Nintendo 3DS June 2010

The Nintendo 3DS - revealed at the E3 games convention in Los Angeles in June - is the successor to Nintendo's best-selling DS handheld games console.

The Nintendo 3DS goes one better, by bringing us 3D games and interactivity in the palm of our hands. Which? gave it a first look review from the E3 exhibition show floor.

Look into the device's new, larger 3.53in widescreen LCD display and you'll see an image with perceptible depth, where objects, scenery and characters all have a place in 3D space. The surprise? It all happens without a pair of plastic 3D glasses in sight.

Nintendo 3DS 3D screen

Nintendo isn't saying how the magic is pulled off, but it's believed that the 3DS uses a device called a parallax barrier, where a thick layer of material containing a series of ultra-fine vertical slits sits on top of the LCD screen, directing a slightly different view to the left and right eyes.

The important thing is that it works. New 3D versions of popular video games such as Nintendogs, Mario Kart and Metal Gear Solid, while only shown as demonstrations, offered convincing 3D effects, where flurries of blossom drifted down in the foreground while the game’s heroes battled on behind, or where you could throw a ball to your favourite Nintendog and watch it bounce into the screen. Call your virtual pooch, and he’ll even press his paws against the glass.

Read the Which? first look Nintendo DSi review

True, the effect suffers if you move your eyes too far from the 'sweet spot' in the centre of the screen, but generally the 3DS delivers some of the best 3D we've seen outside of a multiplex. What's more, you can increase or decrease the effect – or even switch it off - using a simple sliding control to the right of the screen.

Nintendo 3DS 'has Wii-like graphics'

Even without 3D, the 3DS would be the most advanced handheld console on the planet. Nintendo hasn't revealed details of the processors being used, but the 3DS produces graphics on a par with those seen in the best games on the Wii. As well as conventional buttons and an all-new, analogue direction pad, the 3DS sports motion and gyro sensors, opening the door for motion-controlled games like those on the iPhone or the Wii.

Read the Which? hands-on review of the Nintendo Wii

The slightly smaller bottom screen is still touch-controlled, and the 3DS now packs in three built-in cameras. One faces front to capture pictures of the player, while the other two, mounted on the lid, turn the 3DS into a basic, low-quality 3D camera. Nintendo hopes that game developers will use these features in new and interesting ways.

3D cinema effects on 3DS

Despite all this, the 3DS is only a few grams heavier than the existing DS-Lite and DSi consoles, and the basic look and feel is much the same. Nintendo expects over 30 3D games to be available at launch, and has promised 3D movies, with support from Hollywood film studios including Dreamworks, Disney and Warner Brothers.

The resolution, at 400x240 pixels per eye, is hardly high-definition, but the picture looks bright, colourful and clear, and the 3D effects work almost as well as they do in the cinema.

Watch the Which? first look Panasonic 3DTV video review

Nintendo has yet to announce dates or prices, but the smart money is on an early 2011 release. As for the price? Well, expect to pay more than you might for a conventional DS, but an awful lot less than you would for a 3D television.