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[Ogbert]

This isn’t an especially dramatic insight, but the 3DS is still an absolutely fantastic portable.

I haven’t picked mine up in a few years and, on a whim, decided to give it a go over the weekend. I’ve since spent five or so hours in Link between Worlds (stone cold classic) and cycled through loads of my old favourites.

I love the Switch but it’s a pity that we will likely never again see portable machines that are specifically designed to play a portable style game, rather than simply allowing for AAA gaming in a mobile form factor. That’s not a criticism. The Switch and Steam Deck are both brilliant. But there’s something uniquely elegant and charming about games that are handcrafted for the smaller screen.

I think I’m going to make a point of filling out my 3DS library and returning to some old favourites.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

This isn’t an especially dramatic insight, but the 3DS is still an absolutely fantastic portable.

I haven’t picked mine up in a few years and, on a whim, decided to give it a go over the weekend. I’ve since spent five or so hours in Link between Worlds (stone cold classic) and cycled through loads of my old favourites.

I love the Switch but it’s a pity that we will likely never again see portable machines that are specifically designed to play a portable style game, rather than simply allowing for AAA gaming in a mobile form factor. That’s not a criticism. The Switch and Steam Deck are both brilliant. But there’s something uniquely elegant and charming about games that are handcrafted for the smaller screen.

I think I’m going to make a point of filling out my 3DS library and returning to some old favourites.

Yeah, I think about this quite often. I miss the fractured, semi-independent market of handheld vs home console. It was a playground for the larger companies to release smaller (not always) and less budget intensive titles that had their own style. I loved the Nintendo DS. Great times when we had the home consoles, PSP, and Nintendo DS on deck.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Yes. What I miss most is the stereoscopic 3D. I plan to get it back this year when Acer releases their 27" glasses free 3D monitor. You can even play 3DS games in 3D with the Citra emulator.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Second favorite system all-time for me.

 

[FoxMcChief]

I loved it. 3D was fucking magic.

 

[Physiognomonics]

I still have my original ambassador model. I'll never resell it. So many free games was like a bug in the Matrix.

 

[consoul]

Agree. And I'll say it out loud: the 3D on New3DS is excellent and lends a greater sense of space and tangibility to many games.

 

[Lupin3]

Size is good, but the ergonomics are shit without a grip. Metroid was great on it, though.

 

[Doczu]

I'm still gaming on my modded n3DS.
You just can't beat the compact clamshell form, the abundance of good, quirky titles (even though the og DS is king on that field) and the retro gaming posibilites when you mod your console.
I will miss portable Nintendo, with the "smaller" gaming titles.

 

[Saber]

As an user myself of 3DS XL, no. No, I don't think so. I grabbed this crap just to play what? Mario Kart and mostly pokemon, and I didn't even liked that Mario Kart.

DS still the king. Bunch of so much fun and cool games.

 

[Zelduh]

My New 3DS XL's battery only lasts like a minute after being fully charged for some reason

 

[Monad]

 

[Ogbert]

Yeah, I think about this quite often. I miss the fractured, semi-independent market of handheld vs home console. It was a playground for the larger companies to release smaller (not always) and less budget intensive titles that had their own style. I loved the Nintendo DS. Great times when we had the home consoles, PSP, and Nintendo DS on deck.

Very much so.

I also think that the form factor required game design that prioritised gameplay. Or rather, demanded designers consider how the player interacted with the console in order to play their game.

It’s struck me over this weekend how almost every game immediately draws you in to *playing* the game.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Still have my 3DS Galaxy purple. It goes on buisness trips with me. Carry case holds a lot of games, and charging cables.

 

[Skifi28]

Seeing as the store is closing/closed, I shoud give custom fw a try.

 

[Draugoth]

The Pokemon Games on it are some of the best ever made

 

[hinch7]

The games and formfactor is great. I can't handle that crazy low resolution anymore though. It was bad at the time and now, yea I'd rather just not.

 

[Romulus]

Yeah playing Ocarina of Time with the remaster visuals on a massive 80+ inch screen feels modern on Quest 3. The resolution is actually crisp through that emulator and the 3d is improved.

I run into audio hitches in cutscenes sometimes but gameplay is great.

 

[BlackTron]

when Acer releases their 27" glasses free 3D monitor. You can even play 3DS games in 3D with the Citra emulator.

OK it's time for Starfox

 

[jshackles]

Got my New3DS XL hacked but have it mostly loaded up with DS games. Dragon Quest 4-9 on one system is pretty great. Still play Theatrythm (Dragon Quest and Curtain Call) often, but less now that they have a Switch version. Fantasy Life, Zelda, Pokemon - the system had some really great games that hold up pretty well if you can look past them having really low resolution.

 

[BlackTron]

Got my New3DS XL hacked but have it mostly loaded up with DS games. Dragon Quest 4-9 on one system is pretty great. Still play Theatrythm (Dragon Quest and Curtain Call) often, but less now that they have a Switch version. Fantasy Life, Zelda, Pokemon - the system had some really great games that hold up pretty well if you can look past them having really low resolution.

This is the thing about 3DS, the meat of the library is really DS games and a 3DS isn't really the best way to play those. It's all I have left though lol

 

[Mister Wolf]

OK it's time for Starfox

Predator SpatialLabs™ View 27 | Predator | Acer United States

Explore the Predator SpatialLabs View 27: A revolutionary glasses-free 3D gaming monitor with a 27" Ultra HD display, 160Hz refresh rate and more. Dive into vivid, thrilling worlds optimized for an unparalleled gaming experience.

www.acer.com

List of already officially supported titles:

SpatialLabs TrueGame

spatiallabs.acer.com

 

[BlackTron]

Predator SpatialLabs™ View 27 | Predator | Acer United States

Explore the Predator SpatialLabs View 27: A revolutionary glasses-free 3D gaming monitor with a 27" Ultra HD display, 160Hz refresh rate and more. Dive into vivid, thrilling worlds optimized for an unparalleled gaming experience.

www.acer.com

List of already officially supported titles:

SpatialLabs TrueGame

spatiallabs.acer.com

Impressive stuff. I think the monitor is supposed to be a few thousand when it comes out, I might wait a bit TBH lol

 

[Mister Wolf]

Impressive stuff. I think the monitor is supposed to be a few thousand when it comes out, I might wait a bit TBH lol

$2000.

 

[Synless]

Let my kids play my 3DS (they all only ever had the 2DS) and blew their minds. I still go back to it often. It was magic.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

Plenty of good exclusives. The next decade will be peak nostalgia for late DS/3DS era.

 

[Spyxos]

I really liked 3D, such a shame that this technology is dead today.

 

[TheDreadLord]

It is a pretty well built handheld with lots of exclusive games. Unfortunately, at least for me, the ergonomics are terrible… My hands start cramping in 10m of gameplay.

 

[amigastar]

My favourite handheld besides the DS.
Love it but strangely enough i was not interestd in the Switch. Maybe Switch 2 will change my mind.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Fatlus carried the 3DS. SMT4 and SMT4:A are nearly 10/10s to me. ALBW was also amazing.

 

[Banjo64]

Can’t get over the shitty TN screens and not willing to change them myself.

LCD on all models should have been the standard. Really poor really by Nintendo.

 

[nikos]

I'm actually about to sell one of mine. Can't decide if it should be the New 3DS AC Happy Home Designer Edition or New 3DS Super Mario Black Edition.

Both going for a pretty nice amount, and they've been in the closet for years. I'd like to keep one though.

 

[SirTerry-T]

My Ace Attorney and Fire Emblem machine. Love it.

 

[CrustyBritches]

I have a modded 2dsxl and play it all the time. Got loaded to the brim with 3ds games and I did the standalone menu entry conversion for a bunch of my favorite cps1 and cps2 games. Also have an Ace3ds+ 250-in-1 card in the slot with all the best DS games. Playing Lost in Blue 2 currently. 3DS/DS really scratch that novelty itch. Really unique experiences to be had.

 

[SCB3]

Definitely, I've been playing through Metroid and Pokémon games recently and I prefer real hardware/games to emulation and yea these hold up so well, I've actually got more into fixing/modding older consoles aswell so managed to fix a 2DS Xl and have a 3DSxl that I'm turning into a Zelda version coming

 

[cireza]

Own both 3DSXL and DSiXL, soft-modded and ready to enjoy awesome games. That market definitely died with the 3DS.

 

[MarkMe2525]

Can’t get over the shitty TN screens and not willing to change them myself.

LCD on all models should have been the standard. Really poor really by Nintendo.

Isn't a TN display just a type of LCD screen?

 

[Banjo64]

Isn't a TN display just a type of LCD screen?

Sorry, IPS

 

[MarkMe2525]

Sorry, IPS

Ahh, makes more sense. Yeah, you usually get better response times from a TN display, but I imagine the real reason they didn't go with IPS was cost.

It never bothered me really, the inherent flaws in the display just feels "Nintendo", if that makes sense. In other words, until the OLED switch, I just expect sub optimal display tech to be used in their handheld.

 

[nush]

This isn’t an especially dramatic insight, but the 3DS is still an absolutely fantastic portable.

I haven’t picked mine up in a few years and, on a whim, decided to give it a go over the weekend. I’ve since spent five or so hours in Link between Worlds (stone cold classic) and cycled through loads of my old favourites.

I love the Switch but it’s a pity that we will likely never again see portable machines that are specifically designed to play a portable style game, rather than simply allowing for AAA gaming in a mobile form factor. That’s not a criticism. The Switch and Steam Deck are both brilliant. But there’s something uniquely elegant and charming about games that are handcrafted for the smaller screen.

I think I’m going to make a point of filling out my 3DS library and returning to some old favourites.

My drunk brain put an 0 in the title. confused then realized.

Sega 3D classics, Sega M2 made the killer apps that sold the 3D concept where Nintendo couldn't.

 

[Filben]

Rarely been using mine but when I do it's always for Gameboy or SNES games (via emulator). Having these charming games (Link's Awakening!) fitting inside your pocket is amazing.

 

[Deerock71]

I agree .

 

[Scotty W]

I love my 3ds, but it is embarassing to take out of my house. Why’d they have to give me a pink 3ds!

 

[StereoVsn]

Own both 3DSXL and DSiXL, soft-modded and ready to enjoy awesome games. That market definitely died with the 3DS.

Yep, have the same setup, New 3DSXL for 3DS titles and DSiXK for DS. Must admit that I can’t use them without grips anymore for longer than 30 min though .

Great systems they also have amazing games.

 

[Husky]

I'm still gaming on my modded n3DS.
You just can't beat the compact clamshell form, the abundance of good, quirky titles (even though the og DS is king on that field) and the retro gaming posibilites when you mod your console.
I will miss portable Nintendo, with the "smaller" gaming titles.

Dude I modded mine recently, so kickass.

You know what I'd love? Nintendo 3DSwitch. Fold the clamshell and plug it in for docked play.

 

[Ikutachi]

I was a New Leaf addict.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

Such a great system, I'll never get over the loss of 3D in subsequent systems... and it's all because some percentage of people struggle to see the effect properly. I don't think I ever struggled for a single conscious moment to find the right angle or sweet spot or anything, from day one.

3D changes everything for portable games, opens up a space behind the screen so it no longer feels cramped... I'd take a 3D Switch 2 even over any other possible specs beef up. The difference between flat vs stereoscopic has a dramatically greater impact on enjoyment than any improvement you can get with incrementally better textures or polygons.

 

[abstract alien]

The purple one was fucking magical. Easily my favorite handheld of all time.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

Dragon Quest VII 3D is cool

 

[ZehDon]

It remains my personal favourite handheld.

Ocarina of Time 3D is the definitive version of the GOAT, Resident Evil Revelations is legitimately terrific, Super Mario 3D Land is my favourite 3D Mario (I'll fight you), Luigi's Mansion 2 is one of the most charming games ever made, and Mario Kart 7 remains my favourite entry in the series. It took a while to get rolling, but the 3DS finished with a murder's row. Nintendo dropping the glasses-free 3D will always hurt; it's magic in the palm of your hands, and I fall in love with it all over again every time I return to the system.