A Visit to the Nintendo 3DS™ Demo Pod in New York City

Nintendo 3DS™ was released on March 27^th in the US. To promote its release and show off the latest in handheld game system 3D capabilities, Nintendo set up kiosks, or Demo Pods in 4 major cities beginning March 11. New York’s Demo Pod was housed in Vanderbilt Hall inside Grand Central Terminal. Nintendo was the first and only video game system I owned. I’ve played a few times on Sony PS2 though and once on Nintendo Wii™ so this was definitely a new experience for me.

I caught the tour just in time; I was there on Tuesday afternoon. A member of the Nintendo 3DS Demo Squad directed me into the futuristic-style tunnel and told me to go to a free station. I stopped at the first one I saw. The portable game system had shut down so another Squad member suggested I go to another station because it would take a long time for it to boot up. These were demo units and they shut off after each game. I refused his offer when I realized I was at the Super Street Fighter® IV: 3D Edition. I love that game! My favorite fighter: Zangief. I’d get to power bomb opponents in 3D?  No other games he offered would do.

While I waited, I examined the Cosmo Black system I was going to use (the unit is also available in Aqua Blue) and observed other gamers and examined. While I waited, other visitors around me created Mii™ characters and posted them Facebook. The Squad members also informed them of the $249.99 retail price. I almost regretted not moving. The start-up of the game felt like it lasted 10 minutes! I’m old school. I like to turn on a system, watch a few credits and start the game! I don’t need to watch a movie beforehand.

At first the 3D graphics were a little weird to me. I didn’t get a headache or catch a seizure or anything, but I wasn’t used to it. I lost the first round.

That was unacceptable.

I quickly learned the control sequences for flying kicks, slams and KO punches. The 3DS also features an adjustable stylus for game play, but I didn’t need that for this battle. The Nintendo 3DS™ is very responsive and easy to use. I won the next 2 rounds and the match decidedly. It was a wonderful reunion with Zangief.