It also seems like Nintendo re-inforced their crew, as there were so many booth staffers that they actually formed a human barrier for people to get from the line to the 3DS demo area. Sadly, photography was not allowed inside the demo area (not that it would matter since you have to see the 3D in person anyway).
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The Demos
Few games were actually playable, but there were several trailers on display. Playable games included Pilot Wings, Invaders(?), Mario Kart, and Nintendogs. They also showed 3D trailers for Kingdom Hearts (clips from previous games), MGS, Kid Iccarus, and a few others. It was hard to see everything there was to see in there because there were so many people inside, but I did notice a 3D trailer for How to Train your dragon.More like 4DS
Most of the stuff on display was pretty cool, but two things in particular got me very excited for the 3DS: First, there was the stereoscopic camera. As you may have heard (or noticed) the 3DS has TWO cameras facing outward, these are used together to take pictures in 3D. It's as straightforward and cool as it sounds. You can adjust the focus and not much else, but it is only a prototype at the moment, so that may change. The second thing was this awesome tech demo that used 3D with augmented reality. In short, you focus on a card on the table, and stuff comes out of the card that you need to shoot. We've seen this tech in eye toy, but 3D takes it to the next level. You actually aim at the targets with the 3DS cameras, you point and press A to shoot, some targets required you to literally move the camera around the real-world object, which translated into the virtual world. After shooting the targets, a dragon popped up that you could shoot, move around and dodge. It's difficult to describe, it's just one of those things you have to see in person to truly appreciate. The potential of that technology is very exciting.
The Design
The device itself was very comfortable, and instantly familiar to anyone who's used a DS Lite. The Nintendo rep was quick to point out that the design was NOT final, therefore subject to change. The little thumb stick slider thing (the official name escapes me at the moment) felt very smooth, and responsive. On the right side of the top screen (the 3D screen), you can adjust the intensity of the 3D effect with a slider and even turn it off (more on that coming up). The top screen looked very good in its own right, even without 3D on. I messed with the 3D slider on just about every demo/video I got my hands to to test out the difference.
On 3D
Not having the glasses is definitely a nice change, but if you've seen a movie in 3D over the last year or so, you can expect the same effect sans the goofy shades, so if you're not in love with the effect, this will do nothing to change your mind. I was not a fan of the 3D in certain demos. Kingdom Hearts was a big disappointment, the 3D was just too much, and it was hard to focus on the screen at times. Kid Iccarus was probably the best example there of 3D, it was showcased very well in the short clip (same as the trailer from the Nintendo Conference), with clouds in the distance appearing far away as if there was another world inside the screen.Show me the money
Some rumors were claiming the 3DS would match the Xbox and PS3 or at least come close in terms of graphics, and while the graphics are a huge step up, they are nowhere close to home-consoles, which is hardly a complaint, as those rumors seemed too good to be true to begin with. From what was shown on the floor, the graphics are right in line with the PSP on some titles, and slightly better on others. Movies looked great with and without 3D. As with most Nintendo products, if you're focusing on the graphics, you're totally missing the point. I'm not one to buy into the Nintendo PR, but this is one case where Nintendo has truly done something innovative, and not just... different.
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