Grand Theft Autostereoscopic

I bought a 3DS at launch.

Every time there’s a new console I say that it’ll be my last but here I am again happy to bestow Nintendo with yet more gold coins.

I didn’t try it beforehand. I bought on faith. And the inevitable announcement of Shenmue 3 for it, obviously. Thankfully it turns out it’s quite a cool box of tricks (or illusions).

The 3D effect really is both uncanny and awesome, albeit as long as you’re not expecting something akin to the Jaws 19 advert in Back to the Future Part II. Enough said.

I’m enjoying playing Tom Clancy’s X-Com (a.k.a. Ghost Recon Shadow Wars). As has been mentioned by many, as a relatively flat and simple looking turn-based strategy game it is by no means a major showcase for the 3D effect per se. But what it does show is that even games that use the effect subtly look exponentially better with it active than without it.

It’s got me convinced that a visual style similar to a tilt-shift photography effect with selective focus of seemingly miniature locations would both shock and awe if applied to a game. A Grand Theft Auto game using it would be too obvious. How’s about within a Katamari Damacy game played against a backdrop of photo-realistic 3D layered real-world locations? Or indeed Shenmue 3. Make it happen.

The 3D photo functionality is another honeymoon period joy. Alas, the photo quality is truly woeful. It right up there with a late-90’s webcam or saving a JPEG at 95% compression. The 3D element is the obvious saving grace. Behold some samples replicated in wiggle-GIF-o-vision below:

The Eiffel Tower on top of Pikachu’s head? Why not? Even he’s nodding in approval…

3DS camera(s) meet the Game Boy Camera. Nintendo need to add a Game Boy Camera filter effect to the software. It’d probably blow the 3D apart but there’s still a charm about it’s ultra-basic resolution.

Finally, after 12 years, a decent 3D Sonic. Oh dear.