Features// Nintendo 3DS: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

No Killer App: Every Nintendo console has launched with one game that has defined its purpose. A title that will make you crap your pants and shout ‘Yes! This is the hardware I am looking for!’ Unfortunately, not even UK marketing manager James Honeywell could tell me what game could be considered the 3DS’ killer app. Kid Icarus: Uprising is a great title. Ocarina of Time 3DS will be awesome. Steel Diver unexpectedly stole the show. But there isn’t a high-profile title that convinces me that 3D is a necessary evolution in the future of handheld gaming.


The Ugly

The Price: Baulk. The 3DS contains a truckload of new, innovative technologies that most likely justifies the rather extravagant £230(-ish) price tag. But this is a big financial hurdle to jump for many cash-strapped gamers, and could be a deal-breaker. It doesn’t help that 3DS software will likely retail close to Wii titles and that the pricing structure for the digital 3DS Shop still hasn’t been revealed. If there’s no killer app for you, gentle reader, you might soon end up paying more than you think the device is worth.

Version 1.0: Although Nintendo has taken a few design cues from the DSi, there’s no mistaking that the 3DS isn’t exactly the hottest looker in town. Indeed, it’s a bit of a chunky bugger, and is reminiscent of the first design of the original DS ‘Phat’ before its elegant Lite revision.

I wasn’t able to perform a ‘pocket test’ (reps would have naturally thought I’d try and do a runner), but it looks like the handheld would be a bit bulky for the average hipster’s pair of scrotum-squeezing, gender-changing jeans. If you’re not entirely sold on the device, it’s only a matter of time before Nintendo will produce a flashier-looking portable in a year or so’s time anyway.

Slowdown: This isn’t very noticeable in most games (and in some titles I’m not even sure if this even applies) but turning on the 3D capabilities of the device will have an impact on framerate for the most demanding games. As you can probably conclude, this includes fighting games, which rely on precise timing for combination moves. Dead or Alive: Dimensions suffered marginally with the 3D cranked to full blast - certainly enough to affect your input accuracy.

Third Party Support: Getting three of the largest Japanese publishers to support new Nintendo hardware with core games is no trivial feat, and certainly a commendable accomplishment. But other publishers also need to make the same commitment, and there have been no signs that a wave of change is happening worldwide.

SEGA and Traveller’s Tales had a minimal presence with Super Monkey Ball and Lego Star Wars III, and you couldn’t seem to pull Ubisoft away from the 3DS - but beyond the usual DS-friendly software, how much are these guys willing to commit to the device? EA will most certainly build a version of FIFA for the handheld - will it also be bolder in its 3DS support than it has been with the DS?

Nintendo’s Third Party Approach: This needs to be addressed before any real developer culture change can happen with future Nintendo platforms. Traditionally, the company has a very relaxed stance to third party relations. Satoru Iwata has said that it needs to encourage more support to satisfy core user demand, but from what I’ve heard things don’t seem to have changed an awful lot.

If nothing else, Nintendo needs to lead by example - ports are all well and good, but if the platform holder isn’t helping its third parties understand exactly what new concepts could be imagined using the 3DS hardware, the handheld will soon be in a situation akin to the Wii today - copycat casual games and a smattering of core titles every other month.


Is the Nintendo 3DS worth your cash?

Ultimately, the decision is yours. My job here is simply to offer my thoughts and allow you to make your own informed choices on whether the 3DS is right for you. Personally, I think the pros for Nintendo’s latest handheld outweigh the cons - the technology is simply incredible for a consumer device and there’s a lot of potential for some really innovative games.

I saw a real spark of genius in Steel Diver and the Augmented Reality software, but I see the current launch line-up as a taster of what could be, rather than a magnificent starting point for a brave new world of gaming. At the end of the day, you’re clearly getting your money’s worth for £230 from a technology perspective - but the games need to be a real showcase of that technology, and I don’t think I could justify the price in that regard.