Impressions: Eddy Plays a Nintendo 3DS

3D Hurt Eyes

The above image may or may not have happened. It’s mostly for the lulz.

So I finally got to see a 3DS up close and personal. I’ve honestly been excited about this since the handheld was first announced last year. It’s kind of weird to me that Nintendo keeps putting out trailers for it, because it’s really one of those things that can only be evaluated firsthand. During my trip to Best Buy yesterday to purchase Evangelion 2.22 (woot), I got my chance.

The game on display was Pilotwings, of which I’ve heard varying reviews in regards to the 3D effect. To be honest, it was hard for me to figure out initially the angle/distance I needed to be in order to view it. I’m not sure how much of that was the fault of the kiosk, or that I am just an oaf. However, once I found the correct spot, I could tell that the 3DS definitely had some more meat behind its GPU than its predecessor.

Once Pilotwings started up, I had some mixed feelings about it. The 3D effect is simultaneously cool, a bit gimmicky and also disorienting. We’re used to looking at games as flat 2D images, where you can take in the entire picture in one look. However, 3D gaming allows us to actually look at the screen with some depth, and for a game like Pilotwings, focusing on objects in the distance is pretty crucial. While I liked the way the HUD displayed, trying to look at my main character actually hurt my eyes a bit. It was nice to have the 3D slider present, but I’m not sure how long I could have actually played on the thing.

And that about sums up my brief experience with the 3DS. I was able to play for about 10-15 minutes uninterrupted, but I’m still not sure how I feel about. Some are saying that Pilotwings really shows off its capabilities, and if that’s the case I might be a bit concerned. I’d like to see how it works on a more meaty game, though.

Have any of you gotten hands-on time with a 3DS yet? What are your thoughts? Go!

Image Source – Flickr

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I write about samurai girls and space marines. Writer for Smooth Few Films. Rooster Teeth Freelancer. Author of Red vs. Blue, The Ultimate Fan Guide, out NOW!

3 thoughts on “Impressions: Eddy Plays a Nintendo 3DS”

  1. I actually have the same story you do, although I was at Best Buy for a different reason. The 3D effect is definitely jarring at first. I don’t know how long it would take to get used to it, because I didn’t in the 5 minutes I played. When it worked, though, the effect was pretty cool, and while Pilotwings isn’t really my cup of tea, when some Nintendo staples (Zelda, Mario, et al.) start showing up, I might have to give it a go.

    Embarrassing side note: for some reason I thought the image would actually come out towards you (think Star Wars, that game Chewie plays with R2D2 on the Millenium Falcon), instead of stretch out into the screen. Like the bottom screen would be a kind of “floor”, and the image would be presented on top of it, with a background on the top screen. I don’t know why I thought that.

  2. At my store (Gamestop), we have a demo of it that’s running Super Street Fighter, a much better game to demo it than Pilot Wings (pfff what were they thinking?). I gotta say I absolutely love it. The 3D effect felt natural and not like a gimmick, and the game actually benefited from it (unlike Nintendo’s other offering, motion controls). I look forward to getting the next version of the 3DS next year, or when Ocarina of Time comes out and I can’t resist the temptation any more.

  3. [quote comment=”15999″]I actually have the same story you do, although I was at Best Buy for a different reason. The 3D effect is definitely jarring at first. I don’t know how long it would take to get used to it, because I didn’t in the 5 minutes I played. When it worked, though, the effect was pretty cool, and while Pilotwings isn’t really my cup of tea, when some Nintendo staples (Zelda, Mario, et al.) start showing up, I might have to give it a go.

    Embarrassing side note: for some reason I thought the image would actually come out towards you (think Star Wars, that game Chewie plays with R2D2 on the Millenium Falcon), instead of stretch out into the screen. Like the bottom screen would be a kind of “floor”, and the image would be presented on top of it, with a background on the top screen. I don’t know why I thought that.[/quote]
    Haha you’re not talking 3D, you’re talking holograms!

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