1. Motion Controls & 3D Don't Mix
It was announced at Nintendo’s press conference that the 3DS includes both an accelerometer as well as a gyroscope (much like the iPhone 4), which should enable motion controls similar to what we’ve seen on the Wii with Wii MotionPlus. This is a really great inclusion, particularly as Nintendo has demonstrated the potential of motion controls on a hand-held platform before, with both Kirby’s Tilt ‘n’ Tumble on the GameBoy Color and WarioWare: Twisted, which feature an accelerometer and gyroscope built into their respective game packs.

However, the inclusion of this technology is seemingly at odds with the 3D display. Why? The 3D display only works at very specific angles and distance. Basically, if you tilt or turn the 3DS more than a few degrees, the 3D effect disappears and is instead replaced with a very distorted image, similar to watching a 3D movie without 3D glasses. It’s odd that Nintendo would implement motion controls when their very nature will ruin the 3D effect. To their credit, however, they did have one demo on display that made smart, if limited use of them.


2. No Rumble
It’s not something we consciously realized during our hands-on time, but something that occurred to us after the show ended: the 3DS does not have rumble. This is a strange omission, considering Nintendo has also dabbled with rumble on a handheld before (similar to their motion control experimentation) by building it into several Gameboy Color and Advance games, as well as creating an optional Rumble Pack for the Nintendo DS. Even odder, Star Fox 64 3D--one of the few playable demos--is a remake of a game that shipped with the revolutionary Rumble Pak, which Nintendo touted at the time as allowing you to “feel the game.” In an era when Nintendo is all about “touch,” the exclusion of rumble is surprising, particularly as the iPhone, which also has motion-sensing technology, features rumble as well.

 

Remember this? Nintendo doesn't.

Hopefully Nintendo will rectify this before launch; the technology is small and cheap, hence its inclusion in practically every cell-phone.

3. Smaller Touchscreen
Now this is bizarre. While the top-screen got the all-star treatment, with twice the resolution and widescreen support, the touchscreen has actually seen a reduction in size (though an increase in resolution)! Instead of the 3.12 inches of the original Nintendo DS and Lite, the 3DS features a 3.02 inch screen--a reduction of 3%. Why it’s smaller, I really have no idea. Luckily, I can confirm from playing it that it's pretty much impossible to notice in person. Still weird though.

 

It's hard to notice, but the 3DS touchscreen (in red) is slightly smaller.

4. No Longer Lefty-Friendly
With the inclusion of the fantastic Slide-Pad, Nintendo has also made the 3DS slightly less accessible to left-handed gamers--a strange move considering both the Nintendo DS and Wii can be used comfortably by gamers of either hand dominance.

With the original DS, although there was only one control-pad, it was augmented by a set of four buttons on the opposite side, which in effect, could mimic a four-directional control-pad, and visa versa. Many games, such as Metroid Prime: Hunters, supported the option of swapping the functions of the buttons and control-pad, allowing both right and left-handed gamers to have a pleasant experience.

Unfortunately for left-handers, this is no longer possible since the 3DS only features one slide-pad, which has no equivalent on the other half of the console. Sure, developers could still program games to work with only the control-pad and buttons, but we’re not holding our breath.

5. It can’t be held like a book...
Well, to be fair, it can still be held like a book, but the 3D effect will be lost as it was designed only for users viewing it dead-on when held horizontally. Turning it vertical, much as you would for games such as Brain Age or Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, results  in the 3D effect vanishing and being replaced with a distorted image.

 

You won't be holding the 3DS like this anytime soon.

One of the Nintendo DS’s strengths was its diversity and it's unfortunate that this pose is no longer supported--especially as it was quite comfortable too.

6. Touchscreen Technology Unchanged
The Nintendo 3DS still uses a resistive touchscreen, just like the previous version. This is in stark contrast to the iPhone, and many other mobile devices, that now use capacitive touchscreens. Both technologies have their merits, but here’s what it boils down to:

Resistive screens permit the use of a fine-point stylus, allowing the user to touch the screen precisely, and without obscuring much of the screen. However, they can only detect one point being touched--which is fine if you’re using a stylus, but means multi-touch can’t be used at all if using one’s thumbs/fingers. Not that you’d want to on this type of screen anyway as it requires an uncomfortable amount of pressure and prevents your thumb from sliding smoothly along the surface.

Capacitive screens on the other hand, such as with the iPhone, do not support conventional styluses. Instead, they depend on the electrical charge of your fingers/thumb to determine where it’s being touched. The advantage of this technology is that you can easily move your thumb from the buttons to the screen effortlessly. Multi-touch is also supported, providing a greater amount of input. The downside is that most people’s thumbs are rather large, thus obscuring the screen, and the technology prevents conventional styluses from being used.

The Nintendo 3DS screen has seen one improvement since the last version though: it doesn’t dim the touchscreen as much as the previous incarnation.

 

Despite these oddities, we’re still excited for the Nintendo 3DS--and who knows, maybe Nintendo has a few more tricks up their sleeve?