Nintendo 3DS Launch - 3D Without Glasses

GameOn had the privilege of being invited to the European Nintendo 3DS launch at the Haarlemmermeer Expo centre in Amsterdam.

Over 1500 people from the press and retail from all over Europe poured into the reception and registration area for this eagerly awaited launch of the 3DS.
Once seated in the auditorium, The music started and the host Jonathan Ross came onto stage and started us on a journey into the 3DS, onto the stage came wave after wave of game titles for the 3DS.

To start with, the 3DS is fully loaded with goodies, a brief list of the features

• 3D
• Optional to turn off 3D
• Face Camera (facing the user)
• 3D camera on the front (twin cameras)
• Analogue thumb stick
• Motion Sensor - Gyroscope
• Larger top screen
• SD card slot (2Gb card provided)
• Wi-Fi
• Docking Charger

But the 3DS is not just a stand alone hand held portable games device, any more. It now has to compete with the likes of iPhone, iPad and Android phones etc. In order to achieve this it has additional features that let you interact with other 3DS users, you can have virtual battles as you pass other 3DS users in the street in games like street fighter.

You create a character called a Mii by taking your picture with one of the onboard cameras and you can then set your 3DS to look for any other 3DS out there and you collect the Mii's of other people and see the last bit of software they used and be part of a big community using Streetpass.
The 3DS doesn't stop there, In the UK, Nintendo has partnered with BT to link the 3DS to Wi-Fi hotspots, There are also other providers around Europe, This allows the 3DS to also browse the web, once a browser is released sometime after launch. Updates can be sent and content partners such as Eurosport and SKY 3D can send your favourite programs straight to your 3DS. These updates and content can also be accessed via your own Wi-Fi.

The Big moment came when the Launch date of 25th March 2011 was announced by Mr Shibata President of Nintendo Europe, the only disappointment was the price, the retailers it seems have been allowed to set there own price and no RRP was announced by Nintendo.
Jonathan obviously excited to get his hands on the 3DS stole the last few lines from Mr Shibata but then realised and handed back to Mr Shibata for some closing words,
The moment had come and the audience was led out of the auditorium and into a large hall with themed stands for all the different games on offer.

The 3DS will have very strong set of publishers behind them for the launch
A list of some of the publishers, Capcom, Electronic Arts, Konami, LucasArts, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, Tecmo and Ubisoft.

• Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
• Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
• The Sims 3
• Madden NFL Football
• PES 2011 3D
• LEGO Star Wars III The Clone Wars
• Ridge Racer 3D
• Super Monkey Ball 3D
• Crush 3D
• Thor: God of Thunder
• Steel Diver
• Puzzle Bobble Universe
• SAMURAI WARRIORS: Chronicles
• DEAD OR ALIVE Dimensions
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Shadow Wars
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3D
• Rayman 3D
• Asphalt 3D
• Combat of Giant Dinosaurs 3D
• James Noir's Hollywood Crimes
• Driver Renegad
• Rabbids 3D
• The Legend of Zelda

The 3DS does come with pre-installed software

• 3DS camera - 3D photos of friends and family
• Mii Maker - Create you Mii character using the camera on the inside
• Activity log - Track your walking activity, Gaming history and stats
• Face raiders - Collect photos of your friends and then battle them in this action game
• Streetpass Mii Plaza - Plaza where Mii characters acquired via StreetPass gather.
• Nintendo 3DS sound - Edit and play with sounds
• AR Games cards : Augmented Reality - Games come to life in three dimensions

Also most games are backward compatible from the older DS

It was hands on time and I must say I'm impressed with the 3D effect, its not that the images pop out of the screen its more like the background sits back and gives a great sense of depth, it worked very well on the games we tried
One good feature was the use of a built in gyroscope for use in games like steel diver
You are a submarine captain and move your whole body left and right to move your periscope left and right to find targets on the screen, although great if your able bodied but as Steve found not so easy when in a wheel chair.
All the 3D games looked great but if you don't want to play a certain game in 3D there is a handy slider on the side to transition from 3D to 2D and so alter the depth of field. One other addition over the DS was the analogue round stick you usually get on a controller.

Events have been set up for people to get there hands on the 3DS but at the moment these are invite only events for Club Nintendo members.

The questions people have been asking us, is the 3DS any good and is it worth buying?
The simple answer to each is,, Yes

• Its a fantastic product, it has a lot of extra features which should keep the life of the 3DS going for a long time.
• If you like your handheld games, this handheld is a gem among the handheld consoles, well worth buying in my opinion.