Nintendo's 3DS hits the UK

Written by Kevin Leathers on 25 Mar 2011

At last, March 25th has rolled around and Nintendo has released its latest handheld console to the gaming masses. Sporting glasses-free 3D, more power under the hood and better integrated online options, quite simply it is going to be a major jump from the good old DS. But what does that mean for anime fans? Well, let’s take a look at some of the games that have been announced for the 3DS and also some of the features that may very well have an impact on the average anime fan.

The 3DS hardware

Let’s dive in headlong and see what the actual handheld console will be like. The first major thing that is sure to annoy regular importers from the land of Japan is that this is the first Nintendo handheld that will have region-locking. This means that only games bought in Europe will work on a European machine; the same applies to US and Japanese consoles as well. Games like Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan on the DS were discovered by importers and proved so popular that Elite Beat Agents managed to make it to English speaking territorie, so we could be missing some seriously great Japanese games.

Obviously the big inclusion with the 3DS is the glasses-free 3D. We’ve all been to the cinema wearing those goofy glasses to watch films like Tron Legacy that do more to give you a migraine than actually prove to be eye-popping. With the 3DS, no glasses are required - you just need to be in the right spot and away you go. There is the issue of the “sweet spot” where the 3D can be seen; move out of this spot and the 3D effect is lost, but move back into it and away you go. So with games that make use of the 3DS’ tilt sensors, this can be annoying. Thankfully Nintendo have given us the option to completely turn off the 3D effect should you need it with a handy little switch on the side of the screen. Whether 3D becomes a prominent feature with developers using it in interesting ways will have to be seen.

One major thing that will no doubt please many is the debut of the handheld version of Nintendo’s Virtual Console service. Currently it will start off supporting only Game Boy and Game Boy Colour titles with Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awaking DX leading the charge. The service won’t be available until late May along with the Shop, but hopes are high that the Game Boy Advance will also be thrown into the mix. Having the likes of Golden Sun, Mario & Luigi, Sonic Advance and Warioware will no doubt please many.

The 3DS will also be backwards compatible as well, so all your DS and DSi games will work in the machine. DS games will remain region-free as they were on the DS, but any DSi games that were region-locked will also be locked on the 3DS. There have been mixed reports about the DS' backwards compatibility, with the hardware being emulated on the 3DS system, which has doubtless thrown up some problems. No doubt an exhaustive list of games affected by the 3DS' DS emulation will arrive soon after launch, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for that.