Nolan Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 Shame about the subpar graphics and features. Its still using the horrible old style touchscreen with stylus. Its still quite abit behind the iPhone let alone PSP. What? I'll grant you the touchscreen, as that is a fact but the rest of that...what? At the very least it matches the PSP if not exceeds it graphically. As for the iPhone, it's powerful, but I'd say it's interface detracts from the experience. It's just like Kinect in that regard.
S.C.G Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 3DS = 64 X more exciting than iPhone + PSP combined Imo... Tbh... Lol... I want one... Now.
mcj metroid Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 Looked fine. The 3d effect is quite good too. Not compatible with the slider however unlike the games. Shame about the subpar graphics and features. Its still using the horrible old style touchscreen with stylus. Its still quite abit behind the iPhone let alone PSP. Having said that PSP and iPhone arent going to bother Nintendo. I am interested in whether this can take some marketshare from the PSP as alot of similar games are announced. PSP is basically a pirate system so its understandable 3rd parties are eager to join the 3ds. 1: we don't know ALL the features yet. We know nothing about the on-line service for one and we haven't seen any of it being used so far. 2: those sub-par graphics are able to run metal gear solid 3 pretty well and will presumably keep it at an affordable price. I'm pretty sure the graphics will be a little worse than psp but thats good enough for me. 3: Psp is oh so dead. It's even sold all that much where I live anymore. piracy didn't kill the psp, sony did. Too expensive, too much pointless shit like UMD's and NO games!
Nolan Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 3DS = 64 X more exciting than iPhone + PSP combined Imo... Tbh... Lol... I want one... Now. Actually on that note...without knowing how the 3D is actually being handled we have no idea how much extra processing it takes to put these games in 3D.
Debug Mode Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 Actually on that note...without knowing how the 3D is actually being handled we have no idea how much extra processing it takes to put these games in 3D. Well with the details indicating 2 different pixel sets on the top screen for each eye, I imagine it's safe to presume it's going to render 2 images at once, so it's looking at maybe double or under I reckon. Then again I am no expert in this field so I may be completely wrong.
ssj Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 Will definately be importing one especially since the UK probably wont be getting them till next year. Cant wait.
Dante Posted June 16, 2010 Author Posted June 16, 2010 Digital Foundry on Nintendo 3DS. Hardware Let's get out of the way everything that it isn't. There's absolutely no sign at all of an NVIDIA Tegra GPU in this as previously reported, and clearly the graphics technology is not in the same leagueWhat we do have is a massively significant increase in rendering power over the existing DS, leap-frogging the PSP and probably offering around the same horsepower as a Dreamcast, maybe in some respects giving PS2-level performance. But from everything I've seen so far there's no sign of the sort of rendering features that you see in iPad or iPhone 3GS, so no evidence of programmable pixel shaders or other state-of-the-art OpenGL ES 2.0 loveliness. Nintendo being Nintendo, there's very little coming out of the company about the technical make-up of the machine itself. However, it's clear that it is using ARM CPU architecture (albeit with a likely significant speed boost over DSi) so as to maintain compatibility with the existing range of DS hardware. Well-informed sources have told us that after the NVIDIA deal went south a while back, Nintendo sourced a new graphics processor from closer to home. Japanese firm DMP is strongly rumoured to be providing the GPU for 3DS: certainly the firm's association with close Nintendo partner NEC, along with the fact that its graphics core is already being used with an auto-stereoscopic display, make it the most likely candidate by far. 3D In contrast to the current 3D screens using glasses, there's absolutely no dulled image quality with 3DS. Conventional stereo 3D requires half of the light emitted by the display to be sent to each eye, reducing overall clarity. Not so with 3DS, which is vibrant and beautiful. One thing to be clear of here though is that, generally speaking, the sweet spot for the 3D effect is much larger than you would think. There is some occasional cross-talk (i.e. image data for one eye encroaching onto the other eye) but for the most part the effect is crystal clear and you won't have any problem enjoying the full effect. MGS There's plenty of it, too - a refreshing state of affairs for a system still apparently in development. Star of the 3DS content is clearly Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater, presented in a so-called "Naked Sample Edition" for E3. Oli's already raved about this, but this is an important title not least because Kojima Productions has put its name to it, meaning that it's the real deal. Not only that but the demo itself is very reminiscent of the extended trailers Kojima-san's team used to put together to thrill us at the trade shows of yore. There's just one difference with this one: it's clearly running in real-time, and we have control of the camera via the analogue nub. Switching between first- and third-person cameras we get to see Snake moving stealthily through the jungle, facing a giant snake that pops out of the screen, negotiating his way past an enemy patrol, crossing a rope bridge and evading a swarm of bees (!) before facing off against a boss [surely "Boss" - Ed] in a field of flowers shedding their petals. Beautiful stuff. If you ever get to check out this demo, you will instantly want to buy a 3DS. It's that compelling. Resident Evil What impresses here is that it looks as though Capcom has tried to scale back its Resident Evil 5 models to work on the 3DS. While backgrounds are very simplistic, those player models are astonishingly well-realised and very good-looking. The fact that the Chris Redfield model is readily recognisable from his HD adventures speaks for itself. Mario Kart What we do see are fairly basic but nicely rendered 3D environments and some nicely detailed karts and characters. The game engine is clearly locked at 60FPS, and one particular section, where Mario propels his kart skywards, offers some impressive views of the track ahead. compared with other consoles That being the case, to compare 3DS with Wii, or even GameCube, in terms of graphical quality based on this beautiful demo probably doesn't do the home console justice. The best demos we see based on actual game assets are of Dreamcast quality. While this may seem like a disappointment, bear in mind that we're running on a very small screen here, with a fairly high pixel density that will magnify the impact of that level of horsepower. Generally speaking, 3DS is a hugely attractive platform. 3D camera We never anticipated Nintendo incorporating this, and it really is cool. A simply capture tool allows you to line up and snap your chosen subject (with a stereo 3D viewfinder of course), and then you can view the images you've taken any time you want on the 3D screen, using the d-pad to adjust the parallax. It works, it's uncanny, and it's a great talking point. What you can actually do with these images beyond looking at them on the 3DS screen remains to be seen, and you can't help but wonder what plans Nintendo has for this. In the other demos and games there was no need for this at all, and Nintendo builds its machines to a cost: there's no scope in this company's masterplan for any superfluous tech. Gyroscope not compatible with 3D? Any kind of fast motion game using the sensors and gyroscope must surely be incompatible with the 3D screen, though, so the question is, why is the kit in there, and can it really be the case that Nintendo would allow non-3D titles to be released for the 3DS in order to best use the new sensors? Wouldn't this introduce a huge level of potential confusion for game buyers? 3D movie playback Another massive surprise in the 3DS package is the support for 3D movie playback. I had the chance to view two 3D trailers: Disney's Tangle and Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon. Oli pointed out that the 3D effect here is rather subtle, and so it is. There are two likely reasons for this. First of all, you're viewing the content off the back of playing video games which really exercise the full depth available. Secondly, these trailers were designed to be viewed on a honking great cinema screen, not a relatively tiny 3.5" screen! Thankfully I was proved completely wrong. Movies playback beautifully on the 3DS screen, and while the 3D effect is subtle, it only takes a short while to grow accustomed to it, and turning off the 3D functionality clearly impacts the image in a negative way. Just about the only criticism you can have is that the screen itself is very small at 3.5", so not exactly immersive for movie viewing. 3D slider Speaking of which, it is interesting to point out that the 3D depth slider doesn't work for movie playback, where you effectively get a choice of watching in either two or three dimensions with no tweaking of the latter. This effectively confirms that the 3D slider is computationally altering the twin in-game 3D cameras on the fly in actual 3DS software, and that the 2D mode most likely works simply by turning off the output to one eye and adjusting the cameras accordingly. 3DS is codenamed CTR confirmed the 3DS is indeed codenamed Nintendo CTR. That's what the debug game launcher code we spied on the development units said anyway. last word In many ways, this new device is classic Nintendo. It's clearly built to a cost and the chances are that the platform holder will be in profit on this unit from day one. Just like Nintendo DS in its day, the GPU is under-powered, but on the flipside this should help immeasurably in maintaining battery life. And again, just like classic Nintendo hardware, it has a concept that is way ahead of the competition. The 3D screen propels the visuals into a different league, it's that good.
D_prOdigy Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 I don't think 'underpowered' is the right word. Rather, they've clearly avoided making it 'overpowered', ie, top-end graphics, costing way too much, struggling to make a profit, crap battery life (read: PSP, 2005)
Cube Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 I've just realised that the 3DS is missing one thing: A 3D 3D platformer. Plus there's been no mention of any kind of Mario platformer. Surely a 3D 3D Mario platformer must be something they're saving to reveal at a later date? As they keep saying that that the 3DS is great at judging distances, it makes no sense that a 3D platfomer isn't in the works.
Retro_Link Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 I've just realised that the 3DS is missing one thing: A 3D 3D platformer.All we need now is for Rare to announce Banjo-Threeie-De-es-ie.
ssj Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 All we need now is for Rare to announce Banjo-Threeie-De-es-ie. After the fiasco from Rare this week I doubt we will ever see a banjo Platformer again. Unless Retro studios gain the rights to it.
tapedeck Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 After the fiasco from Rare this week I doubt we will ever see a banjo Platformer again. Unless Retro studios gain the rights to it. Fiasco? The sports game? Rare could develop for the DS so 3DS development may yet happen. Microsoft don't look like they are keen on bringing a handheld to market so it would be a brave and ultimately, smart financial move. We will see, but even though Rare have characters which evoke reaction from Nintendo gamers of yesteryear, they are a much changed company.
ReZourceman Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 Galaxy screams 3D, so I'd be surprised if we don't see SMG3 on the 3DS.
Dyson Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 It'd be great if other Game workers here could verify this but a friend in her staff meeting has been told about Nintendo sending units to retailers around the Christmas period (just the ETA they've got so far) like they usually do with new hardware to generate interest. If this is true and the signs do indeed point to early 2011 like the main site has an article on, what the fuck? I'd be rushing that shit out for the holiday season. I didn't see anything regarding this and was asking about the manager about the 3DS today. I'll have a look at the mails tomorrow. Sounds about right though!
mcj metroid Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 (edited) Mario Bros., Tennis, Super Mario Bros. The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Musasame, Punch-Out!!, Excitebike, NES Open Golf, Twin Bee, Super Mario World, Kirby's Adventure, Mega Man 2, Castlevania, Urban Champ, Kid Icarus, Yoshi's Island, and Smash Ping Pong in 3D... http://ds.ign.com/articles/109/1098405p1.html very interesting. I had not considered VC for 3ds yet Edited June 16, 2010 by mcj metroid
The Lillster Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 (edited) I've copied and pasted this off Neogaf. EA's Ryan Stradling : http://e3.nintendo.com/interviews/#/?v=interview_stradling Playing games is about playing games with my friends, and I want to know what my other friends are playing online. And that's going to give me the ability, and it's also going to let me know that - sports scores, because I'm interested in sports, exchanging achievements with other players. Because when you look at DS penetration rates, there are going to be a lot of friends to talk to and communicate with. To me, this could be the best Nintendo system ever. They've got decent to excellent 3rd party from the start, good graphics and now, by the sound of it, a decent online system (took long enough ). Edit: Just found out Dante has already created a topic on this. Damn you Dante! I'll leave my post here, just in case people would rather discuss it here instead. Edited June 16, 2010 by The Lillster
Strange Cookie Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 Maybe I'm not looking good enough, but... where's the mic?
ReZourceman Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 Maybe I'm not looking good enough, but... where's the mic? Below the bottom screen apparently/.
Strange Cookie Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 (edited) Below the bottom screen apparently/. True, I've just had a look at a higher-resolution screen, and it's indeed there. Guess I wasn't really looking good enough after all. Whoopsy. Edited June 17, 2010 by Strange Cookie
EEVILMURRAY Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 Will definately be importing one especially since the UK probably wont be getting them till next year. Cant wait. Fuck yeah. Do you think we're going to need a different charger than the SP one we could use for the original DS?
flameboy Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 well I was intially pissed off that so soon after the DSi that they announced a new system but I am totally bowled over by everyones positive responses to it. Any news on transferring dsi purchases? As I have a ton!
dazzybee Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 They said they're going to announce it at a later date. I'm presuming they will (will be pretty shocking if not) but I guess its difficult with having a new online system and set up and how tranactions work etc.
Cube Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=252248&site=cvg The Nintendo 3DS sports internal memory allowing multiple games to be stored on the handheld at once. That's according to Japanese financial paper Nikkei, which claims that though the feature wasn't given any airtime at E3 it will allow 3DS players to copy games to internal memory. This means that you'll be able to switch between games by selecting a title from the system's main menu, it says, so there'll be no need to swap cartridges or carry games. I wonder what kind of system they'll have to make sure people don't share games. Still, that's one fraction of the R4 card market now catered for.
Tyson Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 The 3DS looks so good out of the box, how are they going to make money on incremental upgrades like they did with the DS?
Tphi Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 The 3DS looks so good out of the box, how are they going to make money on incremental upgrades like they did with the DS? It looks good, sure, but it isn't perfect. Nintendo still haven't reach Apple's level of aesthetics.
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