This weekend I picked up Nintendo\u2019s New 3DS XL (yup, that\u2019s the real name). \u00a0Most online sources were sold out, so I schlepped around Silicon Valley until I found one at a store. \u00a0It had been a while since I purchased something like this at a physical store, and I was pleased with the experience. \u00a0Everyone was friendly and helpful (big thanks to the guy at the Cupertino GameStop who called several nearby stores until he found one in stock and convinced them to reserve it for me!). \u00a0It would have been nice for someone to mention that these devices do not come with a power cord. \u00a0Back in the car and out to a nearby Fry\u2019s for a power cord so I could charge this puppy up and get a look at glasses-free 3D. \u00a0And, as long I\u2019m already in Fry\u2019s, why not pick up a larger SD card too?<\/p>\n
Back at home with the amber charging light warmly glowing, it was time for initial configuration. \u00a0No problems, very intuitive, and easy enough to type with the stylus. \u00a0I like the fact that they spread out the tutorial info by sporadically sending a notification that explains a single aspect of the system. \u00a0Of course, the user is greeted by the standard chirpy Nintendo color schemes and sounds.<\/p>\n
One system update and few hours of charging later and I was finally ready to see what this thing\u00a0could do. \u00a0Note: yes, I could have tried a game during charging, but I wasn\u2019t sure about positioning the device in front of my eyes and the power cord was plugged into an awkward spot in my house.<\/p>\n
So, how is the 3D experience? \u00a0I was immediately blown away. \u00a0It works. \u00a0I tried tilting a little to the side, moving my head a little, repositioning the device a little bit. \u00a0It worked. \u00a0It all worked. \u00a0The little speakers on either side of the device also make a convincing three-dimensional sound. \u00a0I thought it might feel like a gimmick, but most games acquire a sense of depth that adds to the immersion. \u00a0The device is peppy and responsive even with 3D turned on full blast.<\/p>\n
What didn\u2019t I like about the device? \u00a0Watching Hulu Plus or Netflix is a bit of a let down compared to the retina screen on my iPad or phone. \u00a0This doesn\u2019t affect the games much as they as designed for a smaller screen at this resolution. \u00a0The depth and music and gameplay pull you in, and it\u2019s easy to forget the graphics are at all underpowered. \u00a0No issues there.<\/p>\n
Biggest surprise? \u00a0The 3D works and feels right in the games. \u00a0Ocarina of Time now looks how I always imagined it should look. \u00a0Little flecks of dust and pollen float across your field of vision, seemingly out of the screen, and lend a sense of being in the forest. \u00a0This is how RPGs and fantasy games should be played.<\/p>\n
Second biggest surprise? The games catalog is fantastic. \u00a0If you like these types of games (Nintendo first-party, casual, platformers, RPGs, especially JRPGS), you will have no problem finding many great titles to play.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m pleased to see Nintendo getting something so right. \u00a0I have a WiiU, but it mostly sits unused between the one or two Nintendo first-party releases each year. \u00a0The PS4 and Xbox One get much more use. \u00a0But, I had always heard the Nintendo\u2019s strength was in handheld gaming, and now I can see why.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This weekend I picked up Nintendo\u2019s New 3DS XL (yup, that\u2019s the real name). \u00a0Most online sources were sold out, so I schlepped around Silicon Valley until I found one at a store. \u00a0It had been a while since I purchased something like this at a physical store, and I was pleased with the experience. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13],"tags":[16,15,14],"class_list":["post-47","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-games","tag-devices","tag-games","tag-nintendo"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brianpagano.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brianpagano.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brianpagano.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brianpagano.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brianpagano.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brianpagano.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48,"href":"https:\/\/www.brianpagano.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47\/revisions\/48"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brianpagano.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brianpagano.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brianpagano.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}