Well that is marvellous. Quite, quite marvellous.

It’s 3D, you know, and without the poncy, irritating glasses.

Of course, you can’t see that here, which is an obvious limitation of newsprint, so you’ll have to either take my word for it or gambol on down to your nearest gaming-type place to have a look yourself.

Nintendo’s 3DS, out this Friday, is like a normal DS but with a slightly wider top screen and a little sliding bar with which you can adjust the 3D effect.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, however. The device comes with some pretty stringent guidelines as to its recommended length of use in 3D, and it’s not recommended for children aged six and under. Helpfully for the responsible (or militant, depending on your view) parent, you can lock down and password-protect the 3D mode.

There are a few built-in features that deserve mention. The 3DS wants you to lose that flab – and fast. Its built-in pedometer knows how many steps you’ve taken (having carried the device with you, obviously – it’s good, but not THAT good), and rewards the athletic individual with virtual coins that you can’t spend on cake.

Streetpass is a cracking idea which, having created your own little Mii virtual person in the facially-abundant Mii Maker, is activated by bringing your 3DS near enough to another that their wireless doodads can speak and exchange their virtual people.

Get enough Mii people in your Mii Plaza and you can go on an entertaining quest to free your Mii from a little prison. Or something like that.

There’s also a camera on board, and it shoots everything in super duper 3D.

Irritatingly, because the activation buttons stick out just behind the top screen, those with active digits will accidentally hit them without meaning to do so. A collection of floor images awaits.

Other bits, outside of shoving a game card into the machine’s backside, include a terrifying game in which you must pelt your helicopterised face with yellow balls, some nifty ‘augmented reality’ timewasters where you can fish for dragons through your dinner table or lounge carpet, and a surprisingly effective sound editing and recording application.

There’ll be about a dozen games available when the machine launches, with the massively anticipated Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time showing up late for the party sometime in June.

Among the launch titles are three which I’ve tested my thumbs on: Nintendogs + Cats, Super Streetfighter IV and Pilotwings Resort.

If rubbing a console screen and waking up your other half with alarming bellows of “Sit!” is your idea of larks, Nintendogs is your game. It’s cute, and brings the digital pet fascination but doesn’t need 3D. Your happy pet won’t deposit dimensional doings on your rug, but it also won’t pop out of the screen in any impressive way.

As for Super Streetfighter IV, loads of fighters to choose from, loads of tournaments, loads of earnest bellowing about the next round and opponent, and a whole mess of button-mashing hope-for-the-best violence going on. Solid 3D, but it doesn’t help me improve my face-smashing abilities.

Pilotwings Resort has taken up far more of my time, and it’s a cracking little flight gem.

Pop up in a plane, jetpack or glider, and attempt a generous collection of time trials, skill testers and object collection. The 3D works best here, and no sooner had I spent 30 minutes kissing the sky than my 3DS ‘mum’ popped up and politely suggested I should rest my eyes or give the 3D a rest.

The DS has been a huge game-winner for Nintendo (pushing Sony’s PSP into the dirt for popularity and sales) so this 3D version is preaching to the converted.

The 3D may not have convinced many gaming commentators, but the consumer knows what he wants and Nintendo have a keen eye in knowing how to deliver it.