This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
Full disclosure: Nintendo paid in full for my travel and hotel to attend a catered preview event in New York City.
If you’ve ever visited an old friend lost to the years of growing up, you might already know what it’s like to see Nintendo’s upcoming handheld, the 3DS.
At first, you have a slight sense of wonder: What's he been up to all these years? What does he do for a living now? Does he have any kids? But that quickly fades as the available small-talk pool evaporates, and you’re left with the realization that you no longer have much in common anymore.
Attending Nintendo’s 3DS event this week awarded me a similar experience: lots of nostalgia and a speedily dissipating feeling of awe, specifically due to my disillusionment with the system’s implementation of 3D.
I recalled the controlled demo Nintendo unveiled to the public at last year’s E3: a short sequence of still images rendered in three dimensions. They looked great from just about any viewing angle, but now I realize why; this was a carefully selected first look, and I’m ashamed to say that I fell for the ruse.
The newness began to wear off once I saw games in action. The 3D effect is certainly impressive, yet the slightest movement of the handheld can cause an instant loss of focus with the top screen. The sweet spot appears to be incredibly narrow; forget about watching your friend play 3DS from over his shoulder.
Some of the games demoed exacerbated this problem with their control schemes. Kid Icarus: Uprising, a much-anticipated revival among many old-time fans, requires players to support the entire system with one hand (for movement and firing) while using the stylus with the other to aim. I spent more time fighting the loss of focus in the 3D display than I did battling tentacled eyeballs and dodging laser beams.
Others highlight the issue with their use of the 3DS’ included motion and gyro sensors. Steel Diver, one of the more original titles on display, includes “Periscope Strike,” where players operate a submarine from the captain’s view in order to hunt down enemy ships. To look around, you physically turn your body (thus, rotating the handheld) as if operating the real deal. As fun as that sounds, you’ll have to practice locking your arms in place well as you spin or risk blurring the display.
Finally, I now realize that the much-hyped 3D slider functionality may be more out of necessity than anything else. Every game I played required different tunings and frequent readjustment to eliminate apparent ghosting, blurring, and double images. Even holding the system slightly further away or closer would initiate a compulsory reach for the slider.
Overall, I’m not convinced that 3D is the right choice for a handheld. I don’t usually hold my mobile device with a hand steady enough to splice hairs, but the display technology requires an unyielding viewing angle.
I enjoy using systems like the DS and my iPod Touch for gaming on the go: my commute to and from work, during a long trip to a faraway destination, or even while just waiting in line at the bank. I’m in motion at one point or another during any of those, and this appears to be a major problem for the 3DS.
While I could play these games with the slider turned all the way down (thus, returning them to a flat, 2D display), I can do that with the DS that I already own without shelling out $250 this March 27.
Maybe 3D glasses aren’t so bad: At least I can view the display properly no matter where I plop my ass down on the couch.
