Nintendo 3DS: Difference between revisions

The Nintendo 3DS console has a similar appearance to that of the [[Nintendo DS]], but it builds upon its features. It includes three cameras, one being inward and the other two being outward, that are used to shoot 3D pictures, merge them, record 3D videos, and play camera-based games (see [[#AR Games|AR Games]]). The console, much like its predecessors, features the four {{button|3ds|A}}, {{button|3ds|B}}, {{button|3ds|X}}, and {{button|3ds|Y}} buttons; the {{button|3ds|start}} and {{button|3ds|select}} buttons (which are embedded below the Touch Screen); and the {{button|3ds|L}} and {{button|3ds|R}} shoulder buttons. Two new additions to the console are a Circle Pad {{button|3ds|Stick}} located above the {{button|3ds|Pad}}, which has been shifted downward, and the {{button|3ds|home}} button, first used with the [[Wii]] console, used to access a HOME menu that is similar to that of the [[Nintendo DSi]] and [[Nintendo DSi#Nintendo DSi XL|Nintendo DSi XL]]. The console also has wireless connectivity, which is used to connect with other consoles via local play or StreetPass, or to the Internet to download expansions for the console or play with people from around the world, for example. Online expansions include friend lists, sharing game content with friends, paid downloadable content for games (an example is ''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' having additional [[Coin Rush]] packs),<ref>[http://www.cubed3.com/news/14273 3DS To Feature Expanded Online; Achievements, Friend Lists]</ref> and firmware updates.

A Nintendo 3DS comes with a 2 GB {{wp|SD card}}, a Nintendo 3DS XL or Nintendo 2DS come with a 4 GB SDHC card,<ref>http://www.nintendo.com/2ds/features</ref> and a New Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS XL, or New Nintendo 2DS XL come with a 4 GB Micro SDHC Card. However, any SD or SDHC card can be used and with appropriate adaptors, if necessary and compatible.

The Nintendo 3DS includes a 1300mAh battery. The package includes a charging cradle along with the standard charging cable (which is the same as that of the DSi, and consequently is compatible with the DSi as well). The battery lasts three to five hours (260-433 mA) (calculated with minimum settings) while playing standard 3DS games; battery life is affected by brightness, 3D level, and wireless connectivity. To fully charge the battery, it takes approximately three and a half hours (371 mA), so there is an energy saving mode that can be activated to slightly increase the battery life. When playing DS or DSi games, the battery lasts about 5-8 hours (163-260 mA) due to some hardware being disabled like the pedometer and HOME Menu.

The Nintendo 3DS features limited multitasking. Software in use can be suspended with the {{button|3ds|home}} button any time the software is open (except occasionally during online play) in order to change the screen brightness, switch to another software, check the Friend List if friends are online, browse the Internet, post to Miiverse, organize the HOME menu and check notifications from StreetPass and SpotPass.

The system is backwards compatible with both DS and DSi games. When in DS mode, the 3DS simulates a DSi instead of an original DS so any [[Nintendo DSi#DSi Enhanced Games|DSi enhanced games]] will be given additional features for them to utilize. As with the DSi and DSi XL, Nintendo DS games that used the original DS's [[Game Boy Advance]] slot cannot make use of extensions, which the 3DS lacks. However, select Game Boy Advance games were released on the console's Virtual Console service on December 16, 2011, as part of the [[Virtual Console#Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program|Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program]], which allowed people who purchased a Nintendo 3DS before the aforementioned price drop to download twenty free games, 10 of which were from the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES) and the other 10 from the Game Boy Advance. Despite the "Virtual Console" label, the GBA games are not emulated in software; instead, the 3DS interprets the code natively.{{ref needed}} This is the reason that GBA games on the 3DS lack the ability to put the console in sleep mode or support Restore Points. The Game Boy Advance Games have not yet been released to the general public, and Nintendo has announced that there are no plans to release them, either.