compatible with the 3DS or whether the 3DS will get a section to itself on the Wii Shop Channel, but I’d like that as it would allow smaller indy developers to get recognised. Varied gaming, that’s the way it should be! The system is still cartridge-based which (as ever) means instant loading, but the game card is limited to 2GB (that’s what the spies currently report). The handheld probably won’t be region locked, though if films become available they might want to lock them. Backwards compatibility is now standard in the industry, which is a good thing seeing as the games industry is worth its weight in small martian planetoids. Plus we all know how much we spend on our hobbies.
There are a few colours to choose from: blue, red and black to start with. Knowing Nintendo though we’ll be seeing most colours that the DS Lite came in at some point.
Connectivity was one of the main causes of people gnashing their teeth, as the PSP got a patch to do WPA security long ago whilst the original DS never did. I’m glad Nintendo finally opened their collective ears. Sure, the DSi could connect to WPA networks but the games all used WEP security. I kept suggesting WPA ability along with others; it remains to be seen whether the developers will jump onto the WPA bandwagon. I sincerely hope they do.
Whats that, an analog stick? Well no, it’s a slider, but it’s really easy to use and extremely confortable, as most reviewers have said. You never know, I might get my hands on one later this year…
Multi-touch sensitivity is out, as the 3DS can still only recognise one touch at a time. Your stylus this time is telescopic – up to four inches ladies and gents – so you can adjust to your personal preference.
Release date so far has been confirmed to be this financial year. So before next March then? We shall have to wait and see.
My personal thoughts? WPA/WPA2 will be excellent and the cartridges could be better, but since they hold more info than a GameCube disc and are four times bigger in memory than a standard DS cart I think they’ll be adequate.
I’ll be getting one, if I get anymore details I’ll keep you posted here on StartGame.
Oh, and the final thing: Nintendo have hinted that the design pictured to the left here may not be the final design! I have no doubt Nintendo will have more to reveal as the months go on.
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