After a year since its release, Pedro finally witnesses a 3DS in action.
It's funny how things work in life sometimes. Despite me writing for the site for a long time now, detailing previews and news stories about the 3DS, I had yet to see what the 3DS was all about. In other words, I had never seen a 3DS, much less held one, until very recently. The reason why I still don't own one is simple: when it first came out it was too expensive, and when my job ended in the summer of 2011, I couldn't afford it.
But thanks to some great students of mine at my newest job, I was able to see what the 3DS was all about. When school was out, a couple of my students were playing with their systems. I politely asked them to show it to me. The very thing I decided to check out was the fabled glasses-free 3D. When the 3DS was first announced, I found it very hard to believe that the handheld would be capable of pulling off such a feat. Even when people said that it was amazing, I still found it to be hard to believe.
Now that I have seen how the 3D works and, well, color me impressed! The 3D screen really does look great! It's amazing how it is able to switch to 3D mode with just the turn of a switch. The game I was seeing at the time was Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition. It was a bit surreal seeing a game I was so familiar with on the home consoles on the small yet impressive screen. The 3D visuals in particular really sold the game to me.
But with all the amazing technology in display, there was a downside to all of it: the very advertised side effects of 3D gaming. After a minute or so of 3D display, my eyes started to hurt a bit. I've been told, however, that the effect wears off after a while. Still that was a bit concerning.
But it was time for all of us to go home, so my time with the 3DS was over. Two minutes barely scratched the surface regarding the 3DS's features. I only got to briefly see the Home Menu and a bit of a demo, so I can't exactly give out a full set of impressions on the system. Still, based on what I saw, I understand all the hype behind it. Hopefully I will have a 3DS by the end of the year. I will then offer my full set of impressions on the relatively young handheld.