Nintendo 3DS Promising, but a 'Headache Machine'

Nintendo's much-hyped 3DS, which features glasses-free 3D effects, launched yesterday. Does it pass muster? Here's what critics are saying:

• The 3D screen is “a wonder to behold,” but it’s also a “sure-fire headache machine,” writes Adam B. Vary of EW. But the eye strain and upset stomach is worth it for the “augmented reality” feature, which overlays the graphics on objects around you. It “feels entirely, addictively new.”

• “There’s plenty to like,” and this could even be “a game-changer,” writes McKinley Noble of GamePro. But a lackluster battery life and the strain the technology puts on your eyes “keep it from matching the hype.”
• A lot of online features are missing, making the out-of-the-box experience “somewhat half-baked,” and putting a “gaping hole in the handheld’s allure,” complains Chris Davies of Slash Gear. But “the roadmap looks solid,” and it should “carve out a distinctively-Nintendo niche.”
• But the big question is simple: Is the thing worth $250? “That’s a tough sell,” says Tim Stevens of Engadget, “especially knowing that in roughly 18 months we’ll probably be looking at a thinner, lighter, prettier 3DS.” Still, pretty soon this “could be a genuinely hot property.”

(More Nintendo 3DS stories.)