Posts tagged handson
Hands-on: 3DS hardware and gaming impressions
Jun 16th
We got our hands at Nintendo’s press conference, but it wasn’t exactly a proper hands-on. It was just a simple demo to basically show that it works. Well, I just waited in a huge line that snaked around Nintendo’s E3 booth for over an hour to spend some quality time with the 3D gaming platform. Simply said, it works as advertised.
Hardware impressions:
- It’s a similar shape and size as a DSi Lite.
- The top 3D screen is bright and high-resolution (800×240 resolution)
- Surprisingly good 3D viewing angle, +/- about 30% on the vertical and horizontal axis
- The analog stick is on a nearly-flat plane, rather than on a convex shape like a Dual-Shock but works very well
- No would say anything about battery life, screen maker, CPU or anything technical
Gaming impressions
- Nintendogs – Nintendogs in 3D. That’s about it.
- Kid Icarus: Uprising- Could be the must have title, engaging and fun
- Mario Kart 3DS – Some of the best 3DS graphics
- Star Fox – Born for the 3DS, but the demo wasn’t that impressive
- Metal Gear Solid – I don’t know, I couldn’t see the 3D
- 3D camera – just a 3D camera
The last point is important. I sometimes have a hard time seeing 3D effects and I guess the 3DS’s screen isn’t any different. This was the only game/ demo where the 3D stereo image didn’t converge properly like a Magic Eye poster that doesn’t want to come into focus. apparently couldn’t see Star Fox in 3D. Our issues probably aren’t isolated incidents. It’s likely a common occurrence but hopefully the bugs will be worked out before launch — whenever that is.
Overall though, I must say the 3DS is impressive. The view angle is great, the graphics are a lot better than on the current DSi, and the 3D works like Nintendo said it would. What more can you want?
Best Buy opens first UK store in Thurrock, we go hands-on (video)
May 1st
Ah, there it is, , officially born at 7am local time yesterday. Naturally, we had to be there to witness such magical moment for Britain’s consumer tech market — the Brits had longed for an injection of energy and professionalism to the seemingly slacking chain stores. Many would agree that DSGi’s two main brands — Currys and PC World — are on the naughty list, even after their recent relaunch. From what we saw today, it looks like Best Buy’s already heading in the right direction. Let’s start with the front-line employees. Most of these Blueshirts provided genuine technical answers rather than bluffing their way out, plus we were given product recommendations with no desperate sales pitch as commonly seen in other stores. When we revealed our identity to one of the sales reps, he confirmed that they are trained to not force random products onto customers — quite the opposite culture to his old days at DSGi (assuming he was telling the truth). We sure did appreciate this new-found shopping freedom in gadget stores, but did the other customers feel the same way? Find out what we heard after the break.
Gallery:
originally appeared on on Sat, 01 May 2010 05:30:00 EST. Please see our .
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