Animal Crossing, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Luigi's Mansion are must-haves, but they all lean to a cute style, even if the games are challenging. If you're an adult like me, who grew up playing Nintendo games, has an appreciation for retro, and likes cute-but-challenging games, hop aboard immediately. It's great for kids.but is it great for adults? The system limits you to browsing the Nintendo 3DS eShop, using apps like YouTube and Netflix, and having very limited and largely one-way connectivity with StreetPass, which really just leaves little tags and friendly extras from nearby players, with no way to ever contact them back or communicate. For those with kids, rest assured that the 3DS is probably one of the most kid-safe online-connected devices around. The 3DS has built-in Wi-Fi, but its online capabilities are, by design, in a type of Nintendo lockdown. Online: 3DS eShop, Miis, and.a limited experience But, the 3DS XL is still better than other 2DS/3DS systems because of its giant display area. Keeping it off improves battery life and even frame rate on a few games. Many people prefer to slide the 3D effect completely off. Why get a 3D-equipped 3DS, then? I still like using 3D - I tend to keep it on because it enhances game atmospherics and makes the screen real estate feel a little more expansive. Nintendo finally acknowledged this with last year's 2DS, which dropped all 3D support but still plays every game perfectly well. The glasses-free 3D effect, which requires a certain level of patience and stillness to work properly, is best on the 3DS XL, but 3D isn't a required feature on any 3DS game. The 3DS is a ticket to games you can't get anywhere else. Imagine a streaming box that accessed a curated collection of Disney entertainment, or a Kindle that only tapped into a collection of unique, great children's books. The Nintendo 3DS is a portal to exclusive Nintendo franchise sequels and spin-offs, a dispenser for unique content.

It's also compatible with hundreds of old Nintendo DS/DSi games, a handful of good media apps (Netflix, Hulu Plus), and has a lot of downloadable software and bonus games and features pre-installed on the hardware itself, like a camera and some activity-tracking minigames. But, when I say the 3DS is a great system, I mean it has at least 10 truly excellent games that justify the purchase of the $129 to $199 hardware. It's kid-friendly, more so than any other piece of hardware besides an iPhone or iPad. Part of that is due to a windfall of excellent, deep Nintendo-made games, ones that are great for long trips, or even worth playing in your living room while ignoring a larger console.

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