Last week the sweet people of Nintendo invited me* to come up to their new fancy shmancy headquarters in Seattle to hang out. After getting the bejeebus scared out of me with daunting security requirement emails (NO PHOTOS here here and here and oh yeah anywhere) I didn’t know what to expect. Happily their offices were friendly (all the conference rooms are named after game characters) and whimsical (the signature ‘x’ button? They have these ottoman like stools of those everywhere) and super colorful. And yes, they have an original Donkey Kong arcade game in the lobby too. It is super eco/green and efficient and all that stuff too, including the largest green roof (covered in grasses and plants) in Washington.
But we weren’t there for an office tour…we were there to check out the new Nintendo 3DS. Now, I am not a gamer. Nintendo knows this- but they know my kids ARE. And I own just about every thing Nintendo makes (including an original NES system so my kids can play old school)…so I went in with minimal expectations. And man o’ man- was I blown away.
I can barely explain what this new handheld is. It is beyond ‘gaming’ and more of an ‘entertainment portal’. And the 3D with NO GLASSES is nothing short of a full blown MIND FREAK (particularly on the Augmented Reality games) The game isn’t just on the screen- it is IN YOUR WORLD. It defies explanation…
There is a 3D camera, videos, movies oh yeah and the GAMES. I personally love a good ol’fashioned car race game and Asphalt 3D did not disappoint. I was given the chance to play a not-yet released Kid Icarus and I don’t wanna brag- but I kicked major booty on that. When the Nintendo guy said ‘wow, that is pretty good score’ I could feel myself becoming a gamer. And truth be told- I may or may not have brought my Nintendo 3DS on the plane with me home, and gave demonstrations to everyone around me in the airport.
I am a total gamer now.
And after you try this thing you will be too.
Sidenote to Nintendo peeps: it really wasn’t necessary to escort me to the bathroom. I was not gonna go rogue and run the halls looking for Zelda or anything. Okay wait I was. Nevermind. Probably a good call on your part…
* Aren’t they sweet to give me this experience and product?
For more on my review/promotion ethics please read here.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Oooooh…..1) Wish I’d known you were coming to my turf. ;-) I would have sent you some nice Seattle Good Thoughts. Were you here during the nice weather…or the flooding? ;-)
2) Hubs and I were ogling one of the new 3D DS thingies in Target today…and it is WAY cool. 3) Were those pictures taken with your iPhone?? If so, how on EARTH do you get them into your blog?! I can’t figure it out. LOL Thanks. ;-)
TeenTwo wants you to adopt him, and quick-like.
There is a photo of the love child that I and Sweatpantsmom could make, using the morph camera function. It is frightening. That’s my take-home message from this event, and therefore why there are no pictures of me there!
How do you people make these amazing collages? Nice job.
Who do I need to sleep with to get invite to this fun next year??