3DS – A Step Forward?

 

In 2004, Nintendo gave us a touch screen. In 2006, Nintendo gave us a motion-controlled remote. And now, in 2011, Nintendo is giving us a special effect.

The DS and the Wii really felt special. They allowed us to interface with our beloved medium in new and exciting ways. They were a step forward for video games and how we interacted with them.

This is why I feel no excitement for the 3DS. There is no step forward here, only a nifty effect and a substantially lower battery life.

Is this really the way to go? 3D, as neat as it is, is only an aesthetic effect. It adds virtually nothing to what it is applied to. Sure, it gives movies on the silver screen more depth, image-wise. But does it make movies better?

Which brings me to my point, I suppose. The 3DS is being touted as an amazing device capable of bringing 3D to the palm of your hand, minus the goofy glasses. But is that really a substantial development for video games?

I think not. While some may feel that 3D is not only neat, but immersive as well, I feel that 3D is simply a way of charging a premium on what we already have.

Take Super Street Fighter 4: 3D Edition, for example. Ostensibly a port of the same game released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 released last year, it brings to the table a new viewing angle -positioned directly behind your fighter- designed primarily to demonstrate the 3DS’s stereoscopic 3D effects. But, does this add anything to the game? Does this make the fighting seem more real or tangible? Does this make the game better?

Of course it doesn’t. It is what it is: a way to show off the 3D effects of Nintendo’s new handheld.

It’s also a way to explain why you shelled out $250 for a handheld device that does nothing incredible beyond providing its users with a very complicated optical illusion.

Why Nintendo, the purveyors of new, exciting technologies and game-play possibilities, would be so taken by 3D is beyond me. Outside of adopting it for the monetary benefits (just look at 3D movie ticket sales for a good example), I see absolutely no reason for the good folks at Nintendo to have bothered.

Needless to say, I’m not at all excited about the 3DS. If I really want to be entertained by a special effect for 2 hours, I’ll simply go to my local movie theater and sit through one of the many 3D movies Hollywood has been shoving out for the past 8 years.

At least, by doing that, I’ll save $238.50.