At their press conference today, Nintendo showcased their new 3DS handheld, and surprised the entire conference by giving us a chance to play it immediately. This was what I was most curious about that was to be at the show, and I shot straight for the queue. After some line hijinks, I got a chance to take it from a lovely booth babe's hands and interact with it. And I gotta say, it. Is. Awesome.
I was only convinced that the 3D effect would be pulled off when I saw it myself, and I was surprised by just how good it looked. The difference between games we've been seeing and playing all this time and Nintendo's new console are clear, and it really looks good. There's a slider on the side of the top half of the console that lets you see the adjustment for yourself, and sliding it is like grabbing the depth and pulling it apart with your hands. The background melts away and the characters come to life.
There are some limits though. Looking at the top screen from an angle destroys the effect, and you need to be facing straight at the screen, which makes the inclusion of a gyroscope and motion sensor technology a bit strange. Also, there was no actual game on display. The demo we saw was of several Smash Melee-style trophies slowly rotating with background effects. They looked to be some of the best graphics I've seen on a handheld to date, and the one of Link on a wasteland with ash falling all around him comes to mind. Unfortunately, the only actual interaction was though the analog pad, which rotated the trophies. Micah and I have it on the high authority of the booth babes literally tied to the system that there will be a game playable on the show floor, contrary to Mr. Fils-Aime's assertion during the conference. We also got no information on release, pricing, or any games being developed besides the new Kid Icarus title on display during the conference.
I'm personally stoked to see what is made of this console, and though we haven't seen anything as far as what gameplay mechanics will take advantage of the new hardware, I can't help but think it will be something memorable. Stay tuned for more.