Now that you guys have had the device in your hot lil' hands for a while, how do you feel about the 3D effect? Is it as good as you expected? Has it provided a palpable advantage in any games thus far? Is the viewing angle adequate for you? Does you slider position change from game to game?

Do you feel that 3D usage will improve in the future? Which genres and upcoming games do you think will make the most of it? Which is it just not suited for?

I'll chime in with my thoughts l8r.

URL to share (right click and copy)

When I first fired up the 3DS, I was SUPER excited. Here was the sequel to my favorite video game device ever made, with a new Pilotwings as a launch title no less! I anxiously awaited as the menu loaded up, and then with trembling fingers moved the little slider from No 3D to 3D. Before my eyes I saw... a little but more definition and not much else.

To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I'm a positive person, so this was not going to stop me from enjoying the system. Far from it, the games coming down the road were enough to keep my excited for a long time. Still, the 3D did not impress me much and I was sad it didn't have the pop I was expecting.

Fast forward two days later. I finally cracked open the AR cards and WOW. Now I see how 3D can be pretty cool. Watching a dragon pop out of my kitchen counter like it was actually there made me excited again. So maybe this little device has some potential, I thought.

Fast forward, what, two weeks now? How long have I had this puppy? Well, my opinion has done a 180 from day one, that's for sure. I quite literally found myself feeling something was missing when I messed with Pilotwings and Nintendogs in non-3D. Suddenly this feature that hadn't impressed me from the start was ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. I don't want to play games without it now, quite honestly. (Which seems crazy even to me, who didn't care all that much a few weeks ago!) Both Pilotwings and Nintendogs are night and day different when experienced in 3D. The thing is, I didn't even realize it until a ways in. Then, having it taken away from me (switching off the 3D) it became totally apparent that I was hooked.

For me, this is absolutely the future. I'm used to the effect on my eyes by this point, and I adore the extra pop it gives everything. I'm extraordinarily excited for Paper Mario 3DS, combining my beloved 2D with a layered look. From a person who is obsessed with animation and nearly despises the move to 3D movies, gaming is infinitely better in the next dimension.

Bring on more!

In some games, it's impressive. I really enjoy it in PilotWings Resort and Super Street Fighter IV 3D. It's especially helpful in PilotWings Resort. It helps with depth immensely.

With LEGO Star Wars III, not so much. The framerate dips when it's in 3D, and the 3D effect doesn't really add anything to it.

Those are the only launch games that I own at the moment, so aside from the AR Games and Face Raiders (which are both cool), I can't judge. However, I'm excited about what the future holds for the 3DS.

For me it took a few days worth of play for me to really adapt to 3D. At first, the screen remained blurry and out of focus, now my eyes are used to it, I never want to play anything with it off.

There are times in Pilotwings it looks simply amazing. 3D really is next gen, it's just a matter of making it accessible enough, and the 3DS makes great strides towards that.

For me, it's the new standard. It's so odd to be able to regularly play games in 3D without doing anything special or wearing any glasses.

Also, it just amazes me how bad 2D games look after seeing them in 3D.

I'm really liking it!

Ridge Racer 3D is an absolute blast with the 3D turned all the way up... Street Fighter looks amazing (aside from the creepy static backgrounds), but I easily lose the sweet spot in that game. Pilotwings is a totally new experience with the 3D, but I have to turn it down a smidge in order to see everything right.

I am impressed. Very much so.

I really feel cheated if I turn the 3D off, its like I am missing out on something that make the games truly shine. The 3D in Nintendogs + Cats has been called subtle by some but to me it adds a breath of fresh air to the series and truly helps bring the animals to life. I was wowed when I first saw it and looking back at the in game photos I've taken it looks amazing. I think the NGP is going to be missing something special when it launches without 3D.

I pretty much share @-JKR-'s thoughts. At first it was annoying and I didn't see the appeal. Then I kept messing with the 3D slider in Pilotwings Resort until I felt somewhat comfortable which was basically at the lowest level of 3D. I also purchased Ridge Racer 3D a few days later and saw that I could stand a higher level of 3D in that game. Now with Pilotwings, I find that I can put it to about half level and still feel totally fine with it. It's something that takes getting used to but I'm not sure if it'll really revolutionize games or anything. I see it more as a complement to games like how HD graphics are. It's not necessary but I wouldn't want to go back to playing HD games in SD.

I have loved the 3D on the 3DS from day one. I don't think we have REMOTELY seen anything that this thing will be able to provide for us yet. The future for this system is as sky-high as the seemingly endless horizons in Pilotwings.

I'm very impressed. When I first saw it at the demo stations and at home I thought the 3D wasn't so mind blowing, but that it was subtle. Then after each sitting I'd become more and more impressed and it'd be easier to adjust. Every single time I pick up the 3DS it gets easier and easier to hit and maintain the sweetspot.

I was really worried the first few times but now all I can think about is just how great future games like Zelda, Mario, RE, etc will all look like!

Super impressed. I know some say it's subtle or whatever, but not for me, not even close. I'm predicting the goodness level may click for a few more when Star Fox 64 comes out.

@Renjaku
Starfox, THEN Zelda! N64 revival, baby! w00t!

The 3D is... alright. It doesn't add anything to SUPER Street Fighter 4, which is my favorite game on the system. I play that game in 2D most of the time.

Pilotwings Resort I play with the 3D on, and it's... cool. I'm not blown away by it, but I do like it.

I recently bought Ridge Racer, but I haven't had a chance to play it yet. I'm looking forward to really seeing what that game looks like in true 3D.

Honestly, I'm more impressed with all the other stuff the 3DS does; online Friends List, AR games, the.... uh, sound mode or whatever it is. The 3D is cool, but I admit I'm not blown away by it. Having said that, I wouldn't want to NOT have access to it.

@GameDadGrant
You just had a kid. You've got poopy diapers to change.

Only game I have right now is SSFIV, and it doesn't really add that much to the game... but I can see it being awesome for a Mario game.

It's tough to say if it adds much to the gameplay. I wouldn't want to play Pilotwings without it, because it helps a lot with depth perception, but... I'm sure I could play Pilotwings without it. Face Raiders, Street Fighter IV, and Ghost Recon don't really benefit gameplay-wise at all.

Visually, I love it. It really makes me smile. Even in the above mentioned games where it isn't a gameplay benefit, I still play with it on, because it adds well... something... I can't put my finger on it. I was playing Ghost Recon thinking about how weird it was that when I flipped the 3D off and everything turned flat, it almost seemed unappealing. Like... 3D off, oh, I'm just playing another turn-based strategy game. 3D on... dang, something new! It kind of makes me feel like I'm flying above a battlefield? I dunno. Just that sense of being above this real, living world.

The intial appeal will wear off in a few weeks/months though, so where will I be then? Not sure. Either way I don't think I want to go back to flat screen stuff, it all looks so um... flat?

The only disappointment for me is how small the sweet spot is. It's way to easy to slip out of the sweet spot while playing, often in a crucial moment. I understand that there are real technological limits, but I hope that, moving forward, they can figure out how to get a much bigger sweet spot.

OK, I have been playing some Pilotwings Resort, and I have got to say that this is, bar none, the BESTEST example of 3D currently on the 3DS. In fact, it is so intense, I do have to take a break hourly. This game has the best example of in-game 'pop-outiness' that I have seen. I'm glad the folks behing ExciteTruck made this, because I think they're taking more risks with IN YOUR FACE 3D than Nintendo might have for an introductory title. Speaking of ExciteTruck...*****HOMERDROOL*****

I think the 3D's pretty cool. It may not add too much to SSFIV, but it works well enough. The AR cards were amazing, though.

I FUCKING LOVE MY 3DS!!!!

I was impressed from the moment the screen did the countdown on activating the 3D, and I still am! I cannot wait to own more games. I do feel like JKR, no way I want to play anything on my 3DS just in 2D. Thats not to say I can't stand playing my Wii, but I also feel this is the future. If I had to choose, I would rather have 3D than HD while playing my games.

I love the way the menus look, the games, the pics that I have taken. At no time have I been disappointed.

Well, thats all there is to say. Bring on OoT and Starfox and all the other great game Nintendo and all you 3rd party developers!

@gamewizard65
I have to say, I play Ghost Recon in 2D mode for one reason alone: battery life. Its supposed to extend it considerably. I suppose it helps my decision that this game plays just like a board game anyway.