I went to the Paris event, not happy about it...
But i was kinda septic in first place. I was hoping seeing the real thing would turn my excitation on but not really. The device is not really cohesive and well thought for me.
_3D is kinda cool when you're looking at it without playing. Not amazing and jaw dropping, but you're like "oh cool it's 3D". it makes some games seems bigger, giving more impact to the screen.
_The least little unfocusing on the screen, not only moving the 3ds but looking on the side, turning the head to talk to someone, will bring a 1-2 second blur desychronization for your eyes.
And more than just killing the magic, it's actually a big problem in some games. Like when using the gyro, in Steel Diver. You can turn with it, but let's be sure to stay at the exact same position, following your console or it will break the 3D. It could be seen as something normal for a submarine, but i guess it's worse in Monkey Ball. It seems the gyro was put in the thing at last minute if i understood the Iwata asks well... It's rather surprising as it's an obvious inconsistent choice..
More boring, for Street Fighter IV. Now, maybe i'm crazy and other people will have better impressions, but it wasn't 3D compatible for me. To put it simply, the directional pad is to low, and when trying to do manipulations, i was constantly breaking the 3D by slightly moving the screen. That and the 3D adds ZERO in this game. In fact, you notice it while looking passively at it, but when you're playing, and focused on the characters, you just forget it instantly. So in the end you'll put the slider on 2D i guess. Now the port is great in itself.
_In general, there is a big problem with focusing on characters. In pilot Wings, my eyes were quickly tired and confused cause you have this popping character and you're trying to focus on what's behind him. Games on 3DS should avoid to have a central popping out character in fps, racers and such. I think that's exactly what was referring this guy two week ago, about 3D in theater, explaining how our mind couldn't focus correctly on a 3D image.
_Another flaw in the concept is the touch part, for me again. NDS was a finely thought console, where everything was meant to add to the touch concept, and Nintendo is always bragging about thinking so much to everything in its product. But this time, when you realize 3D is some kind of fantasia they had for 20 years. They finally could do it, but it was after the NDS, and they couldn't abandon this big success's feature, so they merged everything... But clearly, i felt using the touch screen was not... a natural vibe let's say. Cause now that you have this more impact-full and .. different top screen, you lose this connection between the two and you just don't feel like focusing on the bottom screen. It's already a given that game design won't be using the touch screen the same way as you had two screens, which one of them was tactile, and you now have one main screen, and a tactile thing under it. That's a main difference. It actually breaks the DS concept partially.
And i want to add that's maybe the first time Nintendo actually downgrade a gameplay concept in their console, nice symbol. I just think 3D and NDS are two rather different concept, duck tapped together
Now i guess, it will be a huge success and games will follow. 3D is still a nice boost to the game's graphics, making them more cool, as long as you don't have to focus on precise things. The only problem i could see with the sells is that, the store demos will play an important role in the success of the machine. If people can't be exactly in front of it, and for example, just look at it behind someone already playing (you know it will be lot of people), they will just think it's lame.