A few weeks back, we all got together to discuss the one-week anniversary of the 3DS.  Having some extended playtime with the latest and greatest Nintendo system under our belts, what do we think are its nascent strengths?  Its potential downfalls?  The ultimate fate of its quite controversial launch line-up?

And just how many headaches have we all accrued?

Craig Harris, who has traded his seat at IGN for his own site at ThisIsCraig (but of course), joins our other most distinguished guest, Game Rant editor-in-chief Rob Keyes, for a decidedly three-dimensional take on fanboy gushings and real-world wariness.

Marc N. Kleinhenz, gaming ronin:

So, now that it's been a week since the 3DS hit store shelves, what's the prognosis?  Is the outlook for the future healthy and robust, or is the system already on life support with a haphazard launch?

And, perhaps more importantly, what's the health of the patients themselves?  How many headaches have you all took for the team so far?  :)

Cranky Craig Harris, Nintendo demigod:

I'll completely go on record with one tidbit:  I've always been a 3D slut.  Hell, I saw garbage movies like Jaws 3D and Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (IMDB that shiz) back in the ‘80s because of the 3D "effect," which, admittedly, barely worked as advertised.  It wasn't until Disneyworld where 3D really showed off some seriously cool potential, first with a tech demo that I seem to recall having a creepy 100-foot tall clown in it, and then Captain EO with creepy Michael Jackson and Henson rejects a couple of years later.

On top of my 3D sluttiness, I'm also a notorious handheld slut, too.  It probably started back in the late ‘70s with those LED football, baseball, and racing games, and then moved into the Game & Watch-like one-offs.  Ultimately, I wound up with one of the first Atari Lynx systems and, to this day – even with its mediocre game line-up – I claim that system in my Top Five.

So, with that said, yes, the 3DS immediately appealed to my inner slut on the two levels.

As soon as I laid my own peepers on the 3DS system at E3 2010, I was sold.  Limitations aside, 3D without glasses definitely worked.  And after time spent with a personal unit, I'm as big a fan as I was at E3.

I'm one of the gamers who won't turn off the 3D; if that slider is in its off position, I immediately feel like I'm missing out on something.  Even in games like Ridge Racer – where I'll instinctively drift my system out of the optimal range – I'll put up with the split-second double-imaging and fight to drift back into stereoscopic simply because the 3D effect truly enhances the experience for me.

The launch line-up is the bulletpoint that seems to be taking the largest beating, and I agree – to a point.  There are three outstanding games to play: Super Street Fighter IV, Ridge Racer 3D, and Pilotwings Resort.  But one's a port of a year-old game, another's a rehashing of content from previous games in a popular series, and the last is a game in a first-party franchise that seems to be the redheaded stepchild of the company.  So it's hard for the mass market to celebrate a Day One library when there's really nothing sticking out as a contemporary classic.

Pooh-pooh on Pilotwings Resort and you'll have to answer to me.  It's no Mario, but it's a brilliant continuation of a criminally under-supported Nintendo franchise.

I think what really sells the system for me is the built-in features that shows both the Nintendo innovation as well as the company's understanding of important advancements it seemed to shun in the past.  The system is now persistently online, a first for Nintendo, and while you don't get much detail out of your online friend cards, you at least see when they come online and what game they’re playing.  A single firmware update can change all that and make it a much more engaging experience – I don't think we're going to get an achievement system, but playing on a Nintendo system will no longer feel like you're alone on an island.

The other thing:  StreetPass.  I don't think people will truly understand this feature's awesomeness until they experience it for themselves.  But believe me when I say that this feature will make you want to keep your system on your person just as much as your cell phone.  Transparent data trading between systems within a few feet of each other is a clever way to engage a community of gamers without ever even knowing they're right nearby.  There will be days where you'll never get a hit, and days – like at Wondercon this weekend – where you'll cap it out, but it's the in-between days where you'll score one or two StreetPasses that make this feature more addictive than anyone may realize.

So, despite a software launch that isn't quite anything to drool over, I'm hugely in the 3DS corner and hope/pray Nintendo will stick with it and not just let it go on autopilot.  The system has the potential for bigger and better things if the company constantly fuels it with firmware feature updates – even though I love stereoscopic 3D, I think the long run is all about the little things Nintendo adds to the OS.

Sir Gordon Wheelmeier, TotalPlayStation guru:

I haven't picked up a 3DS as I'm still wary that my eyes can tolerate it for very long in a single stretch (a 10-minute E3 demo started to wear on me), plus I know the library is largely TBD right now.

This gives me a certain perspective, though – I haven't seen the system in effect anytime recently.  Still images don't help, and even video doesn't work, as you don't get the 3D effect.  Outside of E3 last year, I'd have no idea what it looks like.  I don't go to GameStop very often, and I didn't have time to check out the kiosk at Best Buy recently.  So outside of those things, there hasn't been a way for me to see the effect.

This is true of 3D TVs as well, obviously, but those aren't exactly selling like hotcakes.  The point being that it's an interesting device to market, and its long-term success will be something to watch.  Word of mouth and seeing friends' systems will be very important to its success, methinks.

That said, I'm still interested in the device (and 3D as a whole), though I haven't had enough of a media overload to make me dig the change out of my couch just yet.

Andre Segers, GameXplain co-founder:

I had to tear myself away from Pilotwings Resort just to write this!  Even though it's barely been out for a week, I have been very impressed with the 3DS.  Although the launch line-up wasn't exactly top-notch, it's far from the abomination some have painted it as.  I've found both Pilotwings and Steel Commander – one of the more unique games I've played recently – to offer fun experiences that really showcase the 3D ability.  And I really can't overstate how impressive the 3D really is – every time I turn it off to preserve battery life, I really do feel like I'm taking a step back, similar to playing a game on a black-and-white TV.

Launch games aside, I've had a ton of fun just playing around with the system itself.  Between the built-in games, MP3 player, StreetPass functionality, and more, it's been a struggle to find times for the $40 games themselves.  While the Wii tried a similar “additional content out of the box” approach with its Weather and News channels, the 3DS is much more successful in its goal of engaging the user proactively by refocusing most of the extra content around the core experience:  fun.  Even the MP3 player is a delight to use, thanks to its interactive visualizers (one of which is even a game itself), fun effects that can change the song's sound on the fly, and the hilarious – and clearly insane – parakeet tour guide.

And like Craig, I believe StreetPass is one of the system's true killer features.  Nintendo made a very smart decision in baking a game in that takes full advantage of this feature.  Besides Pilotwings, it's the game I've spent the most time with by far.  Hell, my friends and I could often be found huddled together during Wondercon, 3DSes flipped open, only to send our newly acquired Miinions heartlessly into battle.

While the 3DS isn't perfect (battery life, stupid stylus placement), it offers far more than its title would imply.  I'm looking very forward to E3 this year to see what else is coming down the pipe... and, of course, to collect hundreds of more Miis.

Thomas Arnold, GameXplain Miinion:

The 3DS really impressed me, though it hasn't quite blown me away.  A great, original game experience will have to come along for that – an unfortunate rarity for system launches these days.  I took the plunge with Steel Diver to start with because I had heard good things about it and it was different.  SD is undoubtedly original and fun but not a Mario-caliber game.

I had my doubts regarding the 3D effect even though I had read many impressions saying it was the real deal.  I wasn't fully sold on the 3D functionality until I tried a 3DS for myself at a big ol' electronics store prior to launch.  Finding the “sweet spot” was difficult and resulted in a significant amount of ghosting (double images), but I attribute that to me being awkwardly tall and playing at a kiosk probably set up for kids (or people of their height).  Thankfully, the problem seems much reduced at home, unless I'm spinning around shooting torpedoes in Steel Diver – the game was meant for a swivel chair.  In my experience, there seems to be a bit of a learning curve to making the 3D sweet spot feel natural.  It's a bit similar to my initial experience with the Wii, where keeping the Wii remote pointed at the screen was a game in and of itself!  But back to the 3DS:  although the 3D isn't always perfect due to the angle, people who turn off the 3D really are missing out on the added depth it brings to the experience.

Word of mouth alone might not be enough to sell the 3DS, but I agree with Gordon's point about people seeing friends' systems being a key for the handheld's success.  Owners showing off the system's 3D to their friends might be the best bet at creating a snowball effect for purchases.

I'd agree with Andre that the main disappointment is battery life, as we're overdue for a Nintendo handheld that kicks the trend of decreasing play time.  The other "issue" is that patience will be necessary for the AAA games that really make having the 3DS worthwhile, which hopefully will be announced at E3.  Personally, I'm looking forward to the Nintendo eShop in May, as the ability to play downloaded games was my favorite feature on the DSi.  This time around, I don't want to scroll through thirty to forty pages featuring two games a page for the game I want.

Rob Keyes, Game Rant editor-in-chief:

I find myself actually unimpressed with the Nintendo 3DS for several reasons:  the 3D effect, the battery life (or lack thereof), the multiplayer/online capabilities, and the videogames themselves.

Coming off the super successful DS platform, Nintendo was able to generate an incredible amount of buzz by offering a more powerful handheld that not only offered a product to further feed the 3D trend, but to do so without the need of the awkward and annoying 3D glasses.  The problem is that the 3D isn't that great due to the strict conditions under which it works.  You really do need to find that notorious "sweet spot" for it to work, but even then, it's bothersome after a short amount of time and doesn't service the actual gameplay; whether a particular title had 3D or not does not affect the quality of the game or a buyer's decision to buy.  When I use the device, I find myself turning the slider down, so what's the point from the gamer's perspective?  It becomes a gimmick.

A common concern raised by users of the 3DS center on its battery life, which rings in at an estimated three hours.  For the latest and greatest, that's too low, and doesn't even sustain playing it through most flights.  It's no surprise to see gamers clamoring for the next 3DS model already and/or waiting for that to release before buying the system.  The online capabilities of the unit are also not a selling point, since you can't even communicate with your friends and one of the key product features is not even available yet (the eShop).

By far the biggest issue with the handheld's launch is the games.  The launch line-up was not only depressingly absent of quality must-have titles, but many of them were total cash grabs.  None of the games are worth the $30-40 price tag – the same price you can buy triple-A console titles for on the Xbox 360 and PS3 on Amazon.  What's even more alarming is that Nintendo confirmed their spring 3DS releases, and the best of them are just 3D ports of N64 games or movie tie-ins, still showing that there is a lack of originality.  After reviewing many of the launch titles, and reading the reviews around the industry, Nintendo was not justified in calling out "garage developers,” refuting needed competition against indie-developed titles and other smart phone offerings.  There are $5 iOS games that offer deeper and lengthier gaming experiences than a lot of the games on the 3DS at the moment, and that's not a good start into the next generation of handheld gaming.

The 3DS is not a good buy (yet), and its online capabilities are very dated and limited, but it has a lot of potential once its features are fleshed out and the game library extends.  It does come with some neat built-in goodies like the augmented reality potential, and there's certainly fun overall to be had, but I really expected more from Nintendo, and they've sadly generated a significant amount of bad press, from headaches and price points to slowing sales and weak launch games, etc.

I'm very interested in seeing what Nintendo presents at E3 in June and how Sony handles the launch of the NGP in the fall.

Previous roundtables:

The Day the Music Died
Rock-n-roll legends never die – they just fade away.  Or something like that.

3DS Announcement Edition
The gang's all here – in threeeee deeeeeees!

Xbox Li$e
GameXplain, TotalPlayStation, and IGN join forces to take on the high cost of (online) gaming.

BioShock: Infinite
To walk among the giants in the clouds…

Marc N. Kleinhenz is a roaming gaming ronin as well as a freelance videographer.  You can find his latest literary foray in the print anthology Eye of the Dagger, available here.