A Shocking Revelation

Are you standing up?  You might want to sit down.  Are you sitting down?  You might want to stand up.  Do a few stretches, maybe a jumping jack.  (A few calisthenics never hurt anyone.)  Ok, sit back down: I'm about to drop a big reveal on you ---

I got a 3DS for Christmas.  You may recall Debbie's take on the 3DS being a money suck, and my opinion that, although Nintendo is my soul mate, I wasn't behind the 3D thing.  At all.  And that leads us to the next big reveal ---

The 3DS hasn't sold me on it one bit.

It's pretty, but there's not much behind the looks.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not hating.  I am glad to be a 3DS owner.  In fact, there are a lot of things that I really like (I'll get to those in a moment) - but the fact of the matter is the "draw" is supposed to be the 3D aspect, and it kind of sucks.  If it is on you have to be holding the DS at the perfect angle to see it, blah blah, all the things you have already heard.  It's a total pain.  And if anyone else is playing and the 3D is on and you try to peek over their shoulder and see what's up, prepare yourself for some vertigo, my friend.

Of course, stacked on to those issues is the fact that physiologically I can't see 3D.  When I first got it, charged it up, and turned it on I tested out the 3D capabilities.  I couldn't tell a difference.  My hubby and brother-in-law could see it though, so if you are not dimensionally-challenged it'll be a better experience for you.  That said, my 3D dial is firmly in the "off" position.  I went into parental controls and blocked it, but then every time you want to load a game you have to enter the pin number and that is a total pain, so whatever.  I think my kids only turn it on by accident every now and then.

On other bummer before I get on to the things I like: I didn't get any games with the system, so I've depended on the downloadables and, finally, got Nintendogs & Cats (full review to come later).  I wanted a game to really see the 3D effects but, as I stated, it doesn't change much for me.  I suppose there are a few more shadows?  Idk.  I have been scouring stores to get Super Mario 3D Land but it's sold out everywhere.  If you have a copy, give it to me.

Face Raiders - shooting your friends is fun!

Ok - things I like:  The browser is convenient, especially if you're familiar with the Wii.  The one thing I don't like is the loss of the little slider so you actively have to scroll through each page to go through the icons.  Whatever.  And I love the games it came with.  The AR Cards are neat to play around with and having a game or your favorite characters come to life in your living space is so fun.  Face Raiders is also enjoyable, and comes to life in the space around you, although it can be a little dizzying to play.  But can I just say that I lost the system to my children the minute they found out it had Netflix capabilities?  So cool.  I think my littlest is under the impression I bought it so that she could watch Tangled over and over.

I originally planned to talk more about Nintendogs in this blog, but like I said, the full review will just have to come later.  My thoughts on the 3DS have overtaken me.  I like the system, am glad to have upgraded, and can't wait to get my hands on upcoming titles like Paper Mario and Luigi's Mansion 2.  Hell, I can't wait to get my hands on current titles.  Super Mario 3D Land you will be mine.

3D Gaming First Hand

My uncle owns a high end A/V store complete with a full living room display containing a massive 3D TV. After lots of begging and negotiating, yours truly was allowed to do a little gaming. I played Black Ops on Xbox for three hours in Stereoscopic 3D. No more speculation. No more assumptions. Here is what's up.  

Ready ? Its f**king difficult. Like, really f**king difficult. I was playing the solo campaign on normal and having some legit trouble. The first noticeable problem was where to sit. The whole idea of 3D is to make the experience more engaging; to really engross the viewer in what is going on. But you have to sit uncomfortably close to get that sensation. With a video game where enemies are coming out of all corners of the screen, sitting four feet from a 60" TV is not comfortable.

After about five minutes of sitting up close, I backed up to 7 or 8 feet away. It still took me around ten minutes to get used to the additional dimension and find my groove. Even then, I had problems. It was hard to find and keep my eye on the targets, the crosshairs, the HUD, everything. I did a little research and found the root of my problem. The eyes, and more importantly the brain, take three times longer to recognize an object in 3D than in 2D when its on a screen.  When the images are forced out of alignment (that's how they create 3D), your brain has to fight to put the images back together. When the brain is done auto-correcting, you have a picture in all its 3D glory.

Your brain hates this.

This whole process takes an absolutely miniscule amount of time. But the increase in brain activity and work that must be done is still three times what it should normally be. So for the entire three hours of gaming, I struggled. My brain was not used to seeing 3D. And since it was my first time playing, I didn't know what would be different. Would the background be extra deep ? Would text and subtitle reach out ? Guns, bullets, HUDS, cut scenes, all of it unpredictable.

The biggest question I had about 3D gaming was answered. Will this give me eye strain or headaches ? Yes. After three hours, I felt mentally exhausted. I didn't want to look at another screen all day. Three hours may seem like a lot for some. After all, warnings encourage us to take frequent breaks while gaming. But I like to spend eight or more hours a day during the weekends playing video games. My game sessions would look like this: ten minutes getting used to 3D; 50 more minutes playing; take a 10-15 minute break; come back and spend another ten minutes getting my eyes and brain to readjust; game for 50 minutes; etc. Not practical.

So, lets disregard the fact that 3D is completely over-priced. Lets pretend those dorky-ass glasses are actually comfortable and don't look hella dumb. And we will suspend knowledge that many people can't even see 3D (Lindsey). Forgetting all those other factors, I did not like Black Ops in 3D. It looked kinda cool, like a neat trick. But for those of us that are a little more hardcore and spend some serious time playing these games, 3D just isn't going to work... Yet.

You will never look as good as her at 3am in your sweatpants and 3D glasses

Sony's Playstation Brings New Hardware and a Sincere Apology

Sony has been having a rough time this year. With the entire network going down for over a month due to repeated security breaches, Sony owes some people an apology. At the start of Sony presentation at E3, that apology was given. Sony's president of their America Computer Entertainment division made an appearance to publicly eat some humble pie. It was almost three minutes filled with apologies and heaps of thanks to third-party developers, retail stores, and consumers for standing by Playstation's side.

Moving past that ugly issue, Sony has some goodies to share. The biggest reveal was the much anticipated successor to the PSP. What was being paraded as the Next Generation Portable (NGP) was given a face and a name, the PS Vita. Some of the major features of the Vita include a 5" touchscreen, streaming applications, and a lighter, more comfortable shape. There are two different price points for the new handheld. For a mere $250, this little wonder can be yours with built in WiFi. Take a small step up to $300, and you can get the unit compatible with the AT&T 3G network. The most amazing part ? There is no contract or monthly fee required to use their 3G network. That means streaming Anywhere !

They are also coming out with some pretty respectable launch title. Would you like to keep a sexy, minature version of Nathan Drake in your pocket ? I know that's a 'yes'. Keep an eye out for Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Gamers will also be able to take their favorite, cuddly Sack Boy with them everywhere they go with the release of a portable version of LittleBigPlanet. Other titles include ModMation Racers and Wipeout 2048. With some big games to look forward to, I might finally get a portable system for the first time in years.

Sony also brought out some more uses and applications for the Playstation Move. More games will be able to utilize the motion technology. They have also introduced some more attractive bundles for the Move that include controllers, the camera, and more for the low price of $150.

Of all the companies presenting this week, Sony was really the only one pushing the 3D technology in your living room. It makes sense since Sony are the only ones also happen to mass produce 3D televisions. All that in mind, they are offering some pretty enticing bundles. For only $500, you can get a 24" 3D TV, the active shutter transmitter with a pair of glasses, and a copy of the new Resistance 3. The package doesn't look very appealing to me, but for someone looking for a novelty that would probably fit great in a dorm room, this could be great for you.

Looking back on the presentation, there was nothing really mind blowing. There were new titles like Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Sony is still trying to peddle 3D and the Move. The saving grace of this conference was their new Vita. Unlike the Nintendo 3DS, the launch titles look amazing.

Nintendo 3DS: Totally Legit or Money Suck ?

Tonight I witnessed and took part in an unsettling unboxing of the new Nintendo 3DS. After watching my boyfriend play with animated creatures projected on his chest, I was ready to dive into the hand-held for myself. Here's what I found.

Let's start with the positives of the system. The additional dimension is crisp and clean. Graphics show through in both 2 and 3D very solid and fluid. Internet connectivity is ready almost immediately out of the box. There are also additional features that allow you to unlock new games based on Mii friends collected. You can leave it on standby and keep it on your person to use it as a pedometer. This will help you unlock even more features. Netflix and music videos will be available when Wifi is accessible. I'm actually pretty excited about that because I would much rather watch episodes of Dexter at work than, ya know, do work.

So, unfortunately, that's about it for the positives. The 3D feature is really fussy when it comes to angle. Even the slightest adjustment to angle outside of head-on will result in an unplayable distortion in viewing. The 3D itself can be turned on and off, but also increase and decreasese intensity. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes before you can find a comfortable level. Once I finally found a setting that didn't stress my eyes, my brain was so strained that I had to shut the game off. I also found that switching from one game to other had me changing the intensity and therefore finding balance all over again.

After having played these two games, I don't think the 3D feature really isn't anything valuable. Sure its kitschy, but it definitely didn't add anything to the games. Changing from 2D to 3D didn't dramatically change the value of the gameplay or my life. The launch titles aren't very strong and don't utilize the new dimension well. The mini-games that come pre-installed on the system are mediocre at best. Using the camera and the 3D allow moderate fun for a small amount of time. Maybe a small child or an absolute tard would like it for longer ? Just guessing.

I was so desperate for a fun new system. I haven't had a hand-held console in years. But I can't help but dish out a big ol' glass of haterade for this fairly useless system. Fingers crossed that Nintendo pulls out some amazing titles to repay the consumers for spending their hard earned dollars.