Nintendo 3DS

I am a fan of the Nintendo DS and have owned just about all of them - upgrading everytime a new one comes out (except for the DSi XL, which I didnt see the point of). I used to spend alot of time on trains or buses so a DS was perfect for passing the time.

When I first heard about the 3DS i was a bit sceptical of a handheld 3D console, and im not the biggest fan of 3D films or games anyway. However I was impressed by this - but that novelty soon wore off and I ended up leaving the 3D permantly switched off and just using it as a normal DS console.

The Appearance...
The 3DS is definitely the nicest looking of all the DS's, particularly now they have brought out a wider range of colours. Upon release it was only available in blue and black, but now you can get red, white and pink, with a purple one rumoured to be released soon. There is also a limited edition black and gold Zelda one, but as far as I know it was very limited and is now very hard to get hold of. It has a very sleek design with a high gloss finish so it looks a lot more 'modern' (for want of a better word) than the previous DS's which tended to look a bit cheap and plasticky.

The 3D...
This really was a revolutionary console as it has 3D capabilties which really do work. There were alot of complaints upon release about it giving people headaches and even nose bleeds. I would say that the 3D is not for everyone, especially people who wear glasses. I found that I could see the 3D fine, but some games use it better than others. When I say 3D i dont meant that characters and objects from the game jump out at you, but rather the games have a certain depth to them that made it appear 3D. As recommended by Nintendo, dont sit and play 3D games for hours as this would start to hurt your eyes and probably give you a horrible headache, as it strains your eyes. This doesnt meant that you can only play on your DS for half an hour at a time however, the 3DS has a slide bar on the side that allows you to alter the intensity of the 3D or turn it off altogether - you can still play your 3DS games, they just wont be in 3D.

The cameras...
The 3DS has three camera's in all. One on the inside above to top screen and two on the outside for taking 3D photos. I was too impressed with the 3D photo capabilities as they often turned out to be a bit blury and the quality of the camera isnt that great. If you want a decent camera however then buy a digital camera - as this isnt what the 3DS is designed for - its just an added extra feature.

Backward Compatibility...
The 3DS can play all your old DS games as well as the new 3DS releases, so if you decide to upgrade you can still keep all your old games. You can also download most of the old Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games from the Nintendo store straight to your 3DS - which you couldnt do for any of the older models.

So to summarise...
The 3DS really is a great console for all ages, there is such a wide range of games available from Professor Layton to Super Mario. It is comfortable to hold and has loads of extra features to keep you interested. As I said earlier, the 3D aspect is revolutionary but I very rarely use it, prefering to play my games in the usual 2D. I would recommend this console to anyone who enjoys old nintendo classics such as Super Mario, Kirby or Zelda, and for those puzzle game fans out there for games such as Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright. Or for anyone who does alot of commuting or travelling on public transport - this definitely makes the journeys more bearable!