Nintendo 3DS just upped the ante for handhelds with the release of the 3DS that gives us great 3D effects without the hassle of glasses. First, the Nintendo 3DS does a great job with the 3D and the games are crisp and clear and have quite a bit of depth. It took a while to get the right setting, but that is normal for anything new. The first game I used was Ridge Racer 3D and I was impressed. This game is the perfect choice to get acquainted with 3D and I spent over 3 hours on it and still stuck around 12% complete. There is an impressive list of 2D games that have made the conversion to 3D for this game. I got my favorites, Street Fighter, Zelda, and Resident Evil and I like the added dimension 3D gives to these games. I played Pokemon Black just to see how a 2d game looks on the new console and it was OK, but I could see where the colors looked a little washed out in places. Overall though, the 2D game worked just fine on the Nintendo 3DS.
The Nintendo 3DS will have all the other handhelds playing catch up but there is a lot of room for improvement. The new controls were smooth and well placed. Getting the 3D effect right was a chore and the screen seemed to have a small “optimum viewing angle” and caused me to keep trying to find the sweet spot for the best 3D effects. The biggest disappointment came from the battery life. Nintendo claims up to 5 hours but the best time I got was 2 hours and 13 minutes and that was in power saver mode. I have recharged this unit 10 times and average less than 2 hours on a charge. That is pitiful for a hand held. The Nintendo 3DS will be a great game console when they get the battery life thing worked out and some new games come out.

Photo courtesy of: Nintendo Press Releases

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