You need to hold the device directly in front of your face, at comfortable reading height, to get the most out of the effect. The 3DS employs a parallax barrier set-up, which consists of an LCD display overlaid by a film lined with precise slits – these direct slightly different images to the left and right eye. The 3.5-inch top screen offers a resolution of 800 x 240, but because of the way the 3D technology works, it's actually 400 x 240 twice: each scene is rendered two times – one for each eye. There's not a huge amount of information available about the tech specs of the 3DS, though it uses an ARM processor (just like most smartphones and Sony's forthcoming NGP console) and features a motion sensor and gyroscope for movement controls. On the right side of the upper screen there's a slider control, allowing users to adjust the intensity of the 3D effect – you can move it all the way down to 2D if you fancy, which is handy if you DO start suffering from stereoscopic sickness, or if you want to hand it over to your kids to play (Nintendo recommends that children under six do not play 3D titles.) The technology The whole system handles a lot more like the PS3 XMB or Xbox 360 menu – or indeed, a smartphone – and it's clearly an attempt to make the 3DS feel more grown-up and multi-functional.Īround the sides, you'll find an SD card slot (perfect for saving photos, music and other stuff), a slot for game carts (it'll play both 3DS and DS titles), a stylus port for the system's neat telescopic pointer, two really small shoulder buttons and a headphones socket. On the right are the usual Y, X, B and A buttons for gaming, while other functions like Select and Start have been moved under the screen along with a new Home button, which returns you to the 3DS main menu, pausing your game or application while you're there. Also, just in case you need it, the 3DS does have a d-pad, too – though it is tiny and a bit awkward for those of us with thumbs like Glamorgan sausages. This works especially well with games that offer a full 360 degrees of movement, like the flight sim Pilotwings Resort. On the left of the bottom screen is the new analogue thumb pad, which slides pleasingly around, providing a greater array of movements than the old cross-shaped DS d-pad.
Inside, there are some important changes to the controller set-up.
It's slightly heavier and a bit smaller than the DSi and has a rather tacky gloss finish, which makes it look even more toy-like, but this is very much yanked from the same mould as the manufacturer's previous handheld series. There's no getting away from it – boasting a diminutive dual-screen clamshell design and a handy stylus for the touch-sensitive lower display, the Nintendo 3DS looks an awful lot like the Nintendo DS.
Well, let's flip one open and have a darn good look…
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