By Malcolm Robinson: Staff Writer

Five months since the release of the portable gaming system, the 3DS, its manufacturer, Nintendo recently reduced the device’s price from $249.99 to $169.99, making it budget friendly for the upcoming holiday season. With many features, including the capability to play games in 3-D with no visual aids, is it worth using your extra money to buy this portable gaming system?

For starters, the 3DS takes advantage of its 3-D capabilities by making sure that almost everything is in 3-D. The cameras on the front and back of the 3DS can take 3-D photos which can be edited on the system itself. For those into retro gaming, the 3DS has its own marketplace where users can currently choose from a limited pool of NES, Game Boy and Game Boy Color games to download onto the system. Nintendo has also announced plans to expand their current game pool with Super Nintendo, Game Boy Advance, Sega Game Gear, TurboGraphx-16, and other arcade games.
The 3DS also has Wi-Fi on it so you can surf the web wherever there’s a hotspot, or even play games online with people around the world at no extra charge. Coupled with its ability to access the internet, there’s also Netflix on the 3DS which allows users with a Netflix account to watch movies on the go. However, the movies are not in 3-D like everything else on the system.

Another feature that the 3DS has is its very own Mii maker, which is similar to the one on Nintendo Wii. The Mii maker allows users to create their own “Mii,” Nintendo’s version of an avatar. For those not interested in taking the time create their own “Mii” you can take a picture of yourself and the 3DS will makes your Mii look similar to you. Another cool feature is “Street Pass.” This feature allows you to interact with other 3-DS’ while your 3DS is in sleep mode and you’re walking pass someone with a 3DS near you. The 3DS also has some disadvantages too. Users will have to deal with a 3-5 hour battery life, meaning that it has to be charged multiple times during the day for heavy gameplay or other activites. Also, the system lacks many highly rated games, with the exception of Super Street Fighter IV: 3-D Edition and the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3-D.

The 3DS is worth spending your money on during the upcoming holiday season because of its highly anticipated titles coming out this Fall and more updates that will improve the system’s quality. But if you want to buy it now, I suggest you get the two games I’ve mentioned above.