AbleGamers Reviews the Nintendo 3DS

{sidebar id=1}Well, the 3DS is finally here. Ever since the promise of glasses-free 3D I was looking forward to getting it in my hands. I've had mine for about two weeks now and it's time to break down the hardware and run it through the accessibility paces.

The 3D effect is really neat, but thank goodness they implemented the slider. With 3D pumped to max I occasionally (depending on the game)  have a hard time focusing on everything that's going on. I can keep one thing in focus, but everything else isn't. With the slider at a little under halfway I felt very comfortable gaming for extended period of time. Even if you find out that the 3D just isn't for you, you can turn the slider all the way down and play every game in 2D.

The first thing most people will notice is that the layout is a lot like the previous DS iterations we've seen over the years. This means that if you had any troubles holding the device or reaching any buttons previously, you will have the same problems with the 3DS. The biggest addition is the "Circle Pad" where the D-Pad used to be, and the D-Pad has been moved down a bit. The Circle Pad has effectively replaced the D-Pad as the few games I've played almost exclusively use the Circle Pad for movement instead. The Start and Select buttons have also been moved to below the touch screen, and the Power button is where the Start button used to be. I'm not sure what Nintendo was thinking with that one, as I've accidentally turned off my 3DS when I wanted to pause it a few times already.

The bottom screen (the touch screen) is the just about the same exact size as the DS Lite's screens (a bit more than 3 inches diagonally). The top screen on the 3DS, however, is bigger than it's touch screen, measuring about 3 and a half inches. This isn't quite as big as the DSi XL's screens, which are about 4 inches each. Those with low vision should keep this in mind when deciding on a 3DS.

Something that stood out to me immediately is that the Power LED indicator is blue when it has plenty of battery, instead of the green on the DS Lite. It then turns red when the battery is low. For colorblind gamers like me, it is great to be able to tell when my 3DS is actually running out of battery. The green to red change of the DS Lite's indicator left me with quite a few lost play sessions. You can also hit the Home button at any time during a game and look at the visual representation of the battery life if you so choose.

On that note, it's important to remind everyone that the battery life of the 3DS is approximately 3-5 hours, depending on your settings. I've tested this and that seems pretty accurate. If you put your 3DS into sleep mode in between play sessions though, you can play short bursts for days. Likewise, you can leave the 3DS in Sleep Mode for days without it shutting off, in case you like to carry it around for its Street Pass functionality.

The 3DS comes packed with a lot of fun software right out of the box. Besides a packed in camera, pedometer, and sound recorder, there is also a title called Face Raiders, Alternate Reality (AR) games, and Street Pass games.

Face Raiders is a shoot-em-up that uses your real life environment as the level, and your face (or someone else's) as the enemies. First it takes a photo of your face and creates a floating head out of it that becomes the enemy. You must then shoot the enemies using the A button while looking around by moving the 3DS itself around you. I had no problems playing the game with my right hand only, but found it very difficult using only my left hand. There aren't any instances within the game that rely on color or sound to differentiate anything, so colorblind gamers will be able to play the game with ease. Mobility will be an issue for anyone that has difficulties rotating themselves alongside the 3DS in order to find the enemies to shoot. The game is pretty forgiving as to how accurate you have to be to shoot the faces, as they're pretty big most of the time.

The AR games are contained within a card that comes with the 3DS, and plays very similarly to Face Raiders. You look around your environment shooting things or accomplishing other tasks like fishing.  You can also take photos and use character cards to put people like Link or Samus into the photo with you. The accessibility is the same as it is for Face Raiders since they play so similarly.

There are two Street Pass games, one of which is a "puzzle" and the other is a turn-based RPG. Street Pass is when you have your 3DS closed in Sleep Mode and you pass by someone else with their 3DS closed and in Sleep Mode. Your Miis then "meet" each other and you will be able to see them in the Mii Plaza and use them for the games. The "puzzle" is just squares of a picture you unlock as you meet people with Street Pass. There's no real game here, just the slow unlocking of a picture. The RPG is very much a game, albeit a very slow paced one. As you meet people via Street Pass, they will help you clear out rooms of a dungeon to save you, the king. Each Mii you recruit will be able to fight for only a little bit before getting tired or retreating, so you only really play this game for a minute or two at a time. Since it plays just like a turn-based RPG, the game is very accessible to all, allowing you to play at your own pace and choose your commands whenever you want with no time limit. I've only had limited playtime with it, but I experienced no audio cues or color confusion. It should also be noted that you can use Play Coins to complete the puzzle or "hire" fighters in these games. Play Coins are earned by walking with your 3DS (or putting it on a washing machine!) and you earn one coin for every 100 steps, up to ten per day.

Overall, the 3DS is just about as accessible as its predecessors. The screens are smaller than the DSi XL, but bigger than the original DS Lite's. The overall layout is almost exactly the same though, so be sure to keep that in mind. The 3D affect is nice, but can be hard to maintain at certain times, especially while moving the device around. Luckily, you can turn it off at any time.

Also, if you'd like to add my Mii into your 3DS, just scan this handy-dandy QR code with your 3DS!