Hands-on: 3DS hardware and gaming impressions

We got our hands on the 3DS this morning at Nintendo’s press conference, but it wasn’t exactly a proper hands-on. It was just a simple demo to basically show that it works. Well, I just waited in a huge line that snaked around Nintendo’s E3 booth for over an hour to spend some quality time with the 3D gaming platform. Simply said, it works as advertised.

Hardware impressions:

• It’s a similar shape and size as a DSi Lite.
• The top 3D screen is bright and high-resolution (800×240 resolution)
• Surprisingly good 3D viewing angle, +/- about 30% on the vertical and horizontal axis
• The analog stick is on a nearly-flat plane, rather than on a convex shape like a Dual-Shock but works very well
• No would say anything about battery life, screen maker, CPU or anything technical

Gaming impressions

• Nintendogs – Nintendogs in 3D. That’s about it.
• Kid Icarus: Uprising- Could be the must have title, engaging and fun
• Mario Kart 3DS – Some of the best 3DS graphics
• Star Fox – Born for the 3DS, but the demo wasn’t that impressive
• Metal Gear Solid – I don’t know, I couldn’t see the 3D
• 3D camera – just a 3D camera

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