Hands On: Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo America President Reggie Fils-Amie kept hinting that the audience at the Nintendo E3 press event would get their hands on the new handheld. Would we get a freebie a la the handout of the new Xbox console?

Unfortunately not. However, just under 200 women marched out in the Nokia Theatre with Nintendo 3DS attached to their belts. The public could then come up to them and see a short demo.

So how does Nintendo’s new handheld stack up?

June 16 Update: See after the break for an updated reaction to the Nintendo 3DS.

It wasn’t a game demo. Instead it was a short video featuring Nintendo’s favourite characters like Mario, Luigi, Samus, and Link. The new handheld has a 3D slider adjuster on the right-hand side of the upper screen. The player can adjust the 3D effect from flat to all-out depth.

From what I saw, the 3D effect is incredible. As a person cursed to wear glasses, it’s great not to need cumbersome glasses to experience it. The colours are bright and the graphics are well defined. Games are going to look hot. However, when the camera swung around or Samus (or Link) moved quickly, the 3D effect became blurry. The sharpness definitely was diminished. Since Nintendo promised that we could watch 3D movies from Hollywood, that could pose a minor problem.

June 16 Update: After playing a few games on the 3DS, I can safely say that the 3D effect was not blurry. I’m thinking it could be an effect of the demo itself. Everything I saw was crisp and bright.

However, based on my brief time with the 3DS, I think I’ve upgrade my curiosity about the handheld from mild to definitely interested.