You may be asking “Why put these two devices against each other? Well with the iPod Touch and iOS becoming a solid gaming platform many have asks should they get an iPod Touch or traditional portable gaming console like the Nintendo 3DS.
We’re not going to make this a specs war and I know PSP NGP is coming and some new powerful mobile phones are looking to get into the game but in this video we are going to focus on these two market leaders that we are really going to compare and contrast and help you figure out which gaming platform is best for you and we are going to start off with the 4th generation iPod Touch.
iPod Touch
The iPod Touch is powered by iOS which has become a powerful platform for gaming. Games take advantage of the fast processor, touch screen and motion sensor technology. Angry Birds Rio which is a very popular game uses multi-touch and the retina display to create a great gaming experience. Games like Trials X take use to the gyroscope and accelerometer in the device to give real motion to the game. Bite size pocket games like this and Angry Birds are what the iPod Touch and the iOS platform excel in over other devices.
But let’s not cut the iPod Touch short here as it can do hardcore and high graphics games as well like Street Fighter 4 which is good example of a game that is on both the 3DS and iPod Touch platform with the only different being the 3DS has Super Street Fighter IV and iPod Touch has the one before it. This is a game that came from the console world and was ported down and created to work on the iPod touch. The graphic style of Street Fighter VI still hold true here on the iPod Touch showing its power and the touch screen controls do work on the system.
However this game also can show the iPod Touch’s limitations with some missing animations, moves and overall sharpness that you will see when we look at the 3DS version of the game. With most iOS games you only have the option of touch screen controls because of the hardware and on a game like Street Fighter it can be awkward to play on here when precise button timing is the key to wins and losses in.
Even with these shortcomings you still get a great gaming experience and still have access to your music, your videos web browsing, camera, other apps and your contacts calendar and e-mails all in one device. Now this that said you may be totally sold on the iPod Touch but before you swipe that card let’s check out what the Nintendo 3DS has to offer.
Nintendo 3DS
The Nintendo 3DS is the new kid in the DS lineup that add the most powerful graphics out of any of the DS models and include the ability to play games in 3D and be able to adjust the 3D effect to your liking or play games in straight 2D if you want to. As you can see here I’m playing Super Street Fighter IV 3D edition and the game looks amazing on here. Graphics and animation look very close to its console counterpart. This game also takes advantage of the bottom touch screen for quick access to your special moves and combos in combination of using physical buttons to give you the best of both. In this video I am playing in 2D but when you turn on 3D and use the new Dynamic mode in the game it create a great 3D effect.
The 3DS also has the ability to do augmented reality as you have seen here when we did the review of AR games which the game also takes advantage of the cameras, gyroscope and accelerometer to create a unique gaming experience and games like Face Raiders and Steel Diver also take advantage of these sensors. With the virtual console coming soon and the ability to play previous DS games the 3DS is well-rounded and solid portable gaming console.
Now remember when you are looking to pick up the 3DS you have to remember that this is a gaming console so there isn’t any “apps” or contacts, calendar, email, music manager or video player on here yet and no word if there ever will be. However it will be interesting when Netflix is activated on here to see how well that works. There is a web browser coming to the system soon but I doubt it will rival other mobile browser. You will also want to note as of right now the battery life is a bit of an issue for some that are playing on the go with the 3DS pushing between 4-5 hours of battery live. Even with those caveats you’ll still get an extremely solid gaming experience. Now that we know the 3DS and the iPod Touch let’s see which one stands on top.
Conclusion
As you can see here you get a great mobile gaming experience with either device. I’m sure some of you want me to sit here and say that one is definitely better that the other but I’m not going to say that here as that would be the wrong answer. It’s all about what works best for you. You have to remember than the 3DS is built from the ground up as portable gaming console and its focus is giving you the best gaming experience possible and the iPod Touch is geared at giving you a rich multimedia experience with some good gaming included. I will say that the iPod touch has the advantage of online gaming with Game Center which is must easier to use that this Friend Code stuff that Nintendo insist on staying with that is cumbersome, clunky and annoying. Also when it comes to cameras you have the 3DS that can take 3D pictures which is really cool but you can’t record video and the picture in 2D are not that stellar. The iPod touch can record 720p video which looks good but pictures are also not stellar and are just a tiny bit better than the 3DS and you have the ability to video chat with Facetime. Neither camera is going to make you get rid of your choose it over a dedicated digital camera or digital video recorder.
So to give you an idea of which one to get if you are a heavy gamer and want games that give you a console like experience on the go with option of 3D gaming experiences, unique AR gaming and you have a large DS library the 3DS is going to work for you. If you’re a lite gamer that still wants a premium multimedia experience with music, videos and pictures and the option of apps then the iPod Touch will suit you better. And if you can be lucky enough to have both then get both and have all your bases covered.
3DS
Two Just Draw