I'll Be First In Line For The Sony NGP, Not The Nintendo 3DS

My love for video games is unconditional. I'm just as much a fan of the Nintendo Entertainment System as I am a fan of the PlayStation 3. I love the PSP as much as I love my old GameBoy. And I'm just as willing to pick up my Nintendo DS as the Sega Dreamcast. Simply put, I'm a gamer to the core.But I just don't think I'll be waiting in line for the Nintendo 3DS when it launches in the United States on March 27.

Now, I know that Nintendo fans won't like to hear that. They'll say that I'm not a "true" Nintendo fan (whatever that is), and they'll point to my previous column saying that my Wii is collecting dust to prove it. They will try and try to show that my issue with the 3DS has everything to do with Nintendo and nothing to do with the hardware it's putting out.

But I'm here to tell those folks (and everyone else) that my issue with the 3DS has nothing to do with Nintendo and everything to do with 3D.

I just don't see value in 3D. I don't care if it's in the theaters, at home on my 3D TV, or in a video game. For me, 3D is little more than a gimmick that delivers sub-par quality and after extended viewing, a headache. It's something that I just don't enjoy.

Realizing that, it would only make sense that I wouldn't opt for the 3DS, wouldn't it? After all, the device offers the ability for people to play 3D titles without the need for special glasses. Its main function is exactly what I can't stand. And that alone makes me balk at the idea of purchasing it.

However, I'm still a big portable-gaming fan. And although I tend to whip out my iPhone every now and then to play a casual game, I need something more capable to satisfy my desire to play video games. And by the looks of things, I just might find that in the upcoming Sony Next Generation Portable.

That device will come with a much better display than what my current PSP boasts. Plus, it will have dual thumbsticks, which should give developers more opportunities to push the envelope with their games. It will also deliver PlayStation 3-like graphics, Sony says.

Combine all that and I think I've found myself a real winner in the portable-gaming market.

Of course, there are undoubtedly some out there that disagree with that logic. They say that 3D is the future of gaming. And Sony's NGP, while nice on paper, will likely only follow the PSP as a platform with great promise, but little in the way of success.

I get that argument, and I understand where those folks are coming from. But I think it's short-sighted. The NGP is a major step up over what has been accomplished in the portable-gaming market. And it doesn't fall victim to Nintendo's strategy of targeting kids and casual gamers first, and the hard-core second.

When it's all said and done, I just see more promise in the NGP. I believe that's the device that can deliver the most entertainment value to me. And because of that, it will be the device that I'll be more than happy to stand in line for.

When the 3DS launches, however, I'll be home — counting down the days until the NGP is released.