I'm Sold.

Honestly, I've been skeptical of the 3DS and the way it'll surely hurt my eyes to no end. 3D without glasses? I guess people are saying that it works, but we all know it'll have to be seen to be believed. Even in a dark theater, with massive IMAX goggles on my face, 3D can make my eyes cross and I get a little fatigued after two hours (maybe that'll keep my time on the portable limited!)

Still, it's hard not to say that I won't be in love after hearing some choice details. The 3DS will be able to turn on and off the effect of its top screen, effectively allowing vision-affected gamers, like me, some relief. Presumably, turning off the 3D will also allow for an extended battery life. Seems like the 3D is certainly a "back-of-the-box" selling point, but it won't exactly be a mandatory effect.

The 3DS will also retain its touch screen and backwards compatibility with DS titles. Nice! Its not that I have a ton of DS games that I'm looking forward to playing on a 3DS, but I'm guessing that a lot of people will find that a neat feature.

Furthermore, I can really appreciate the inclusion of an actual joystick. Honestly, the PSP joy-nub is a little too small for my adult sized hands, and this joystick seems like it'll fit my thumb nicely.

Let's be frank though. I'm not playing my DS all that much. Not a lot has come out that has me digging it out in my spare time instead of the controller to my Xbox 360. Even my commute time is spent on my iPhone doing productive things. Productive endeavors are not GAMING! Why am I not playing my DS? Its the lack of desirable software. 3DS seems to completely lay waste to that factor, with titles like...

STARFOX 64 3D (and others).

What? Yes! StarFox 64, arguably my favorite game EVER, is coming to the 3DS? About a week ago, I was listening to the Joystiq podcast, and Griffin McElroy brought up his yearly play through of Ocarina of Time. At first I balked at this idea. StarFox 64 is that game to me. It is as close to video game perfection as I can remember. Of course, the nostalgia glass if always full, but when I think about it, it's still my favorite game.

What did the 3DS really represent at this year's E3? A massive refocus on software for Nintendo. Did we hear anything about the Vitality Sensor peripheral? Nope. Nobody cares about that stuff. Gamers around the world know Nintendo, not for their motion sensing peripherals, their balance boards. Yes, hardware has always had a special place in the pantheon of Nintendo's successes, but the software is what people carry with them. I'm happy to see the 3DS leading this charge.