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[Vanillalite]

Here's a whole playlist with direct-feed audio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxcuoEPlHCk&playnext=1&list=PLC8B25988911AB360

You be the judge.

Spoiler

Sounds fantastic to me, cheesy dialogue aside.

Does sound way better IMO. Just doesn't have that sort of low bit rate quality to me that I thought most DS games went with.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

Don't know if this has been posted, but here is an Unboxing and Quick run:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsQDha_G9Vc

 

[donkey show]

One thing I'd like to hear more people who picked up a 3DS talk about is how well the sound quality is especially with headphones verses the built in speakers. With the improved cart size and better horse power are we finally gonna get better overall sound quality verse the DS? DS had some good music tracks, but it felt like everything was compressed to hell and back even if you had descent portable phones.

I'm no audiophile, but SSFIV with my Astro A30s is pretty crisp. You can tell there's been downsampling involved in comparison to the console versions, but its not "gritty" like the DS/DSi.

Also, for you battery peeps, I'm pushing 3.25 hours with 3 bars left on the battery. Could be close to halfway, but this is with some light wifi play, brightness to 1, occasional full 3D slider, and headphones.

 

[Graphics Horse]

Does sound way better IMO. Just doesn't have that sort of low bit rate quality to me that I thought most DS games went with.

I believe the DS mixer ends up only outputting 12-bit audio, so they've likely stepped up to 16-bit this time.

 

[ryan-ts]

I'm no audiophile, but SSFIV with my Astro A30s is pretty crisp. You can tell there's been downsampling involved in comparison to the console versions, but its not "gritty" like the DS/DSi.

Also, for you battery peeps, I'm pushing 3.25 hours with 3 bars left on the battery. Could be close to halfway, but this is with some light wifi play, brightness to 1, occasional full 3D slider, and headphones.

Brightness to 1...how bright is that?

 

[jwluther]

...

 

[El Pescado]

Since you guys are discussing browsers:

Don't know if this is well known, but Nintendo has dropped Opera from the 3DS and added ... NetFront. Apparently they wanted to go with a Japanese company for the browser on the 3DS. NetFront, for those who don't know, is the company that develops the browsers on the PS3 and PSP.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Were there new colour DS phats or was it not until DS Lite that the colour options expanded? They'll probably follow a similar timeline as the DS to try to replicate it's success.

There was at least a blue phat by summer 2005.

 

[Truth101]

Since you guys are discussing browsers:

Don't know if this is well known, but Nintendo has dropped Opera from the 3DS and added ... NetFront. Apparently they wanted to go with a Japanese company for the browser on the 3DS. NetFront, for those who don't know, is the company that develops the browsers on the PS3 and PSP.

Source: http://my.opera.com/Nplus/blog/show.dml/25385282#comment53576542

Also confirmed this through e-mail with Opera's US community manager.

I've never had a PSP or PS3, but this is a bad thing, possibly, is it not?

 

[1-D_FTW]

If they don't know how many units they'll have available at launch, I guess. They've been taking pre-orders for well over a month now, and it's safe to assume that they've received a LOT. If there are 400K units on day one in NA as in Japan, I can't imagine Amazon would be getting enough to cover all pre-orders. Everyone else might have to wait a few weeks.

Just speculation, though.

Amazon has always cut off system orders, it makes zero sense they'd suddenly change policy for the 3DS launch. The black 3DS (higher than blue) was the 55th best selling video game item the other day. It's highly probable they've simply not sold out yet.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

I think the browser on the PS3 is pretty good for the first a time a real browser was on a console (I think?). Well it did take some updates to get going but I think it's capable. I remember streaming justin.tv a lot and some other quick things and it worked well.

But opinions vary greatly.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

I'm no audiophile, but SSFIV with my Astro A30s is pretty crisp. You can tell there's been downsampling involved in comparison to the console versions, but its not "gritty" like the DS/DSi.

Also, for you battery peeps, I'm pushing 3.25 hours with 3 bars left on the battery. Could be close to halfway, but this is with some light wifi play, brightness to 1, occasional full 3D slider, and headphones.

Great! Thanks for this! What game have you been playing? (DS or 3DS?)

BTW have you had 3D on all the time? Or has it been on and off?

Changing the 3D depth will have no effect on battery consumption (since the slider only moves the position of the cameras ingame. The only thing that changes the battery consumption is turning it off completely.

Also, have you got power save mode on?

Brightness to 1...how bright is that?

From what I saw of it in person. The 3DS' screen brightness is exactly the same as the DSi, so each brightness setting will be identical.

 

[Cosmo Clock 21]

I've never had a PSP or PS3, but this is a bad thing, possibly, is it not?

PSP and PS3's internet browsers are absolute horseshit. Wish they stuck with Opera.

 

[donkey show]

Great! Thanks for this! What game have you been playing? (DS or 3DS?)

BTW have you had 3D on all the time? Or has it been on and off?

Changing the 3D depth will have no effect on battery consumption (since the slider only moves the position of the cameras ingame. The only thing that changes the battery consumption is turning it off completely.

Also, have you got power save mode on?

Power save mode is off. As for 3D depth, I've only been having it at either full or off, nothing inbetween. And it's been all 3DS games (i.e. SSFIV, occasional AR games). I'm sure if I ran all AR games, it'd suck up the battery a bit more considering the camera usage.

As for now, still 3 bars at 3 1/2 hours of usage using those settings I mentioned above. Not bad so far.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

Power save mode is off. As for 3D depth, I've only been having it at either full or off, nothing inbetween. And it's been all 3DS games (i.e. SSFIV, occasional AR games). I'm sure if I ran all AR games, it'd suck up the battery a bit more considering the camera usage.

As for now, still 3 bars at 3 1/2 hours of usage using those settings I mentioned above. Not bad so far.

Good show. Looks like the screen brightness and 3D mode are the big battery drains. I usually play the DSi at medium brightness (level 3) so I should be getting some pretty decent battery life it seems!

Thanks again! (I know for a fact that I'd never get this kind of info from one of the major sites!) Am looking forward to seeing how long it ends up lasting for in total!

 

[Truth101]

I asked this before, but I don't know if it has been answered.

Do both people need to add friend codes, or is it a request based system?

 

[beje]

Power save mode is off. As for 3D depth, I've only been having it at either full or off, nothing inbetween. And it's been all 3DS games (i.e. SSFIV, occasional AR games). I'm sure if I ran all AR games, it'd suck up the battery a bit more considering the camera usage.

As for now, still 3 bars at 3 1/2 hours of usage using those settings I mentioned above. Not bad so far.

That sounds great. Even if you're still clinging on the last minutes of the second bar, that means around 7 hours of real life usage.

 

[Vic]

Power save mode is off. As for 3D depth, I've only been having it at either full or off, nothing inbetween. And it's been all 3DS games (i.e. SSFIV, occasional AR games). I'm sure if I ran all AR games, it'd suck up the battery a bit more considering the camera usage.

As for now, still 3 bars at 3 1/2 hours of usage using those settings I mentioned above. Not bad so far.

So, how about some in-depth SSFIV impressions?

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

PSP and PS3's internet browsers are absolute horseshit. Wish they stuck with Opera.

This. The fact that the Wii browser's performance runs circles around the PS3's one is a true testament to how absolutely shit the PS3 browser is!

 

[vatstep]

Amazon has always cut off system orders, it makes zero sense they'd suddenly change policy for the 3DS launch. The black 3DS (higher than blue) was the 55th best selling video game item the other day. It's highly probable they've simply not sold out yet.

Wasn't aware of this — it's been quite a while since I've purchased a system at launch, and it's never been through Amazon. I do recall both colors being in the VG top ten for several days, and possibly a week or more (they were #1 and #2 for a couple of days). Most people that buy systems at launch are enthusiasts, and would understandably get their pre-orders in early, so I'm not surprised the bestseller ranks have tumbled quite a bit.

But anyway, I wasn't aware that the number of launch units available in NA had been confirmed — if 1.5M is correct, than I'm sure everyone with a pre-order will be fine.

 

[Vanillalite]

I'm no audiophile, but SSFIV with my Astro A30s is pretty crisp. You can tell there's been downsampling involved in comparison to the console versions, but its not "gritty" like the DS/DSi.

I believe the DS mixer ends up only outputting 12-bit audio, so they've likely stepped up to 16-bit this time.

GREAT and I do mean GREAT news for me personally. Which is funny cause I'm hardly an audiophile in terms of high end sound, but the low end sound on tracks that I know were good like TWEWY just was slightly disappointing.

Definitely a big THUMBS UP for me!

 

[Izayoi]

Don't know if this has been posted, but here is an Unboxing and Quick run:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsQDha_G9Vc

Dat blue.

HHHHNNNNNGGGGHHHHHHH

Power save mode is off. As for 3D depth, I've only been having it at either full or off, nothing inbetween. And it's been all 3DS games (i.e. SSFIV, occasional AR games). I'm sure if I ran all AR games, it'd suck up the battery a bit more considering the camera usage.

As for now, still 3 bars at 3 1/2 hours of usage using those settings I mentioned above. Not bad so far.

Headphones generally strain batteries pretty hard, right? I'm impressed that it's lasted that long with headphones in.

 

[Carlisle]

Amazon has always cut off system orders, it makes zero sense they'd suddenly change policy for the 3DS launch. The black 3DS (higher than blue) was the 55th best selling video game item the other day. It's highly probable they've simply not sold out yet.

The fact is no one can really say for sure. It is possible Amazon hasn't sold out yet, but I would also say Amazon doesn't yet know exactly how many units they're getting in the first shipment. What makes zero sense is for a retailer to prematurely restrict people from ordering an unreleased product regardless of expected initial stock. Even once the launch shipment runs out, future shipments will come in later and Amazon will fulfill them eventually.

Worst case scenario for people preordering on Amazon today is they have to wait an extra week or two for the next shipment to come in and be distributed. Everyone's going to get their preorder fulfilled eventually though. If someone doesn't get in the first batch there are still other B&M retailers who don't take preorders, and lining up in front of their doors on the morning of the 27th is also a very viable option.

 

[newsguy]

Wouldn't the money come out of the top screen?

So that giving kids under 6 allowance won't cause their eyes to explode.

 

[donkey show]

Headphones generally strain batteries pretty hard, right? I'm impressed that it's lasted that long with headphones in.

I really couldn't tell you the answer to that. Sorry!

So, how about some in-depth SSFIV impressions?

What do you want to know exactly? It's SSFIV. =P

Yeah, SSFIV 3D edition is pretty much like the console versions so if you enjoy those, you'll enjoy this one. Using the touch screen for certain moves does give a decent advantage to the player if their execution isn't up to par. It looks like there is a Lite and Pro version of the touchscreen macros. I'll try to go more in-depth with that function later on today.

The smaller d-pad takes awhile to get used to as I play on a stick, but it works. Don't like using the slide pad at all for it though. Challenge mode is also in there as well.

Been playing online recently and its just as good or as bad as you'd expect from P2P on the console versions as well. Playing in the over-the-shoulder mode is a nice diversion from the rest of the game, but it doesn't take away from the experience at all. There are also figures to collect as well, so that'll add to the replay value if you're a collection whore.

I can't really comment on the StreetPass stuff as I doubt anyone in the 5-10 mile radius of me here in the Los Angeles area has a 3DS as well. Awesome stuff nonetheless. When you're playing with 3D on, it looks like you're playing with a moving diorama.

Let me know if you want to know more stuff. =)

And I just hit the battery halfway mark after playing a couple online matches. That's nearly 4 hours now. ^^

 

[ElFly]

This. The fact that the Wii browser's performance runs circles around the PS3's one is a true testament to how absolutely shit the PS3 browser is!

Really? I've used both and never found either was particularly more powerful than the other. There were some things the PS3 browser does better and some that opera wii does better.

Except the PS3 one had multiple windows support, which is nice.

 

[DDayton]

Don't know if this is well known, but Nintendo has dropped Opera from the 3DS and added ... NetFront. Apparently they wanted to go with a Japanese company for the browser on the 3DS. NetFront, for those who don't know, is the company that develops the browsers on the PS3 and PSP.

You know, given that Opera did the DS, DSi, and Wii Browsers, I'm wondering if there was some conflict between Nintendo and Opera as of late... I mean, the Wii Browser hasn't had an update in ages, and there was the whole weirdness of it being free, then pay, then free again.

 

[Kusagari]

1.5 million day one is a pretty ridiculous amount. There might be no shortages at all for the people planning to sell it on ebay.

 

[gofreak]

Anyone know off the top of their heads when Pilotwings hits Japan? Steel Diver?

i.e. before the euro/US launches, I presume? They're the games I'm most keen to get impressions on ahead of the launch here.

 

[Gravijah]

DONKEY SHOW! Hook your headphones in, go lay down in bed and play your 3DS. Tell me how comfortable it is!

 

[Truth101]

1.5 million day one is a pretty ridiculous amount. There might be no shortages at all for the people planning to sell it on ebay.

If a scalper is smart they will build up stock and wait for Christmas shortages and then slowly dribble out the stock they have built up resulting in big profit.

 

[Ramenman]

So, how about some in-depth SSFIV impressions?

I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE.

 

[donkey show]

DONKEY SHOW! Hook your headphones in, go lay down in bed and play your 3DS. Tell me how comfortable it is!

It's just as comfy as playing a DSi would be.

 

[KAL2006]

is there anymore information on the user interface, such as friends list

 

[Shoogoo]

The price is so low on some UK websites, £193? Didn't they announce £230?

Is it because of the preorder? Could the price go up once it's out?

 

[Gravijah]

It's just as comfy as playing a DSi would be.

Oh, well I dunno how comfortable that is. Haven't had much hands on time with one.

 

[seady]

I am amazed that other than 1UP, none of the US press has posted anything about the 3DS launch in Japan. Not even a slight mention of it from IGN, Gamespot, Joystiq etc. I know it's weekend but they usually update for bigger stuffs like this.

 

[From The Dust]

The price is so low on some UK websites, £193? Didn't they announce £230?

Is it because of the preorder? Could the price go up once it's out?

Nintendo didn't announce a price. they left it up to the stores. which leads to such discounts due to pricing competition

 

[Truth101]

I asked this before, but I don't know if it has been answered.

Do both people need to add friend codes, or is it a request based system?

Anyone ;_;

 

[king zell]

I am amazed that other than 1UP, none of the US press has posted anything about the 3DS launch in Japan. Not even a slight mention of it from IGN, Gamespot, Joystiq etc. I know it's weekend but they usually update for bigger stuffs like this.

?

gamespot did a great job here: http://www.gamespot.com/shows/today..._on_the_spot_live20110225&tag=topslot;thumb;1

 

[Kard8p3]

I am amazed that other than 1UP, none of the US press has posted anything about the 3DS launch in Japan. Not even a slight mention of it from IGN, Gamespot, Joystiq etc. I know it's weekend but they usually update for bigger stuffs like this.

Well gamespot did live feeds yesterday.

 

[Vanillalite]

I am amazed that other than 1UP, none of the US press has posted anything about the 3DS launch in Japan. Not even a slight mention of it from IGN, Gamespot, Joystiq etc. I know it's weekend but they usually update for bigger stuffs like this.

Anoop did put a story prelaunch for IGN, but I'm surprised he hasn't updated post launch. He usually handles all of IGNs Japanese coverage for shit like this.

To be fair to for some reason I couldn't find any videos on 1up, but I found videos on youtube that 1up had done?

IDK launch coverage in general has been rather meh, but maybe people just don't feel the need with all the prelaunch coverage, lack of a BIG system seller, and region locking.

 

[beje]

Anyone ;_;

As far as I know, it's automated if you're connecting locally with the other console, and code swap for random people over the internet.

 

[Shoogoo]

Nintendo didn't announce a price. they left it up to the stores. which leads to such discounts due to pricing competition

Isn't that the first Nintendo console to ever adopt such a policy?

 

[Truth101]

As far as I know, it's automated if you're connecting locally with the other console, and code swap for random people over the internet.

Yeah that is what I am unsure about, it was never explicitly said if both people need to swap codes or someone just needs to add someone's code and it will send a request.

 

[Mailenstein]

Isn't that the first Nintendo console to ever adopt such a policy?

It was the same with the Wii, at least for Germany.

 

[[Nintex]]

Isn't that the first Nintendo console ever to adopt such a policy?

Back at the Amsterdam event NoE told us that they couldn't announce the European price because of EU regulations(price fixing and all that), we said that we didn't believe them because they'd set the prices anyway. And they kept blabbering about EU regulations but look all stores are charging 249 euro for the Nintendo 3DS. Price fixing? Never!

 

[M3d10n]

Really? I've used both and never found either was particularly more powerful than the other. There were some things the PS3 browser does better and some that opera wii does better.

Except the PS3 one had multiple windows support, which is nice.

And here lies the problem. The PS3 has five times more RAM than the Wii and a God-knows-how-much faster CPU, yet the browser performance doesn't follow.

Also, NetFront on the 3DS should perform similar to how it does on PSP. Maybe even worse, since on the PSP the browser can use the extra RAM of the later PSP revisions, while on the 3DS it will most likely only access 32MBs since it's meant to be open while playing a game.

This is a big bummer. Opera would really fly on the 3DS.

 

[Shiggy]

Back at the Amsterdam event NoE told us that they couldn't announce the European price because of EU regulations(price fixing and all that), we said that we didn't believe them because they'd set the prices anyway. And they kept blabbering about EU regulations but look all stores are charging 249 euro for the Nintendo 3DS. Price fixing? Never!

They are partly true. They cannot set a fixed price and force retailers to take that amount of money. What they can, and what they've done in the past, is give a recommended retail price, which they seemingly don't want to.

 

[Gospel]

Since you guys are discussing browsers:

Don't know if this is well known, but Nintendo has dropped Opera from the 3DS and added ... NetFront. Apparently they wanted to go with a Japanese company for the browser on the 3DS. NetFront, for those who don't know, is the company that develops the browsers on the PS3 and PSP.

Source: http://my.opera.com/Nplus/blog/show.dml/25385282#comment53576542

Also confirmed this through e-mail with Opera's US community manager.

Edit: It's the 5th comment in that article. Not sure why the permalink isn't working.

It'd be funny if you could now download and save stuff directly from the browser ala PSP then. Although, I'm sure Nintendo imposed that restriction on Opera rather than Opera deciding not to include the file system frontend.

Guess we'll find out in May.