SHOCKING NEWS: 3DS games look way better than DS games?!

PapaEmeritus

PapaEmeritus

Member
The other day I popped in a few DS games I got for cheap into my 3ds. What a difference a few years makes in terms of graphical quality. It's ironic because going back and playing some Xbox games or Wii games, aren't really awful, but the increase in graphical quality in the 3ds I think many take for granted.

I realize the vita has way better gfx but I want to play the games on a 3ds, so please don't discuss that here, but,for example I popped in FF12:Revanent Wings and just shut it off, gfx were muddied and basically horrible, but I remember thinking when I first played it how great they looked. Another argument I'd like to avoid is, well of course, it's new hardware. I just wanted to bring to light the jump in 3ds graphical quality that I think is often overlooked and also I wanted to ask if anyone has any DS games that actually held up in the test of time, other than like Arkanoid or simple titles. I even tried Wario: Master of Disguise, a cartooney game, but that still looked pretty bad as well.

For example:


XgnT83sTNXbisOB64N89cOTbQ7UV2WnE.jpg


to this:

final-fantasy-xii-revenant-wings-20071121004711582.jpg
 
Honestly screenshots don't do any handheld game good with the low resolutions and all. Makes all handheld games look like shit to play it on the actual devices.
 
OP, were you holding select when booting the DS games up? This puts it into 1:1 mode rather than upscaling badly.

On the 3DS XL the 1:1 mode screen size is about the same as the DS lite. It being much smaller on a normal 3DS (and 2DS) would either make it sharper or too small.
 
Gotta throw it out there: On the recommendation of a NeoGAF thread I got the DsiXL and yep, it's the best way to play DS games. Image nice and big, no scaling and thus no blurriness.
 
Uh, of course the jump is big, like it was between N64 and GC.
But 3D was actually what awe me initially.

gameongreggy said:
also I wanted to ask if anyone has any DS games that actually held up in the test of time, other than like Arkanoid or simple titles. I even tried Wario: Master of Disguise, a cartooney game, but that still looked pretty bad as well.
Click to expand...
DS has weak polygonal graphics so it's more likely 2D games that held up better.
Said that here a few example I think could stand well the test of time:

Final Fantasy Four Heroes of Light:
final-fantasy-the-4-heroes-of-light-ds-screenshots-1-546.jpg


Ghost Trick:
ghosttrick-2.jpg


Nanostray 2:
nanostray2.jpg


Bowser inside story:
14407_4bc48c9a96a50.jpg


Alice in Wonderland (cool artstyle):
ds_alice_in_wonderland01.jpg
 
I popped Pokemon White into my 3DS OG and it was a blurry, washed out mess compared to playing it on my DS Lite.
Yes, you can play them in the original resolution, but the colors still didn't seem as vibrant plus it's super tiny on the OG screen.
From my experience you should really play DS games on an actual DS if you want to get the most out of their graphics.

2D games can still look fantastic on the DS (Castlevania, Chrono Trigger, Ghost Trick, Phoenix Wright, Yoshi's Island, etc). I actually like how Revanent Wings looks on the DS, but I admit I haven't tried it on my 3DS yet.

I'm happy with my 3DS, but do really wish the 3DS had gotten more of a resolution bump over the DS (The PSP has a higher resolution than the 3DS doesn't it?).
 
I found that the weak 3D graphics on a DS look awful on a 3DS, but 2D pixel art is fine- Castlevania OOE, Aliens Infeststion and Contra IV are pretty good.
 
Eventhough Nintendo stays behind others, their jump in graphics are always appreciated because they put it to good use. We are starting to see that with Wii U as well. Considering the advancements in the mobile space, I wonder what kind of graphics 4DS will have. I am assuming they will want to build a much cheaper handheld this time so as not to be caught in a tight position like they were with the 3DS. Something they can sell for $180 at a profit.
 
I like to think of the DS as sort of in the PS1 era in terms of graphics, and the 3DS as a half step towards gamecube with some modern shaders. And related to that, the biggest jump in 3D graphics was from the PS1 --> PS2/Gamecube, now looking back at PS2/Gamecube games, it's not terrible, especially if the art direction was there.

I'm thinking the 4DS will be pretty much the Wii in terms of graphics :)
 
gryz said:
nintendo needs to do a better job of explaining this to people, I had a 3DS since launch and only recently figured this out
Click to expand...

Honestly they should have made it a selectable option screen when booting up a DS or VC game.

"Do you want the game to take up the whole screen? (Image may appear softer)"
"Do you want to play the game at it's original resolution? (image will not take up the entire screen"
Tap which one you want.

It just feels like you're using some kind of exploit when you hold the select button as the game launches. Definitely not intuitive at all the way it is.
 
The DS wasn't *that* bad but it was almost never used. To me Mario 64 DS is one of the best looking games on DS and it came so early in DS' time...
 
Rodney McKay said:
Honestly they should have made it a selectable option screen when booting up a DS or VC game.
Click to expand...
Or a system setting in general. I occasionally don't hold select for long enough and have to exit and relaunch (I only play DSiWare on the 3DS) and would never be interested in playing using the scaled option.
 
Nintendo shouldn't be praised for graphics that for the most part could be done on PSP years ago, unless you never played one maybe.

That said, there are still graphics that impress, like most of RE:R, KI and last stage of SM3DL
 
I'm surprised at how good Arkham Origins Blackgate looks on 3DS.

It's stunning.

Also, Smash Bros. 3DS looks super clean.

screen-9.jpg


phantom-hourglass-toon-link.jpg


Mmm, that difference.
 
KillerMan91 said:
Shame about 3DS having so horrible screen that it doesn't do justice for great looking games.
Click to expand...

On an XL least you can force 1:1 so original DS games look great.

M&L: Bowser's Inside Story is still a fantastic looking game and the animations in particular are stellar and very fluid.
 
I was very impressed with the level of graphics on the 3DS, especially with full 3D on, and that was coming from both the DS and PSP. Some games look amazing like RE:R, Dead Or Alive: Dimensions or Luigi's Mansion 2, of course it's not on par with Vita but it still can put out some good looking games.

Personally i feel like the 3D effect is a great improvement for the impression that a game leaves to me, i think it enchances the experience and makes it much more impressive.
 
Honestly, 3DS seems a bit irrelevant to me in that case: the DS games posted here that are supposed to look ugly (such as RE) already looked like ass back when they were released. The most baffling part was why would anyone try pushing 3D graphics on a console that sucked at it.


(This is mostly true for PSP too, though to a lesser extent)
 
SuperSah said:
I'm surprised at how good Arkham Origins Blackgate looks on 3DS.

It's stunning.
Click to expand...

The most likely explanation is they poured money into developing it in HD so that they can port it to home consoles a year later, like Resident Evil and Castlevania.
 
Curse Nintendo for keeping the resolution of the 3DS so puny.

I've said this many times, but I'd rather they just ditched the home console and made their portable more awesome. Why compromise on both?
 
Yanikun said:
The most likely explanation is they poured money into developing it in HD so that they can port it to home consoles a year later, like Resident Evil and Castlevania.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I guess so. It looks really good. I'm pretty much sold on it.

Kouriozan said:
Unfair, Smash 3DS art style is so good :p
Click to expand...

Sure, but I mean, check the differences model wise, it's so much better.

It's not 100% fair, but you get the image.
 
Honestly, 3D graphics on the DS are only slightly better than on the original Playstation. So natuarlly, when you have a last gen portable console with graphics lagging a couple of generations behind, and then you introduce the 3DS's more advanced hardware, it's natural you'll see such a big leap.

In other words, the DS hardware was outdated for its time, so the leap to 3DS is naturally more obvious.
 
we too be fair, ds games look muddy on 3ds because of the shit scaler.

playing them in 1:1 mode (hold start when the game is booting) makes it look sharper.
 
I dispute the notion that the 3DS was similarly outdated as the DS at their respective releases (well, aside it's puny CPU).
 
I bought a few DS games on sale a couple weeks ago (Okimiden and Sonic Colors). After playing 3DS games and not really any DS games for a year or so, it really took me back how dated the DS was. I eventually got over it and enjoyed the games, but still...

I used to think the DS had really good graphics, but I kind of see now why we never got a "real" 3D zelda or more N64 remakes.

Now, it seems to be mostly the textures and resolution though. The models themselves seem ok, but textures are really rough.
 
ShineALight said:
It's probably safe to raise those expectations.
Click to expand...

I agree.
I think what ever Nintendo's next handheld is, it will have specs similar to the new iPhoneS or greater.

I think the next handheld will be the last time we see a major jump in visual fidelity from nintendo. Well at least one that will be instantly noticeable, like DS-> 3DS.
 
I thought the 3DS was already Wii level?

I mean, MH3U on 3DS runs at a higher frame rate, has dynamic shadows and has more detail/content than the Wii game.
 
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