[Review] Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS has been out for a while now, but I want to kick off my reviews with this.

Overall, I was impressed with the 3DS when I first got it. The graphics were better then I expected (Although not up to par with the Vita), and the 3D wasn't as gimmicky as I originally thought. I had fun playing through Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, and the buttons feel as great as I would have expected from a Nintendo handheld.

The circle pad is a great addition to to the console, although I think that most people would agree that there should have been two. (In fact they made an accessory that adds a second one.) The one it does have, however is a joy to use, and seems to be really well designed. There is one gripe I have with it though. I loaned my 3DS to a family member for a few weeks, and when I got it back, the circle pad stuck. I came to find out that there is a plastic (I think it's plastic at least) film under the circle pad, and it somehow got ripped. I know that it is likely on my family member and not on Nintendo, but it still put me off to a slight degree, because I hadn't had it long when this happened.

The 3D adds to games in a very unexpected way, because it's not traditional 3D. To me, the 3D gives the allusion that the screen is not there, and adds an extra sense of depth. Because of this, it can sometimes, if your really immersed give the allusion of something popping out at you, but not really often. As I stated, I think the main reason for it is because it adds an extra level of immersion.

Other than that, the handheld is a joy to use. I like it just as much as my old DS lite, although, why not, when I can play all of my old games along with some awesome new ones?

Oh yes, one more gripe. If your using the 3D functionality the battery tends to drain pretty fast, so I would actually recommend against using it when your not able to charge the 3DS for a long period of time.

Overall, I would say that the 3DS is a worthy successor to the original DS, although, it might be wise to wait for a redesign, unless you really, really want one. I would give this model a 7/10, but if redesigns fix my few issues (only one circle pad, short battery life) I will score it higher.