An In-Depth Look at the 3DS

With all the hype surrounding the Q1 2011 release of Nintendo's new 3D handheld, the 3DS, I thought I'd take a quick look and compare its specs to the various current-gen DS models.

	3DS	DSi XL	DSi	DS Lite	DS "Phat"
Weight	8.1 oz	11.1 oz	7.5 oz	7.7 oz	11 oz
Dimensions	5.3×2.9×0.83 in	6.3×3.60×0.83 in	5.4×2.95×0.74 in	5.2×2.91×0.861 in	5.85×3.33×1.14 in
Screen Size	3.53 in top, 3.02 in bottom	4.2 in	3.3 in	3.1 in	3.0 in
Screen Resolution	800x240 top, 320×240 bottom	256×192	256×192	256×192	256×192
Battery Life	TBA	13 to 17 hours	9 to 14 hours	15 to 19 hours	10 to 14 hours
Card Slots	3DS, DSi, DS, SD	DSi, DS, SD	DSi, DS, SD	DS, GBA	DS, GBA
RAM	64 MB	16 MB	16 MB	4 MB	4 MB
CPU	TBA	133 MHz ARM9 and 33 MHz ARM7	133 MHz ARM9 and 33 MHz ARM7	67 MHz ARM and 33 MHz ARM7	67 MHz ARM9 and 33 MHz ARM7
Camera	640x480 resolution	640x480 resolution	640×480 resolution	N/A	N/A

In weight and dimensions, it is most similar to the DS Lite. However, the top screen is much bigger, and both screens have improved resolutions. The 800x240 top screen might seem a little bit crazy, but it is effectively 400x240 for each eye. Not too sure about how that works technically, but at any rate, it looks like a marginal improvement over its predecessors.

4x as much RAM as the DSi/DSi XL and 16x as much as the original DS Phat and DS Lite. Battery life is unknown, but said to be similar to the DSi. CPU model and speed is currently unknown. No backwards compatibility to anything older than the DS, sadly. Certain DSiWare can be transferred to the 3DS, which has 2GB of data storage. It now has WPA/WPA2 security support, in addition to WEP.

They threw in an analog stick, and the 3DS still supports touchscreen with a stylus. The new stylus folds in like a telescope. 

While the 3D feature and the specs are nice, I'm more excited about the games. Tons of big name titles from both Nintendo and third parties, but you have to wonder how many of them are going to be simple ports and remakes. Can't wait to see what Megaman Legends 3 looks like, Sony's response, and what the opening retail price will be.