Should a ‘hardcore’ gamer buy the 3DS?

by Kory Baldwin on January 2, 2012

The term ‘hardcore’ is often attached to the word gamer. Use of the term has increased with the rise of what has been oppositely dubbed ‘casual’ gaming. Most of those who grace websites who use these terms have an intrinsic knowledge of what they mean, but for the uninitiated I have provided (arguably overly) simple definitions:

Casual Gamers – People who play games almost exclusively on web browsers, mobile phones, tablets, Facebook, or (in many cases) Nintendo’s Wii and DS product lines. The games are usually visually simple, gameplay is often completely intuitive, prices are regularly cheap, and the titles themselves are generally designed for playing in short spurts, typically while the player is “on the go.” Examples include Bejewled, Farmville, and Angry Birds.

Hardcore Gamers – Those who prefer playing games on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and the PSP line. The games are generally more visually complex, gameplay is generally far more challenging, cost is often in the $50 – $60 range, and the games are designed to be played for hours at a time. Recent examples include The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Battlefield 3, Rage, and Saint’s Row the Third.

I fall almost completely into the hardcore category of gaming. While I do have Angry Birds and other casual titles on my Toshiba Thrive tablet and iPhone 4, I MUCH prefer gaming on HD consoles and my dedicated Gaming PC. In fact, I don’t own a Wii anymore and I haven’t had a Nintendo handheld since the original, dot matrix Gameboy. Well, at least until a few days ago that is.

My parents came to stay with my wife and I over Christmas. The morning of the big day arrived and they handed me a small, relatively heavy package. I tore of the wrapping paper and found, much to my surprise, a Nintendo 3DS. I hadn’t asked my parents for a 3DS, but they know I’m a gamer and somebody must have told them “gamers like the 3DS.” And there you have it.

I opened the box with amusement and curiosity and immediately wondered what my experience would be. Would my 3DS collect dust like my Wii until I eventually sold it on Craig’s List?

My parents didn’t buy me a game, so the next day we went out and I picked up Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. I bought these titles not only because of their high respective reviews across the web, but because these are characters and series I enjoyed in my youth but haven’t spent much time with in recent years. They are also, of course, series enjoyed by Hardcore and casual gamers alike.

After sinking several hours into each title I can say with certainty that these games are awesome. All three are a blast and the 3D capability of the screen, which I had long seen as a gimmick, genuinely enhances the experience. Mario Kart 7, in particular, benefits from the 3D depth of field and is a better game because of it. Yes, my friends, these are full-fledged, challenging, enjoyable games in the palm of your hand.

But are these genuinely hardcore games enough to warrant a purchase for the average hardcore gamer? I admit that I never would have purchased a 3DS for myself. The truth, however, is that my unwillingness to jump on the 3DS bandwagon was more a lack of knowledge regarding the system than any perceptions based on reality. I say this because, as awesome as the games I now own for 3DS happen to be, the greatest features came in the box and are ones that I was unaware of prior to owning.

For starters, the 3DS has surprisingly solid online capabilities. Within an hour of turning the device on – and before I owned a single game – I was browsing the web, watching Netflix, and using StreetPass to figure out which neighbors in my condo association were also 3DS owners. Pretty soon the Mii’s of several neighbors were in my 3DS and usable for several mini games. I also realized that I could suddenly download demos of games they owned, all simply because my 3DS was communicating with theirs.

After putting the 3DS away Christmas night, I awoke the next morning to find several digital gifts waiting for me. Wrapped in little packages, I tapped on them twice to unwrap them. I found that during the evening Nintendo had sent me several apps and tutorials on how to use them.

StreetPass is one of the handheld's most underrated features.

Instructions were also included on the benefits of taking my 3DS with me wherever I go. The 3DS, it seems, keeps track of my real-life steps and awards me with coins for walking. The coins are then used to hire Mii’s I have encountered that have appeared on my 3DS. Hiring them allows me to save my own Mii who has been imprisoned in a built-in game.

What this all means is that taking my 3DS with me on my daily travels enables me to play demos, find friends, obtain coins for built-in games, and awards me with a menagerie of game-specific incentives such as special items and challenges. I’ve never had a handheld device of any kind offer more incentives to take it with me.

The point of all this is that my 3DS was brimming with things I enjoy as a “hardcore” gamer before purchasing any hardcore games. The problem, it seems, was the stigma I had against the device as a “casual” product, a perception based on old views of Nintendo handhelds.

In the end, I’ve been converted. While the DS had great titles, the 3DS has the titles and system features that give a hardcore gamer plenty of reasons to buy. It’s not just a ‘kid’s handheld,’ it’s the real deal with the online, community, apps, and capabilities needed to impress even the most jaded hardcore gamers. Go on; give it a try.