Tuesday, January 11, 2011

I'm going to miss playing games this way

All of this 3DS talk has me wondering: Are the days of playing games while holding (insert dual-screened system of choice) sideways--a la Brain Age, CrossworDS, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Rhythm Heaven--over?


Sure, the soon-to-be-released 3DS has two screens, just like its predecessor, but one of those screens is larger than the other. Plus, the larger one will be used (predominantly) to display 3D imagery--which reportedly won't be visible when the system is turned sideways.

All of the above has me thinking most 3DS games will be single-screen affairs--as in, most, if not all, of the action will take place on the larger, upper screen, while secondary information (maps, menus, etc.) will reside on the smaller, lower screen.

I'm sure that setup will be fine in most situations, but I can't help but feel a bit sad that the days of "book style" games may be behind us.

4 comments:

Viewtiful_Justin said...

Well, with a slider that determines the depth of 3D that you see, I'm guessing that the option to play in 2D is there. So...I'll bet it won't just disappear.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Oh, yeah, you're right about the slider and that the option to play in 2D will be there. I just doubt that many developers are going to make 2D games that are to be played with the system on its side -- esp. with the size difference in screens. I guess we'll see!

Viewtiful_Justin said...

Oh, I dunno. It's a pretty neat way to play, and if it fits the game, I'm sure we'll see someone do it. The screen difference, IMO, won't make that much of a difference.

Bryan Ochalla said...

I certainly hope you're right! I like playing (some) games that way :)