Preview: Hands-on with the Nintendo 3DS

The battle in the handheld video game market is about to heat up.

Apple continues to make inroads with its line of devices and army of titles. Sony is preparing to launch the successor to the PlayStation Portable and a PlayStation phone later this year.

Then there's Nintendo, the current handheld champion thanks to the DS. The publisher will bring 3-D to the small screen with the launch of the 3DS on March 27.

Recently, Game Hunters spent some time with the 3DS and, so far, found it to deliver a fun and sometimes stunning experience.

The 3DS is very close in size to the DSi, which is impressive considering how much Nintendo has crammed into the 3DS. It's just over 5 inches wide and less than 3 inches thick when closed. It also weighs about 8 ounces.

Readers are likely aware of the two external cameras for 3-D images, the internal camera, circle pad controls, motion and gyroscope sensors, and the widescreen 3-D display with adjustable slider.

But the 3DS also sports some subtle yet interesting tweaks to the device's design. A flat panel sits underneath the touch-screen where the home, start and select buttons reside. Since 3DS cartridges are slightly bigger than regular DS titles, the cartridge slot is larger too. The device also plays standard DS games for those users with a large DS collection. The 3DS adds a nifty extendable stylus, making it a bit easier to work with the touch-screen.

The 3DS home screen experiences a slight overhaul as well. Software choices are laid out a lot like apps on a smartphone, and users can tap certain icons to pull up the game or software they choose.

The Nintendo demo focused primarily on games, starting with Face Raiders, which is pre-loaded onto the device. Players start by snapping a picture of themselves. The face is then animated (similar to what JibJab does with e-cards) and slapped onto a propeller-powered contraption that floats around the screen. Players notch points by shooting down their flying faces.

The 3DS will also include augmented-reality cards players view through the device's cameras for additional mini-games. The cards feature a block with a question mark, which users might recognize from the Super Mario Bros. franchise. After locating the card with the cameras and maintaining a certain distance, a box pops up initiating the game.

The game was brief but fun to explore. A series of bull's-eyes pop up that players must shoot, culminating in a showdown with a dragon. Through the view of the 3DS, players will see the surface beneath the card move and bounce around. It's not clear how many of these cards are included, but the AR games are promising.

Of course, all this is happening in 3-D, so viewers will watch the dragon lunge toward the screen or the goofy flying faces in Face Raiders zip back and forth. The glasses-free 3-D works great, and the slider lets users tailor the 3-D experience to their liking.

I also viewed a movie trailer for the documentary Born to Be Wild in 3-D. It looked good, but it's still hard to tell whether the 3-D video experience delivers the same impact on a smaller screen.

Nintendo's demo included three launch titles: Pilotwings Resort, Steel Diver and Capcom's Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, which Game Hunters will explore in separate previews starting Wednesday.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Steel Diver for 3DS
3DS LAUNCH TITLES: Nintendo confirms 18 games, prices

The success of the 3DS will likely hinge on how well Nintendo and other publishers or partners capture 3-D depth in games or video. If it's anything like this recent demo, then Nintendo could have an upper hand in the portable games battle.

Readers, looking forward to playing the 3DS? Also, feel free to ask any questions.