Examiner

I had a chance to get hands-on with the Nintendo 3DS at PAX East 2011 in Boston. Though the idea of the system had me captivated ever since it's press release announcement in January 2010 I ended up being very dissapointed by it's in-person demonstration. The gaming is pretty much predictable stuff that you expect to see in a next-generation handheld with motion controls, but one glaring flaw remained unforgivable throughout the experience.

The depth of the 3D looked great and worked great with the game I demoed. When I asked to see some "pop-out" effect I was shown an augmented reality game that consisted of target practice on the "?" mark card followed by a snake-like, mini bowser-style boss fight. This was pretty fun and interesting way of using the handheld and its motion controls, however the "pop-out" effect was very minimal if present at all and not part of the game. Once again the depth looked good even though the Nintendo 3DS has low-resolution graphics compared to what is expected in a next-gen handheld.

The real problem I saw with the system was when using motion controls to aim a set of crosshairs (for example using periscope mode in Steel Diver or a sniper rifle in a shooter game) you would lose focus of the 3D image and get split up into double vision. This lasted until you were able to bring the image back into 3D. Your mind basically ceased being fooled by the digital illusion of 3D due to using the motion controls.

I have heard the game system won't display 3D if viewed from the wrong angle, but I'm not really concered with this. What was actually dissapointing to me is that they decided to use mandatory motion controls for some of their launch titles and this completely ruins the 3D effect (which is the entire reason for the buying the system for many folks).

I am a big time fan of 3D on games like Killzone 3. I really expected Nintendo to shock us all with the first handheld 3D system, and they have. I just wish now, looking back, that they would have left out the motion controls for the system. Using motion controls is great fun. Using the 3D is innovative for a handheld. But using both at the same time simply does not work.

http://www.examiner.com/video-game-in-boston/3ds-disappointing-person-even-to-a-3d-advocate-hands-on-preview

People need to understand that the motion controls are just a "option" for the 3DS, not all the games are going to use both features.

Misleading thread title is misleading. You state the reason you don't like the 3DS is its motion controls, not the 3D itself.

Misleading title is misleading.

Also, motion controls are optional in most games, and so is the 3d, so this baby can choose either one or the other.

retarded article... just the fact that his eyes "lose" the 3D means that the setting is too high for him. I'm surprised he didn't also complain of headaches ^^.

That and 3D on screen isn't made for pop out effects... it's only made for depth, that's why in most games with a HUD you feel like the HUD is on the screen and all the rest is in the back. They may sell you 3D as poping out, but it really isn't good at it, it's all about depth and plunging inside the screen.

And People also need to understand. that a 3d "thing", or motion "thing" .. . don't have to be on the same time...

It's up to the game designers.. they can have, touch, argumentet reality, cam, 3d. motion, gyro, analog in the same game..  And they can make full 3d. less 3d and non 3d in same game.. 

CAN'T WAIT FOR ZELDA..:)

I played it earlier today and was not impressed. Pretty much cemented my non-interest in it.

interest is a totally different issue. Did you have interest in the DS?

Did the 3D work well for you though?

Well I've gotta say that the fact he is a Sony fan really tells you that he's going be have a bias against Nintendo. However I find that he gave the 3DS alot of praise. Sure he didn't like the motion control's he also asked for the effect of things flying off the screen at you.

For all I know maybe stuff doesn't come flying out of the screen. I must admit very few 3D movies do either, some try but it doesn't work. The reason I found it doesn't work is because the whole object needs to be visable in the screen for the illusion to work. Example many times in Resident evil objects would come flying at you but be half on the screen, well the popping out effect doesn't really work when the object is only half on screen. Where as the jaw in My Bloody Valentine 3D which gets tossed at you really feels like its tossed at you, why? Because the object is completely on screen.

I suspect with 3DS it works the same, its an illusion, but with a smaller screen it may be harder to get the same effect as theater.

However neither of this guys reasons are good enough for me. I don't plan on picking up Steel Diver and none of the other motion controlled games. Also I'm sure future games may implement the 3D better with the motion controls. Also this is the first time I've heard of this being an issue so I'm a tad sceptical!

I'm happy that a Sony fan claimed that the 3D works well on the 3DS