Nintendo and their user training

So it's almost 3 weeks in for my 3DS ownership.... and about the 3D..... since I first saw it (which was only when I got the system) I've liked it. I have not experienced eye-strain or tired eyes or any of those symptoms that many complain about from the 3D. In fact, the 3D for the most part is comfortable with the exception of one 3D picture I took where I did a close-up of my action figures and really played around with the adjustable 3D camera setting-- I shifted it all the way to the right I think-- way beyond what was recommended... anyway, for some reason when I first look at that one pic, it HURTS my eyes, it takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust. That's the only picture that affects my eyes in that way.

BUT... what I'm finding very vexing about the 3D is the EXTREMELY NARROW viewing angle of it. I'd heard a lot about that so I was prepared, but it is *extremely* narrow: With full 3D on, once you're in the sweet spot... if you move your head only ONE INCH to either side, it destroys the 3D effect. There is no middle ground, either the 3D effect is perfect or double images.

So the 3DS demands that you play it completely rigid with no movement of your head or the console itself. It's a big demand on the player.

I think back about the Wii, and how the Wii remote makes demands of gamers and developers. Wii owners have to accept that aiming in first-person shooters isn't going to be as sharp/quick as using an analogue stick to control camera movement. The Wii controls in general are not as fast as a Xbox or PS3 type of controller.

Nintendo is really re-training owners to adapt to the specific limitations of their systems. And with the 3DS viewing angle, it really gets me down sometimes. THAT is what gets me tired out, not the 3D itself but that it has to be perfectly still to work at all.

Although all 3DS games have the limited viewing angle, some games are worse than others. Pilot Wings Resort looks awesome in 3D, but the viewing angle is noticeably worse than my other games Super Monkey Ball 3D and Ridge Racer 3D. I don't know why. It's honestly very frustrating.

My previous handheld systems have all had pretty good viewing angles, and I never really had to think about the micro-movements I made while playing them.

That kind of ease of play is gone with the 3DS, just as the ease of play that gamers used to using a dualshock or Controller S disappeared when handed a Wii remote. The limited 3D viewing angle really sets up a barrier to enjoyment of the system.

I think about the problems that new forms of control or user interface present; like touchscreens such as on the iDevices or my phone. Before getting my phone in Dec 2010 I had previous experience with resistive (ugh) touchscreens but not much with capacitive (awesome) ones. But I found learning to use/navigate my phone via the touchscreen to be a very smooth & intuitive experience. So I don't think that it's simply a new form of interface which is Nintendo's problem. The 3D is just more difficult.

The bottom line is that this form of no-glasses 3D is very "prototype-y". I don't know how to improve the 3D but it seems like it needs very badly to have an improved viewing angle. I'm sure Nintendo is working on their next iteration of the 3DS already... if there is a way to improve it I guess they will. If so, I imagine this current 3DS will end up as obsolete as the original DS.


later
don

The 3DS reception

Yeah.... what a day! I've been ticking them off since the announcement of the Nintendo 3DS, what was it, 9 months ago? More? Wow.

So I woke up this morning really early, like 5:30am.... I *wanted* to sleep in more, but I just couldn't. Today was like Xmas, only with 3DS-- which would make Xmas (or anything) SOOOOOOO much better.......

Although, I have been wondering if perhaps my abundant use of handheld devices before sleeping is causing (or at least contributing to) my sleep disorders. I usually watch video or play some games on one of my various handhelds an hour before going to bed. Ever since hearing about that study that links the 2 has me thinking. I dunno.

Anyway, I waited for Future Shop to open at 10:00am to pick up my shiny aqua blue Nintendo 3DS. I had no idea what kind of reception would greet me.... I hoped there wouldn't be a mob, but this is the first console I've ever bought at launch.

So I get there, and... the store is practically devoid of customers. More disturbingly, it's almost bare of any 3DS info at all aside from a few cardboard displays that don't tell you any real info.

*Sigh*... I could go into a long story about the incredible lack of training Future Shop employees seem to (not) have. Suffice to say, after over 30 minutes, I was able to pick up my PRE-ORDERED, reserved-for-me-literally-with-my-name-on-it 3DS. And do you know how many people were in front of me that it took so long? 100? 200?

Try 6. Yeah, like six guys waiting before me, sorta being served simultaneously, and after being bounced through 3 FS employees they were finally able to ring up my 3DS & have me on my way. Lord, how lame *IS* this company????

So there was no mob. At least not here in my small town. This was definitely not the iPad 2. I can't imagine what the FS here would've done if there WAS a mob for the 3DS here.... if they can barely handle 6 people.....

I went to an EB Games and another Future Shop later in the afternoon & there seemed to be ample supplies of 3DS's sitting in the glass cases. So I wonder if perhaps this launch isn't going to be as good for big N as past ones. I think maybe their lack of mainstream promotion hurt them-- I only started seeing vague 3DS ads on TV starting about last week? But much more of a factor is also the cost of the system & lack of killer app software launch titles. I suspect they overestimated how much the general public is willing to pay for a gadget like this.

I bought Pilot Wings Resort, and I've decided to buy Steel Diver & Ridge Racer 3D, but I will wait until April 15 & use that coupon I snagged to help ease the financial pain a bit.

It's a really beautiful system, I love the blue colour, and the body is sorta sparkly like some PSPs (like the gray PSP-2000 that was packed with Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters) a mother-of-pearl pattern if you will.

It's surprisingly heavier than the DS Lite, but feels pretty good in the hands. Very glossy, the inside panels are very glossy & shiny and the bottom outside panel is shiny but not as slippery feeling-- not quite matte, but grippy.

Playing DS games on the 3DS - This has been a big concern of mine since hearing the reports about fuzziness because of upscaling. So far I've only played Plants vs Zombies on my 3DS, and I have to say... it looks almost exactly the same as on my DS Lite to me. I did scrutinize the details of the characters.... let me say that the DS version of Plants vs Zombies is sprite-based so the characters are a bit pixelated... let's be honest: while some games can look great for what they are, the DS has never had the the best graphics. The 3DS may smooth out some of the pixelization, if anything this makes the game look a bit better. But like I've said, I really like how upscaled GBA games look on my phone, so maybe I'm not the one to ask about this. But from what I can see initially, I'd be very happy to play DS games on my 3DS. I still have to try more games to give a final verdict though.

Anyway... I don't have any pics & I'm still playing around with the system so I'm not ready to get into the nitty-gritty of things yet.

The 3-D is nice, but it's not earth-shattering. How I predicted it would be is more or less how it is. To recap:

Here's how I think the 3-D will look like with the 3DS: imagine the screen being a box, about 1 inch deep. Now imagine the objects in the box-- let's say Mario in a Super Mario Bros. game-- look like paper cutouts, placed at different depths within that 1 inch box. Nothing comes OUT of the screen, just like actors don't leap out of the stage onto your lap while performing a play.

The 3-D effect does come out of the screen a little bit sometimes, but it's bad when the object borders the screen edge because the illusion cuts off, undermining the 3-D when it does this.

It's not that different from 3-D theatrical movies, aside from the lack of glasses (which is a small but significant point) One thing that about 3-D theatrical movies is that I find they're a bit dark; I wish they were more well-lit sometimes. And the 3DS screen feels this way also. I have the brightness up all the way, but when it comes to screen brightness, this is no DS Lite.

I will say this about the 3-D though-- in Pilot Wings Resort it *is* helpful, at least to me, because the added depth contributes to the gameplay. Is it absolutely necessary? I could play it without the 3-D. But to those who keep saying that 3-D isn't necessary.... you know what? Stereo audio isn't "necessary" either. Mono sound is as functional as stereo. It does the job, you hear the sounds. But stereo improves the listening experience, sometimes minimally sometimes vastly. I'd say the same about 3-D on the 3DS.

The big complaint is the battery. I've just put it in its cradle for it's second charging session today. I charged it early afternoon and by about 7:30 pm the red charge-me light was on. This is very PSP-like-- in a BAD way. But I discovered something about the wireless switch, it's a slider similar to the PSP, but it's NOT up=on/down=off. No, it's spring-loaded, so you flip it up, it goes back down. So the same flip either turns it on or off. I spent most of the day not realizing it was on. There are a multitude of various indicator lights on this thing, and so I'd probably have turned off the wireless earlier and I wonder how much that affects battery life. With the PSP & PSPgo, it's a significant drain, I'd say the wireless on those systems takes up 1/3 of the battery time if on constantly. I especially notice it with the PSPgo using bluetooth a lot. If you're not out in public hoping for a StreetPass encounter, or you have a specific need to be wirelessly connected (updating or whatever) then there's not much point in leaving it on.

So yeah, just my initial thoughts on day 1 of Nintendo 3DS ownership. It's a sweet system.


later
don

E3 2010 coming soon

I've been looking forward to the news to come out of this year's E3 for months.... obviously for me, the big bit of news I'm most looking forward to is more info about Nintendo's 3DS.

At this point, nobody knows how it will work, really. But it's scary how LITTLE gaming websites actually know about 3-D in general. Even scarier when tech sites like Engadget also show little/no knowledge of the tech.

I'm certainly no expert, but I have seen the no-glasses-3-D in action, at the Shanghai airport last year. I've also seen the glasses-required-Samsung 3-D-TV on display at Future Shop. People keep comparing all 3-D to the movie Avatar... but if you've actually seen a few sources of 3-D on a smaller scale, you'd realize how idiotic such comparisons are.

Here's how I think the 3-D will look like with the 3DS: imagine the screen being a box, about 1 inch deep. Now imagine the objects in the box-- let's say Mario in a Super Mario Bros. game-- look like paper cutouts, placed at different depths within that 1 inch box. Nothing comes OUT of the screen, just like actors don't leap out of the stage onto your lap while performing a play.

I suspect the 3DS will just make it look like the screen has a bit of depth behind it. It won't be revolutionary, but maybe that will be kind of cool depending on if the developers have enough imagination to make use of it.

I have to admit I can't remember exactly what the images on the "no glasses" 3-D TVs at the Shanghai airport looked like, whether they popped out of the screen or what (I think they did, a bit) but I do distinctly remember that the glasses-required Samsung 3-D TV only had a "inside a box" effect when playing Monsters vs. Aliens.

The other big news *might* be the announcement of PSP2. But it's so iffy that Sony will drop the announcement at E3, it's hard to have my hopes up. I'd like to see it, I think it's PAST time they released a truly next generation version of the PSP, with **TWO ANALOGUE NUBS ALREADY**.....ahem. Sorry, but come on. We all know it should have them. That's the single biggest mistake Sony made with the PSP, and considering all the mistakes they have made, that's saying a lot.

Because of those 2 news items, this E3 is my most anticipated in years. I sure hope they don't disappoint.


later
don

3DS - new DS to be revealed at E3?

Wow-- the inturwebz are totally buzzing about a new DS coming... tentatively called the "3DS".... it's basically supposed to be a DS with 3D technology. And according to the reports, you're not going to need special glasses to view the 3D. Neat!

[Joystiq link]

That's one of the things that really bugged me about CES last January; all the supposedly-cutting-edge 3D TV technology required the viewer to wear glasses to see the 3D images. When I was in China, I was in an airport-- I think it was Shanghai-- and they had 3D TV screens above the Customs check through, that you could see the 3D *without* using special glasses. I couldn't spend much time watching it, so maybe it would hurt your eyes to watch it for too long... but it seems like it can be done.

Though that would be my concern about a "3D DS"-- would it be comfortable to play it for long periods or would it give you headaches? 3D in general seems far too gimmicky to be a viable step forward in technology.


We'll find out more about the 3DS at E3... 3 months away.... hmmm.



later
don