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[C.A. Silbereisen]

Read my post above. Upscaled looks blurry as all fuck. Press start + select to play in native rez though and it's perfect. Makes touchscreen input a bit
Awkward though so I'd recommend keeping your current DS around.

[---]

I have $75. I'm saving up... will take me until about June to get a 3DS + a game.

[Adamski]

Bought one today, and have to say I love the Augmented reality features, although its not really anything new... I can see it being incorporated in so many games (I hope).

After testing in the shop before buying, for my eyes the 3D worked better on slower games like nintendogs rather than the faster paced games. Pilotwings resort made my eyes go crazy. Loving it so far, though.

Also Ive never bothered so much with Miis or with the cameras on my old DSi, but this makes me want to use the features.

[[RM8]]

I've read so many awful things about the games I'd potentially buy.

Steel Diver - way too short, not enough content, tech-demo game.
Super Monkey Ball - bad, unfinished, way too tame, extra modes suck.
Rayman - bad port, lazy, ugly.

And I really don't want to get Street Fighter, I want that on PS3. Awful launch is awful.

[Conker534]

[Destral]

I was at the local Best Buy a couple of days ago and I saw the display 3DS all by its lonesome, not being hogged by anyone, so I figured I'd take a quick gander...

I guess it had pilotwings on attract mode or something. At first it was all blurry as I approached it, and I could see the top screen doing crazy things. Then I got closer and leaned over to get into the sweetspot.

 

The 3D effect was 

So I'm more inclined to buy it in a few months' time, when the price goes down some or they put out a few more games for it, since none of the launch titles call to me as must-have games.

Some of the AR stuff and the bundled minigames look pretty neat, too.

[Gimym JIMBERT]

I think 3D effect is overdone is most early game. Focusing and switching between fake 3D plane is confusing.

And the main focus should rest at the screen plane for less eye strain ... That mean the 3D effects works better for game where the 3D (recessing(-z) and popping (+z)) is cosmetic and the element rest on one plane (the level 0 at the screen, lets call this the rest plane) ... which mean 3D is best for 2D games!!

3D should be use to focus attention briefly and make things pop when needed, I'm not sure full depth is needed in most game as it create too many distracting and straining focal point.

[Ishi]

I don't find the 3D in Street Fighter too good. The UI is on the screen plane, and everything else is pushed quite a bit further back than that so there isn't much sense of 3D in the actual objects. I think that's when it starts looking like layers, when things are far away. I just turn the 3D off, and it's really smooth-looking (think they turn antialiasing on).

In Ridge Racer on the other hand I can't get enough of the extreme sense of depth (on about half slider). I tend to just focus down the track so there isn't much switching of focus. It gives me a better impression of how the track is laid out and where corners are, I think.

The use of 3D in the onboard software seems pretty tasteful. I like when the UI is mostly flat, with a slight recession on the background and a slight pop on stuff like titles / options. I've got Pilot Wings ordered, looking forward to seeing how nicely put together it is. The Ridge Racer frontend is pretty clunky. Street Fighter is fine for the most part except the figuring stuff which seems a bit of a mess.

[Toom]

I've read so many awful things about the games I'd potentially buy.

Steel Diver - way too short, not enough content, tech-demo game.
Super Monkey Ball - bad, unfinished, way too tame, extra modes suck.
Rayman - bad port, lazy, ugly.

And I really don't want to get Street Fighter, I want that on PS3. Awful launch is awful.

I've said this before, but seriously, what console in the history of ever has launched with the best software possible? Especially from Nintendo - a company who were so proud of the hideous mess that was San Francisco Rush that they put it on the N64 packaging, and who launched said console with a total of two games. Give it a little while.

[Tanner]

I guess the Ghost Recon game and Street Fighter are the best launch games.

[C.A. Silbereisen]

and who launched said console with a total of two games. Give it a little while.

Yes but one of those two was Super Mario 64. See, I don't need a million launch titles, just one really great one that helps me pass the time until more good games come out.

In Ridge Racer on the other hand I can't get enough of the extreme sense of depth (on about half slider). I tend to just focus down the track so there isn't much switching of focus. It gives me a better impression of how the track is laid out and where corners are, I think.

Yup 3D works really well in Ridge Racer. Samurai Warriors turns into a confusing mess and Street Fighter looks better without it.

[Hinchy]

Nintendo in the past has launched with games like Super Mario 64 (and maybe to a lesser extent Twilight Princess) but hey hey guess what console had a TERRIBLE launch lineup?

Oh yeah, the Nintendo DS.

The 3DS' launch lineup is still not amazing but it's decent enough to be a starting point for a great library.



ANYWAY, IMPRESSIONS:

AR Games were about as cool as they could be at that time at night but I'm going to be honest-- play that sucker in a WELL-LIT room. I can't wait to try today with lighting conditions that don't suck.

Face Raiders is mindless fun. Seeing someone's face distorted into one of those monsters and starting to snarl and laugh at you hasn't got old yet. It'll probably last for less time than AR Games but it's still a cool freebie.

Mii Maker sucked at recognizing my face. After a little bit I gave up; when I get home (spent the night at a friend's) I'm gonna just download my normal one from my Wii.

Super Street Fighter 4 is my first experience really trying to play Street Fighter... I'm not a super big fighting game fan but I decided to give it a chance. As a newbie to the series, the game looks and feels great. I'm noticing the 3DS stick is a little twitchy while playing, though. Hadokens were easy enough to figure out and it took me a bit but wasn't impossible to start pulling off the Shoryuken, but I can not for the life of me do one of the double-quarter-circle-forward moves (like the Shinku Hadoken/Shoryueppa) without making my character jump around. I wish the tap jump was a bit less sensitive. I am not sure if this is a 3DS problem or a I-am-new-to-Street-Fighter problem, though. I of course could use the touch controls but they make me feel like a horrible dirty cheating scumbag and I hate myself for it. This isn't the game's fault mind you, but I have a feeling that those are for made for people who don't even know what a quarter circle movement is.

System interface is quite nice. It's polished and makes sense, I like the adjustable grid and having important functions along the top. Also, there's music EVERYWHERE. Everything has its own jingle, background music or ambience... even System Settings. It's a no-one-but-Nintendo touch and I love it.

System itself is nice. I got the black model, which makes that top screen bezel blend in nicely to the system (unlike a certain other color of 3DS). I really really dig the "layer cake" design they've gone for with the system -- the top part is the darkest, glossy black, the upper bottom is very dark gray, almost black but differentiable from the top, and the very bottom is a mid-tone gunmetal gray, with chrome accent on the cartridge/charging/stylus/IR area on the back.

Haven't done any meanful battery life testing yet... but I love the charging cradle. I love charging cradles in general, so while it's sad that the 3DS battery life is as low as it seems to be, at the very least it spurred someone to actually include a dock with the system for once!

[Ishi]

AR Games were about as cool as they could be at that time at night but I'm going to be honest-- play that sucker in a WELL-LIT room. I can't wait to try today with lighting conditions that don't suck.

Seems to work best on a dark-coloured surface too. It's pretty flawless once you get the right conditions going and there's tons to do in it. I'll buy more AR games from the eShop if there are any, though I'd prefer ones with a bit less movement maybe - so I can play whilst sitting down instead of having to hunch over the desk. Though less movement may beat the point of it.

[Richard Kain]

I picked up a 3DS at midnight, but didn't plug it in to start trying it until this morning. I opted for the black model, and the exterior is quite slick. I didn't buy any games last night. So this morning I just tried out some of the built in features. The Mii creator is capable. (and as fun as it was on the Wii) I had it take my picture and it got remarkably close, aside from my beard. (had to do the beard solo) The sound recorder was simple but entertaining. The 3D camera was way too much fun. I must have taken 20 pictures of my cat.

Part of the reason I didn't get any games last night was because I knew that Toys R Us was having a buy 1, get another half-off sale. I picked up Tom Clancy Ghost Recon and Pilotwings resort a little while ago. Haven't tried Ghost Recon yet, but Pilotwings seems like it will be a fun diversion. The 3D takes a little getting used to, but it works well with the flight mechanics of Pilotwings.

[Conker534]

Street Fighter is pretty rad

[Hayden Scott-Baron]

I spent much of this weekend playing 3DS, even taking a trip into town to pick-up some Street Pass data. It picked up three people!

Nintendogs has impressed me much more than I had expected it to, and I've spent a good number of hours with my dog Stalin. I've also had the Street Pass data work with this game, linking up with other players so I can meet with their dog. It's really great to be able to do this sort of thing at my leisure in an asynchronous and effortless manner that mixes perfectly with your regular game experience. It has totally changed the face of online gaming in that respect. I've always been a proponent of asynchronous multiplayer, so it's encouraging to see it employed so well here.

Pilotwings is much better than I expected, especially after the middling reviews. It's certainly possible to beat many of the stages without too much difficulty, but getting 3 stars or perfect is an entirely different manner, and much more fun.  I also read previously that the game was limited to three vehicles, which simply is not true. So, whilst it may not be everyone's cup of tea I'm thoroughly enjoying Pilotwings.

Oh, and 3DS battery is certainly limited, but the cradle is very sexy indeed.  I'm glad to have a portable USB charger I can use on it.

[[RM8]]

I've said this before, but seriously, what console in the history of ever has launched with the best software possible? Especially from Nintendo - a company who were so proud of the hideous mess that was San Francisco Rush that they put it on the N64 packaging, and who launched said console with a total of two games. Give it a little while.

I'm just bitter that there's no Mario     I absolutely adore Super Mario 64 DS, and was really excited to imagine what they could do with Sunshine for the next handheld. But then they decide to remake Zelda, not Mario, and it's not even a launch title. Might get Steel Diver.

[Adamski]

I spent much of this weekend playing 3DS, even taking a trip into town to pick-up some Street Pass data. It picked up three people!

Nintendogs has impressed me much more than I had expected it to, and I've spent a good number of hours with my dog Stalin. I've also had the Street Pass data work with this game, linking up with other players so I can meet with their dog. It's really great to be able to do this sort of thing at my leisure in an asynchronous and effortless manner that mixes perfectly with your regular game experience. It has totally changed the face of online gaming in that respect. I've always been a proponent of asynchronous multiplayer, so it's encouraging to see it employed so well here.

Pilotwings is much better than I expected, especially after the middling reviews. It's certainly possible to beat many of the stages without too much difficulty, but getting 3 stars or perfect is an entirely different manner, and much more fun.  I also read previously that the game was limited to three vehicles, which simply is not true. So, whilst it may not be everyone's cup of tea I'm thoroughly enjoying Pilotwings.

Oh, and 3DS battery is certainly limited, but the cradle is very sexy indeed.  I'm glad to have a portable USB charger I can use on it.

So glad to see Im not the only one with/who likes Nintendogs. Also, Im more of a dog person, but the cats in Nintendogs look awesome 

[[RM8]]

GameStop software list with release dates:

http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=154200

I really, REALLY hope it's fake. Super Mario 3DS, Paper Mario 3DS and Mario Kart 3DS being released simultaneously? 

[Blademasterbobo]

the first thing i noticed is that the prices seem to be creeping up... weren't ds games mostly $35? and gba games $30?