(Here is the conclusion of the lengthy review)

3D REVOLUTION

So after a marathon of features are we holding a device worth the 200 sheets you’ll likely be paying? The answer is a resounding “yes”. While some of the 3DS’ in-built software is light on the ground, it’s the tech it demonstrates that is really incredibly important.

The 3DS has enough juice and a small enough screen to churn out visuals which well surpass any of Nintendo’s past portable offerings – that’s why we can look forward to big names that normally would never fit into a little DS like Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil.

But even that’s not the key point. These great looking games are being beamed to you in 3D, unadulterated by shaded glasses or any other auxiliary device. Okay, so some of the smaller bits of software are gimmicky and the camera is more a point of interest than a visual spectacle, but 3DS’s core function will very likely blow you away.

It’s the full production games that are meant to draw in the crowds, and there is no doubt in our mind that they’ll do just that. Oh, and when we say “crowds” we mean scores of people representing a complete cross-section of society.

In true Nintendo fashion there’s something here for mum, dad, nan and your annoying baby brother. Most importantly for us, though, there’s something for the hardcore market – and it’s more than a little bit magical.

We’ve always been great believers in the growing prominence of 3D gaming, but Nintendo’s glasses-free tech could well represent the tipping point for the technology. If you want an example of a modern day gaming revolution, look no further.

by Tom.Pakinkis@futurenet.com

Read the entire, lengthy review here: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/291003/nintendo-3ds-review-2011/