How 3D Buffs Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the New Nintendo 3DS XL

For as much as I drool uncontrollably around high-tech stuff, I would never consider myself to be a "first adopter" of technology. I'm more like a "better-late-than-never adopter". Case in point: My recent purchase of the New Nintendo 3DS XL handheld gaming console.

I have been eyeing over the 3DS for some time, and for an obvious reason: It's the only video game console ever made that enables 3D gaming without the need for special eye wear or other extra equipment. This isn't like other 3D gaming products that require additional hardware to work (e.g., NVIDIA 3D Vision, Oculus Rift, etc.); instead, everything that's needed to play games in 3D--and games that use augmented reality (AR)--are included in the 3DS.

What finally convinced me to make the commitment actually came from the many articles I've been reading about virtual reality (VR) over the last few months. High-quality VR isn't going to be affordable for another few years, and the companies that are involved in this technology have yet to determine which VR platform will be the most profitable. Further complicating the picture is the mixed reality (MR) format, a burgeoning format that allows for both AR and VR. Whether MR systems will overshadow VR exclusive systems remains to be seen.

The Nintendo 3DS AR cards in action.

From my first VR system, I've been leaning towards something that would involve a smartphone, something like Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear. The problem with smartphone VR it requires a phone that has a gyroscopic sensor; my current phone doesn't have that and those that do are more expensive than most others (starting in the $150 range). So instead of coughing up money for a new smartphone that I didn't need just to experience some rudimentary, entry-level VR content, I opted for the 3DS, something that can already provide 3D games and some AR features.

I did have some hesitations about investing in yet another gaming console. Yet while I was writing my last post about Nintendo games and VR, it occurred to me: If the video games that I had in my collection were movies, then I would have already exchanged them with available 3D Blu-rays. Thus, why shouldn't I do the same with my video game collection? Sweetening this deal was the fact that I didn't have to spend anything extra to get a 3DS: I swapped some older gaming stuff I had lying around at a local gaming store for a used 3DS and two used 3DS games.

Even though Nintendo just had a blockbuster year with its new Switch console and the 3DS is on its way out, I can see why 3DS has had such a long lifespan. Even though it's a portable console, it has so many extra features that it puts many home consoles to shame. Not only is it reverse compatible with games from its immediate predecessor (the Nintendo DS), it also shares many of the same online features as the Wii and Wii U consoles.

Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS.

Yet being the kind of nerd that I am, the 3DS impresses me the most as a satisfying example of 3D entertainment. The two games that I picked up--Star Fox 64 3D and Mario Kart 7--both look fantastic in 3D. I also downloaded a demo of Resident Evil: Revelations, and it looks just as phenomenal in 3D. Adding 3D to these games really enhances the game play: It improves your understanding of the amount of depth there is within the game environment, and to make choices within the game to improve your chances of advancing to the next level.

Of course, like watching 3D Blu-rays on HDTVs, some of the same rules apply to using the glasses-free 3D on the 3DS. It works best when used in a room with dim lighting (or no lighting at all), and you'll notice ghosting effects if you're too close to the screen. Even with the improved 3D viewing features of the "New" 3DS model, these rules are still in play. But the 3D value of the 3DS console doesn't end with gaming--it also includes a 3D camera feature that can take 3D photos and 3D video. I've used this feature and even though the image resolution isn't the best, it's a great way to become familiar with taking pictures that make the most of the 3D option.

As I've commented before about modern gaming consoles, it's amazing how they all have to include features other than video gaming (e.g., internet browsing, video watching, etc.) in order to remain competitive. With the 3DS, Nintendo included a basic 3D camera as part of this console, something no other console (portable or otherwise) has done. As far as I know, this is the first time in decades that a 3D camera has been sold to the public at a reasonable price. High-quality digital 3D cameras are on the market today, but their pricing is so high that only fervent photography buffs with deep pockets would be interested in buying them.

Star Fox 64 3D on the 3DS.

Believe it or not, 3D photography used to be very popular in the U.S. According to the book Amazing 3-D by Hal Morgan and Dan Symmes, 3D cameras were a hit with average consumers during the 1940s and '50s. Hollywood royalty such as Fred Astaire and Cecil B. DeMille lent their names to promotional campaigns for 3D cameras, and President Eisenhower took many pictures with his own 3D camera both before and during his time at the White House. In fact, the popularity of 3D photography among the public was one of the reasons why Hollywood started making 3D films in 1952.

I was still growing up when Nintendo scored its first major hit with the NES console in the mid-80s, but I never would have guessed that this would be the same company that would embrace 3D enough to provide both glasses-free 3D gaming and 3D photography in a single product. Even though Nintendo hasn't announced anything about a VR console yet, I can't wait to see what it comes up with when it does. If you're a 3D aficionado and you haven't picked up a 3DS yet, do so before they disappear. You'll be glad you did.