# It's MY turn to play the 3DS!!



## Tyeforce (Mar 19, 2011)

Spoiler: And I finally have!











That picture was from the second time I played it. After playing it for the first time at Best Buy earlier this week, I went back twice to play it again. I just played it for a third time today. The first two times I played it, I only played a demo of Pilotwings Resort, as the system was locked into demo mode with only that game. But on my third trip I was able to bypass the demo and access the Home Menu, as well as all the other built-in games and features.

Anyway, first I'll talk about my first impressions and Pilotwings Resort. When I first ran up to the demo kiosk, I was so excited. I had just gotten out of the hospital, too, so this was real treat for me. And then I picked up the system. It was like magic, like looking into a little window. The sense of depth is just amazing. I could tell exactly where everything in the game world was, exactly how far it was from me. It was crazy.

I had no problems seeing the 3D, either. Well, after a moment, that is. When I first looked into the top screen with the 3D turn up to the max, it made my eyes feel kinda weird. It's like it was forcing my eyes to go cross-eyed. Actually, it was. I could see the 3D just fine, but my eyes needed time to adjust to the autostereoscopic 3D. But, rest assured, after a few minutes, my eyes adjusted and I had no further problems. I did lose the 3D effect by moving out of the sweet spot a few times, but the system being secured to the kiosk was to blame for that. Once I figured out that I could pick it up off the kiosk, though, I had no problems losing the sweet spot while holding it correctly.

As for the graphics, they were extremely crisp and sharp, especially with the 3D turned on. Pilotwings Resort looked on par with many Wii games. The 3D effect was mostly window-like depth in Pilotwings Resort, but the system is definitely capable of pop-out 3D as well. It seems that window-like 3D will be more prominent than pop-out 3D in most games, and for good reason. It works very well, and gives you a perfect sense of depth. Pop-out 3D is more for fancy effects and such, which is what most people are used to from 3D movies, so the 3D of the 3DS will definitely seem different than what you're used to.

The system itself was very nice. And the Circle Pad... It felt _perfect_ in my thumb. It's probably the best analog stick I've ever used (even though it's technically not an analog "stick", lol). The buttons had a great feel to them, as well. The Start and Select buttons were a bit awkward to press, but they're really not that bad, especially considering that they're so rarely used. The telescopic stylus was neat, and it felt good in my hands, though it was hard to use because it was tied to the system.

The color of the system was...interesting. It was an Aqua Blue model, and that's just what it looked like; very aqua-y. It's hard to explain the color, as it looks different depending on the lighting. It looks a lot like sparkly blue car paint. Kinda metallic, kinda glittery. I like it. Don't know if I'll like it more than the Cosmo Black one or not, though. The three layer design also looks really good, and the color tones blend nicely.

As for the game itself, it was pretty neat. Not much to it, but it's a demo after all. Reviews have stated that there is much more content in the full version, so I wasn't worried about that. Anyway, there were two modes you could play; Mission and Free Play. Each mode had you choose a guest Mii and one of three aircrafts; a plane, a jetpack, or a hang glider. Mission Mode had you flying on a set course through rings, while the other mode let you fly freely around Wuhu Island for a set time. The gameplay, while simple, was actually quite fun. The best part was seeing the environment around you in 3D, and feeling the depth. It's just something that you have to experience for yourself...it's amazing!

Like I said, on the first two visits I only played Pilotwings Resort. On my third visit, however, I was able to access the built-in features of the system. After checking out the Home Menu (which is really cool, everything is in 3D), I immediately launched AR Games. I had a picture of an AR Card ready on my iPhone and set it down on the kiosk, and the cameras detected the image with no problem! I played a little bit of Target Shooting and it was a blast! Even with the system tied down, I didn't have much trouble playing the game.

After AR Target Shooting, I went to Mii Maker and started to make a Mii. I used the face recognition feature, and...well, let's just say that I didn't keep the results, lol. That's not to say that the face recognition is bad, it's actually pretty accurate... But some Mii parts just don't go well together. XD

Anyway, after giving up on the Mii, I played a little bit of Face Raiders. I took a picture of my face before the game started, and my face popped out of the picture, donned a samurai helmet, and gave me an evil grin and flew off! Then I had to shoot down hoards of Tye faces that were coming out of the kiosk display as if it were liquid! And then they started shattering out of the display! Basically, it was really, really fun, lol.

After that I messed around with the 3DS Camera. First I merged my face with my boyfriend's face using the inner and outer cameras, and the result was...shocking. XD But the effect was done extremely well! It honestly looked like he and I merged, not just a bad Photoshop job. I was surprised that the 3DS's low resolution cameras could produce such a nice image. And then I took some 3D pictures, and I was wowed even more! Despite the low resolution, the 3DS pictures look very nice when viewed on the system, especially in 3D.

After that, some other people wanted to try it out, so I left it at that. I gotta say, though, I'm super excited for the day when I get to take home my own 3DS! It's truly an amazing system, and has tons of potential. If you're skeptical about it at all, go try it out for yourself! Seeing really is believing. If you want to try one out right now, many Best Buy locations already have demo units. And as the launch day approaches, GameStop should be getting their demos as well. I know that Toys "R" Us is expected to receive demo units on or after launch, too. If you don't think the 3DS is worth it, I highly recommend you try it out for yourself first. You may come back with a very different opinion.


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## Ron Ronaldo (Mar 19, 2011)

Oh man, that's awesome! I can't wait until I get my own. ^^ Congrats on being able to try one out.


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## Callie (Mar 19, 2011)

Nice! And now I have a better sense of the 3D, I thought it was gonna be all pop out. I'm still a wee bit confused, but you probably have to see it to fully get it. I'll have to try to find a demo, although I know for sure I'm getting.


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## easpa (Mar 19, 2011)

Wow, that sounds amazing! Hopefully I'll get to play a demo unit today.


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## Josh (Mar 19, 2011)

Nice one Tye, It's now making me want to actually get one...


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## Jas0n (Mar 19, 2011)

I still don't like the idea of it forcing your eyes to go cross-eyed, and them "adjusting" after a few minutes. Doesn't sound too healthy :l


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## JasonBurrows (Mar 19, 2011)

Jas0n said:


> I still don't like the idea of it forcing your eyes to go cross-eyed, and them "adjusting" after a few minutes. Doesn't sound too healthy :l


 True, true, but when your eyes are used to it, the top screen looks so clear that it looks like you are looking through an open window, at least that's what I thought when I tried it the second time around.


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## Jeremy (Mar 19, 2011)

Jas0n said:


> I still don't like the idea of it forcing your eyes to go cross-eyed, and them "adjusting" after a few minutes. Doesn't sound too healthy :l


 
I've heard people on the internet say that the slider is really useful because you can just turn the 3D down whenever your eyes are straining too much.


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## Jas0n (Mar 19, 2011)

Jeremy said:


> I've heard people on the internet say that the slider is really useful because you can just turn the 3D down whenever your eyes are straining too much.


 
But then, why have a 3DS at all? I can just stick to my regular DS and save my eyes in the meantime.


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## Jeremy (Mar 19, 2011)

Jas0n said:


> But then, why have a 3DS at all? I can just stick to my regular DS and save my eyes in the meantime.


 
I don't mean turn it off completely.  You can just put it to where you are comfortable.  

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/...-why-the-3d-slider-is-the-best-thing-ever.ars


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## Morkie (Mar 19, 2011)

You look like Harry Potter


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## [Nook] (Mar 19, 2011)

Jas0n said:


> But then, why have a 3DS at all? I can just stick to my regular DS and save my eyes in the meantime.


 
Because you can't play Paper Mario 3DS on a DS/DS Lite/DSi.


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## Bulerias (Mar 19, 2011)

Do people still think that the 3DS is just a DS with 3D?  I wish Nintendo would have totally rebranded it, seems like there's too much confusion all around.

And also, I wish I had that much fun with Pilotwings.  Hahahaha.

Edit - May as well repost my impressions in here as well.

Speaking strictly about the 3D effect, I found that it was very difficult to focus on. Your Mii/plane is very close to the screen while there is a fair amount of depth in the background. Unless you unnaturally relax your eyes, it's very hard to focus on both at the same time. 3D can only be effective if the user can forget about it, i.e., you shouldn't have to think about it.

Gameplay-wise, I wasn't thrilled either. Even though I like slow-paced games, the fact that there's a time-limit for each of the missions (and even in Free Flight Mode!!) totally ruins it. Why would you call it "free flight" and time it at 2 minutes? I know you can extend it if you run into white clouds, but I think it's still a pretty stupid idea.

Street Fighter, on the other hand, is a really beefy experience and apparently uses the 3D extremely well. Rayman 3D I'm getting only because I never played the game it was based on.


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## Jas0n (Mar 19, 2011)

Bulerias said:


> Do people still think that the 3DS is just a DS with 3D?  I wish Nintendo would have totally rebranded it, seems like there's too much confusion all around.
> 
> And also, I wish I had that much fun with Pilotwings.  Hahahaha.
> 
> ...


 
I understand that it is a new system, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't feel I'd get anything more from owning one right now than owning a DS. Maybe that'll change when console-specific games are launched that actually interest me.


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## Jake (Mar 19, 2011)

Sounds sexy, did you give blood?


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## Jas0n (Mar 19, 2011)

Bidoof said:


> Sounds sexy, did you give blood?


 
Gay men aren't allowed to give blood.


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## Jake (Mar 19, 2011)

Jas0n said:


> Gay men aren't allowed to give blood.


 
But he has a band-aid on his arm?


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## Jas0n (Mar 19, 2011)

Bidoof said:


> But he has a band-aid on his arm?


 
I'm sure there are plenty of reasons why you'd have a band-aid on your arm.


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## Morkie (Mar 19, 2011)

Jas0n said:


> Gay men aren't allowed to give blood.



That isn't true. It's only gay men who have had sex.


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## Bulerias (Mar 19, 2011)

Jas0n said:


> I understand that it is a new system, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't feel I'd get anything more from owning one right now than owning a DS. Maybe that'll change when console-specific games are launched that actually interest me.


You could use that line of reasoning for any new console when compared to a previous one.  After years of being on the market, the DS has an incredible library.  There are easily over 100 great games for the system.  You can't really compare that to something that's only just coming out.

The launch/summer lineup is looking pretty decent, though.  SSFIV, Dead or Alive, Resident Evil: Mercenaries, Shin Megami Tensei, and probably OoT and Kid Icarus...


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## Tyeforce (Mar 19, 2011)

Bulerias said:


> Speaking strictly about the 3D effect, I found that it was very difficult to focus on. Your Mii/plane is very close to the screen while there is a fair amount of depth in the background. Unless you unnaturally relax your eyes, it's very hard to focus on both at the same time. 3D can only be effective if the user can forget about it, i.e., you shouldn't have to think about it.
> 
> Gameplay-wise, I wasn't thrilled either. Even though I like slow-paced games, the fact that there's a time-limit for each of the missions (and even in Free Flight Mode!!) totally ruins it. Why would you call it "free flight" and time it at 2 minutes? I know you can extend it if you run into white clouds, but I think it's still a pretty stupid idea.


How long did you play the 3DS for? You _have_ to give your eyes some time to get used to this new way of viewing. And even then, not everyone will have the same experience, so even if you have trouble with the 3D, that doesn't mean everyone will. I don't. 3D affects everyone differently. Everyone's eyes are different.

And the time limit is only present in the demo, because, well...it's a _demo_. I don't believe it's in the retail game.

And can we not turn my thread into a ten page argument? Just putting that out there in advance, just in case.


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## Tyeforce (Mar 19, 2011)

Jas0n said:


> Gay men aren't allowed to give blood.


Wait, seriously? What the hell? Do they just automatically assume that every gay guy has AIDS or something?! >_> Anyway, that sucks if that's true. I've always wanted to give blood, but I never could because I don't weigh enough. Now I'll never be able to give blood, even if I do gain weight... ._.

Oh, and the Band-Aid is from the hospital. It's where they put the IV in me. =P


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## Tyeforce (Mar 19, 2011)

Jas0n said:


> I still don't like the idea of it forcing your eyes to go cross-eyed, and them "adjusting" after a few minutes. Doesn't sound too healthy :l


It doesn't really "force" your eyes to go cross-eyes, but your eyes will do it automatically at first. At least mine did, yours may respond differently. It's just because your eyes haven't ever viewed anything like this before, and they don't know how to handle it. But after a few minutes of play, your eyes should adjust just fine, and you shouldn't have the cross-eyed problem again. (Again, that's if your eyes behave like mine. It's different for everyone, but I'm not sure how different and it what ways.) Anyway, there's nothing non-healthy about it.


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## Bulerias (Mar 19, 2011)

Tyeforce said:


> How long did you play the 3DS for? You _have_ to give your eyes some time to get used to this new way of viewing. And even then, not everyone will have the same experience, so even if you have trouble with the 3D, that doesn't mean everyone will. I don't. 3D affects everyone differently. Everyone's eyes are different.
> 
> And the time limit is only present in the demo, because, well...it's a _demo_. I don't believe it's in the retail game.
> 
> And can we not turn my thread into a ten page argument? Just putting that out there in advance, just in case.


Never said that "everyone" will have trouble with the 3D.  I played the 3DS for 20 minutes.  The time limit _is_ in the retail game, please read the various reviews/impressions of the final retail copy.

Ten page argument?  So what would you prefer, a plethora of non-divergent opinions?  Not everyone is gonna be as thrilled as you were with the thing.  I'm still very excited about the 3DS and am sure that my experience with Pilotwings likely wasn't representative of the real thing, but still.


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## Tyeforce (Mar 19, 2011)

Bulerias said:


> Never said that "everyone" will have trouble with the 3D.  I played the 3DS for 20 minutes.  The time limit _is_ in the retail game, please read the various reviews/impressions of the final retail copy.
> 
> Ten page argument?  So what would you prefer, a plethora of non-divergent opinions?  Not everyone is gonna be as thrilled as you were with the thing.  I'm still very excited about the 3DS and am sure that my experience with Pilotwings likely wasn't representative of the real thing, but still.


I have read reviews of the game. I must've missed anything about the time limit, or it just wasn't brought up in the reviews I've read. Honestly, though, I don't see what the problem is with it. I'm sure it's in place so that you can't just fly all over every inch of Wuhu Island in one sitting. They want you do play through the various missions and explore the island with different aircrafts, so you get a longer, fully experience. And that's the way I'd rather have it, anyway. That's how I see it, at least.

And, yes, I'd prefer _my_ thread about _my_ impressions to stick to _that_ topic. I don't care if you have a different opinion and want to voice it, but I'd prefer that it not be posted _here_. I made my own thread for a reason. This isn't a general 3DS impression thread, this is a thread for _my_ impressions and for people to comment on them or ask questions regarding them. I'm not going into your thread and trying to pick an argument with you, so please don't do it to me.

And if you think a thread can only be worthwhile if there's arguing going on, then...well, I'm sorry that you have such a dreary outlook on life. People don't have to be arguing all the time. True, if arguments never took place, the world would never advance, but not everything has to be an argument in life, especially on a forum that's meant to bring people together with similar interests. I'd much rather just talk about the stuff I like with others who have similar opinions than argue with someone else over opposing opinions.


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## Morkie (Mar 20, 2011)

Tyeforce said:


> Wait, seriously? What the hell? Do they just automatically assume that every gay guy has AIDS or something?! >_> Anyway, that sucks if that's true. I've always wanted to give blood, but I never could because I don't weigh enough. Now I'll never be able to give blood, even if I do gain weight... ._.
> 
> Oh, and the Band-Aid is from the hospital. It's where they put the IV in me. =P



Yep, it's true. Their reasoning behind it is something like "Gay men have a higher chance of having aids." Which that really wouldn't matter, because don't they test the blood for diseases before they can use it? This world is so ****ed up.


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## Jas0n (Mar 20, 2011)

Tyeforce said:


> Wait, seriously? What the hell? Do they just automatically assume that every gay guy has AIDS or something?! >_> Anyway, that sucks if that's true. I've always wanted to give blood, but I never could because I don't weigh enough. Now I'll never be able to give blood, even if I do gain weight... ._.
> 
> Oh, and the Band-Aid is from the hospital. It's where they put the IV in me. =P


 
It's atleast true for the UK, I'm not sure about the US though I assume it's the same. The reason it's done is to reduce the risk of the blood carrying viruses, studies have apparently shown allowing gay men to give blood increases the risk five fold.


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## Bulerias (Mar 20, 2011)

Tyeforce said:


> I have read reviews of the game. I must've missed anything about the time limit, or it just wasn't brought up in the reviews I've read. Honestly, though, I don't see what the problem is with it. I'm sure it's in place so that you can't just fly all over every inch of Wuhu Island in one sitting. They want you do play through the various missions and explore the island with different aircrafts, so you get a longer, fully experience. And that's the way I'd rather have it, anyway. That's how I see it, at least.
> 
> And, yes, I'd prefer _my_ thread about _my_ impressions to stick to _that_ topic. I don't care if you have a different opinion and want to voice it, but I'd prefer that it not be posted _here_. I made my own thread for a reason. This isn't a general 3DS impression thread, this is a thread for _my_ impressions and for people to comment on them or ask questions regarding them. I'm not going into your thread and trying to pick an argument with you, so please don't do it to me.
> 
> And if you think a thread can only be worthwhile if there's arguing going on, then...well, I'm sorry that you have such a dreary outlook on life. People don't have to be arguing all the time. True, if arguments never took place, the world would never advance, but not everything has to be an argument in life, especially on a forum that's meant to bring people together with similar interests. I'd much rather just talk about the stuff I like with others who have similar opinions than argue with someone else over opposing opinions.


 
Oooookay, if you think I'm "picking an argument" by voicing my opinion, then I'm out.  Just keep in mind that making a thread isn't the same as posting through LiveJournal with comments disabled.  Haha.


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## Tyeforce (Mar 20, 2011)

Bulerias said:


> Oooookay, if you think I'm "picking an argument" by voicing my opinion, then I'm out.  Just keep in mind that making a thread isn't the same as posting through LiveJournal with comments disabled.  Haha.


I never said that you voicing your own opinion was picking an argument. It wasn't until after I asked that this thread not be turned into a ten page argument that you actually started to argue. Before that, we were just discussing our different impressions.

And it's not like I'm wanting this to be a blog post with no comments, so don't give me that bull****. I _want_ friendly comments and discussion, but I _don't_ want arguments.


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## Biochao (Mar 20, 2011)

Found a nifty map of Best Buys with a 3DS Demo Station. You can also add locations that aren't on there.


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## [Nook] (Mar 20, 2011)

Tried it today.

There was a line of 17-year olds.
Fortunately, one of them was nice and let me try first.


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