Round Table: 3DS Staff Reactions

Nintendojo staff members sound off on 3DS.

By Nintendojo Staff. Posted 06/16/2010 06:54 9 Comments     ShareThis

E3 2010 Round Table: 3DS Reactions

At long last, we’ve been given a glimpse of Nintendo’s latest handheld, 3DS. With games from Nintendo 64 such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and StarFox 64 being given the 3D treatment, as well as a slew of both new franchise entries and original titles also having been confirmed, there is plenty to keep gamers talking. Is 3DS something for us to get excited about? Or does its future look flat? The Nintendojo staff weighs in on Nintendo’s latest handheld.


Greg Wampler

……..how many periods is too many? I need to know because I am speechless and don’t want to take up the page. I want one. Right now. 3D or no 3D, I’m sold. I wish I could have been at the show, I should be at the show, so that I could see the 3D effect, but whatever. It doesn’t matter. The hardware is there, the innovation is there, and best yet, the software is there. Nobody knows how to make a handheld like Nintendo, and although I have always loved this darn company and it’s hardware, they have really outdone themselves. You can really tell that they learned from every mistake they ever made.

I mean, there are interviews with developers where they straight up tried out the 3DS and were wowed to the point of asking Nintendo to make games for it. Not the other way around. Not to mention some of the developers were making games ONLY for PSP and non-Nintendo consoles before. This is the start of a great new generation of Nintendo handhelds. I would also like to thank Nintendo for apparently listening to our podcast and bringing classic 2D games like Mario Bros. and Punch Out!! for the NES and showing me that they can be redone in 3D and even look great! Nobody knows if these classic games will be brought to life, but at least they showed the idea is there and possible. This may also lead to my theory of a Virtual Handheld service like Virtual Console, but for old handheld games.

Other than that, Kid Icarus is a must buy and Metal Gear Solid looks fantastic! And that’s without 3D! The best part is, I have always nagged about 3D needing glasses and here’s the answer to it! Even movies can be watched on this thing and the analog slide nub is yet another innovative control scheme. Nintendo, touche. I bow to the king of handhelds. My money, is yours. One last shout out is to Ocarina of Time for being remade… IN 3D!. Awesome, just awesome.


Andy Hoover

Nintendo’s entire press conference made me feel like a giddy school girl, when they got to the 3DS is was in absolute Nirvana, and as more news about the software started to show up after the show my joy rose to a level just shy of having a heart attack from sheer excitement. To put it lightly, I can’t wait for 3DS.

First, let’s talk about the system. I like the idea of having the 3D slider to customize the intensity of the experience from person to person, I don’t think anybody foresaw the ability to play 3D movies, and the 3D camera was another surprise beyond cool. And then there are the graphics, without 3D you can already tell 3DS is a major step up from DS and even though I haven’t seen the 3D visuals for myself, I’ve heard plenty of first impressions from developers and journalists alike and have yet to hear a single disparaging remark. Every response has been more than simply positive, those lucky enough to experience 3DS in person have been genuinely amazed and excited by this product.

Kid Icarus: Uprising

And then there are the games, and let me start off by saying something — never has eating my own words been so thoroughly enjoyable. Looking at it now, reviving the Kid Icarus franchise by making it the killer app for a brand new system is probably the best way to make it immediately viable; and not only does Kid Icarus: Uprising sport amazing visuals, but the gameplay looks incredibly fun. The rest of Nintendo’s offerings also have me excited, especially the promise of remakes of Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time, my all-time favorite game. Most important, though, is the third part support, entries from the Resident Evil, Dead or Alive, Kingdom Hearts, Street Fighter, Sims, Tom Clancy, and Metal Gear Solid franchises and the expansive list of companies signing up to develop for 3DS proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the industry is excited by the system and that there should be plenty of games to prove gamers of every mold.

Now all we need is a release date and price.


James Stank

I don’t think anybody had any idea how good Nintendo’s conference was going to be. Sure they had their expectations, and even I believed they had an Ace or two up their sleeve… but not three, or four, or five… you get the point. Nintendo’s conference blew expectations out of the water and has already become one of their best ever. Nintendo knew it was all about the games and they revealed way too many to name here. It was totally unbelievable.

It’s also really amazing to see the 3DS getting so much support at launch when the DS didn’t get any. There are going to be tons of hardcore titles right from the get-go. As far as the 3DS is concerned, I’m really looking forward to the new Resident Evil and Kid Icarus games. In 2004 we learned that Reggie was about kicking ass, taking names, and that Nintendo was about making games. In 2010, Reggie kicked alot of ass, took plenty of names, and Nintendo showed that they are still about making games.


Robert Thompson

Any initial reservations I had of 3DS– of which there were certainly few– flew right out the window. Nintendo is going all out for 3DS, guns blazing at rapid fire, and I couldn’t be more excited. StarFox 64 3D, Paper Mario, and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time should have any classic gamer’s heart going pitter-patter just as mine is right now.

3DS Blue

It’s a shame that those of us at home can’t really experience the 3D effect here at home, because from what I hear it really is all that and a bag of chips. But at this point, I don’t need that: sure, it sounds like it will be awesome, but with Nintendo releasing such amazing software– just the first- and second-party titles are more than enough to have me pumped– I’m already more than excited. It will be nice to know a price point and release date though, so I can know how much I will be spending and when: I’ll be in line for this baby when it comes out.


Joshua Johnston

Nintendo had a pretty simple strategy for both The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and 3DS at their conference: show them off in detail during the press conference and then be certain that the press got a chance to go hands-on with them before they left the auditorium. This strategy probably saved Zelda, because the on-stage demo was a disaster (probably caused by infrared interference from the crowd) and the hands-on session let the media see what the game really could do. 3DS also benefitted from both in that media present got both background on the system but also got a chance to see with their own two eyes the system’s 3D capabilities. So far, the near-unanimous consensus is that the 3D effect works much better than anyone expected, which is astonishing considering that (unlike what Sony showed on PS3 at their presser) no glasses are required.

Clearly there’s a lot to be excited about with 3DS. The system has all sorts of improvements over DS, including more powerful graphics, widescreen on the top screen, always-on Wi-fi, an analog nub that is reported to be better than that on PSP, dual cameras to achieve a 3D effect, and, of course, a 3D display with a slider to adjust (or eliminate) the 3D effect. The Kid Icarus trailer was a bombshell on two fronts, both with the resurrection of the franchise and the graphical improvements it showcases. Just as importantly, the lineup of games coming to 3DS represents the best in the business — Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Street Fighter IV — and is sure to help Nintendo continue its dominance in the handheld market.


What do you think? Sound off in the comments below, or comment in our forums.

9 Responses to “Round Table: 3DS Staff Reactions”

  • 1379 points
    xeacons says...

    I don’t want to sound inappropriate here, but I DAMN NEAR HAD AN ORGASM! Not just the 3D screen, but 3D camera(s)?! Take that, dual-cam , 4th gen iPhone! Photography’s a hobby of mine! I have to have one! And you guys complained on the podcast about lack of a second analogue stick. Who needs it when you can steer with the gyro! In your face Sony! One word to E3: Nintendowned!

  • 3 points
    EMaster says...

    There are some unanswered questions about the device that I wonder about. Like how much is it going to cost, when is it coming out, what kind of resolution are the 3D pics, are the 3D pics viewable on any other 3D capable device. I also need to have this thing in my hand as there is no way anyone can view video of the unit and have it look the way it does in person.

    I did like Nintendo’s approach towards more 2D, retro style gaming and DKC is enough for me to give the Wii another shot. Also, a lot of the stuff that I liked was not featured in the keynote but in the press kit there after. I hope the 3DS makes an appearance at FanExpo in Toronto in August so I can get my own hands-on.

  • 3 points
    Ace Harding says...

    Nintendo blew my mind! I didn’t expect so much goodies from Nintendo’s E-3 showcase and the icing on the cake came after the conference was over with Ninty’s confirmation that OOT 3D Remake was in fact a true game and not just a tech demo! DKC 4 on Wii,Resident Evil 3DS with graphics on par with RE5,the rebirth of Kid Icarus after 20 years as a launch title for 3DS,MGS3: Snake Eater 3D remake,Starfox 3D Remake,and add to that 3rd party’s mega support for 3DS!

  • 135 points
    juno2023 says...

    “Donkey Kong Country Returns” definitely has my attention, though I must admit I’m looking at it as Donkey Kong’s own “New Super Mario Bros. Wii.” In other words, I’m going to be waiting for Donkey Kong’s own “Super Mario Galaxy.” And why not have the guys behind “Super Mario Galaxy” make it anyway? They already made the stellar “Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat.” In any case, it’s nice to see Donkey Kong get some love– as well as Kirby, for that matter!

  • 0 points
    says...

    Did anybody else hear about the Purple and Orange/Gold (unknown by photo the acutal color) 3DSs? Scroll down abit on http://www.wiinintendo.net and you can see them. They look interesting and I have no idea if they are real or if it is just one image recolored.

    • 360 points
      M. Noah Ward says...

      Hey there! Yes, there are colored prototypes of the 3DS in clear acrylic cases. The demo 3DSs are glossy all black (and highly fingerprint prone), but then there are colored ones sitting in cases next to the line where folks have to wait to get to the demo area. There are four shades of 3DS models– teal, orange-gold, red and purple. I think what’s most striking about these, aside from how bright and intense the colors are, is the metallic finish themselves. They’re not the subtle, “car paint job” metallic fleck like the red DS Lite that was bundled with Brain Age. These are almost mirror-like, metallic finishes, more akin to old Matchbox cars from the ’70s and early ’80s. For those of us here at the show, our favorite color is unanimous: the purple version. It’s not a pastel purple (or “indigo”) like the GameCube was; this is intense, Grape Crush soda can purple. Of course, just as I loved the red and lime green Wiis that were initially shown at that console’s unveiling, we’re probably unlikely to see these flashy finishes anytime soon. Perhaps we’ll get a launch like 3DS– a black version, and a bright colored version. C’mon, purple…

    • 360 points
      M. Noah Ward says...

      P.S. I got a video of all the different colored prototypes. We’ll try to get that up soon.

  • 318 points
    Greg Wampler says...

    Star Fox 64 3D: Peppy says, “do a 3D barrel roll!”

  • 75 points
    FiVeL says...

    SSFIV N3Ds!!!!

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