Nintendo 3DS: Commonly asked questions

With the 3DS coming soon and with quite a few people talking about it I thought I'd go through a few common questions.

How does 3D work?

This diagram I found on Tom's guide explained it well:



So effectively when in 3d mode a barrier thats sitting on top of the display splits the light so that it creates 2 images, beucase each eye sees a different image it creates the sense of depth.

People's depth perception differs though, how can it work for everyone?

Well it can't but Nintendo have thought about this and added a slider that lets you adjust the depth.

What games should I look out for?

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3d:
A remastered version of the N64 classic, for those who haven't played it yet they're going to be in for a treat, anyone who has can look forward to some epic battles in 3d.

Super Street Fighter 4 3D:
A port of the popular console games things could look really nice in 3d. Most interesting is the addition of “figurines” these you can collect through the course of the game. As you pass people in the street who also own this game your figurines will engage in combat. You won't have to do a thing except check the results when you next look at your 3ds.

Resident Evil Revelations:
A sequel to Resident Evil 4 it follows Jill Valentine and Chris Redfields actions as memembers of their counter terrorism group. Hopefully it will bring back the suspense of the original games whilst maintaining the slick play style of Resident Evil 4.



Of course there are the likes of Nintendogs but those 3 really caught my eye.

What other cool features does the 3DS have?

Quite a few but here are the top ones.

3D photograhy; Thanks to the dual front facing cameras you can take 3d pictures.
3D film: Cleverly Nintendo have included an expandable sd slot, while it comes with a 2gb card you can add more and store any of your 3d films on to watch while on the move.
Street Pass: As mentioned above, your games can interact with other people's on the move.

Are the games region free?
Sadly not.

When will it be out in the UK?
March 25th

How much will it cost in the UK?
HMV have them marked down as £230 so expect something in that region.

Can I play DS games on it?
Yep the 3DS is backwards compatible but don't expect your old DS games to magically go 3D.

How powerful is the 3DS?
It's still not clear but early impressions indicate that it's at least as powerful as the Wii.

Can I play 3DS games on the DS?
Sadly not.

Hopefully thats cleared up some confusion. If there's any questions I've missed feel free to ask them and I'll do my best to answer them.