This post is a collaboration between Jacob Nahin and Efren Toscano.

Jacob's Reaction:

Wow. That's a long line. This must be a pretty awesome device.

Those were my first thoughts when I saw how many people were lined up, dying to see Nintendo's latest device, the 3DS. Listening to all the hoopla on the floor, I was expecting portable 3D gaming to take my breath away.  Several people promised me that it wouldn't hurt my eyes or give me a headache.

My expectations were taken a notch higher when, while standing in line to see Miyatmoto's latest Zelda game, Efren and I met a blogger who had already seen the device and was touting it as the best thing since ... well ... the DS Lite / XL /whatever-the-last-one-was.

What did I think of Nintendo's new fangled contraption? Is it a technological masterpiece? A combination of scientific wizardry and fantastical sorcery? No.

Last January, TechPunch looked at 3D-without-glasses tech in the white-cubical section at CES. I was less than blown away (in fact, I was a laughing mess). While Nintendo's variation may display a higher resolution, the 3DS did give me a headache after about five minutes of game time with the portable console tuned to the highest 3D setting.

Therein lies the problem. Each game I played (or watched) seemed to require a lot of fine-tuning via a slider on the 3DS's top screen. As someone who just wants to jump in and play, this is not fun; it's annoying.

What about the 3DS's other features like its 3D camera  meant for taking and sharing pictures? Unfortunately, I wasn't able to test it out so I couldn't tell you. What I can tell you is that if 3D is Nintendo's best attempt to compete against Apple in the portable games market, it's in trouble.

Bottom line: The 3DS is not a must-buy. Current owners of any iteration of the console, DS Lite and later, have no reason to upgrade or feel like their hardware is outdated.

Efren's Reaction:

Although I do agree with most of what Jacob had to say, I did have a slightly different experience.  Is it because I don't wear glasses and Jacob does? I don't know.  But everyone's vision isn't the same. Some will have a different experience.

In terms of the 3D experience, I felt it worked great with any 2D game.  I played 'Paper Mario' and had a great experience with it.  It really felt like Mario was jumping out of the screen and back down onto a Koopa.  Also had a similar experience with 'Professor Layton and The Mask of Miracles'.  The 3D looked great, had to adjust the 3D slider since the person before me turned it down a bit.  Now not the same thing can be said for games with 3D characters in them.

Every tech demo and game that had 3D characters in the gameplay was horrible for me.  I literally could not stare at the screen for more then 2 minutes before my eyes started to cross and my head began to ache.  No matter how much or how little (Unless completely turned down, which meant no more 3D) I moved the 3D slider I could not find a sweet spot.

Although we are getting closer to the day we will no longer need 3D glasses for 3D entertainment we are still not there.  Playing with the 3DS did give me hope for the technology and where it will be in a few years. As Jacob said, those with the latest DS should not feel the need to go out and buy the 3DS. Your hardware is not outdated. However, if you really want to buy one, make sure to play it with a few different games first.

Checkout a quick video of the 3DS in action: