Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS is a Nintendo video game handheld soon to be released. It will succeed the first Nintendo DS line of systems. One of the most noteworthy features of the handheld is the ability to do 3D without the need for glasses. It will be backwards compatible with Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi video games. The game is motion and gyro enabled and features an analog stick.

As with the Nintendo DSi, the Nintendo 3DS has a camera function, however, there is an additional lens on the outside, enabling owners to take pictures and view them in 3D.

Development
In January of 2010, Satoru Iwata said during a meeting that 3D could be appropriate for video gaming if done right, but expressed his skepticism regarding whether or not players would be willing to wear glasses in order to play. He also announced that they had implemented 3D technology into the Nintendo GameCube, but the feature was never exploited.

Game developers
Game developer Jools Watsham of Renegade Kid, creators of Dementium and Moon, said that the 3DS has the potential to be the greatest handheld system of all time. Having heard about the specs of the 3DS, Watsham said that the 3D aspect is just the "icing on the cake", saying that it's a very powerful handheld and that he expects the graphics to be as good as the GameCube's. He also said that he expects the handheld to have rumble feedback, motion controls, and an analog stick. Jools finished by saying that he is indeed interested in developing for the system. A month later Jools once again commented on the system, saying "Everyone seems very excited about the 3DS. I know I am. I think the beginning of any new platform’s life is the best time to release original games. They have a much better chance of selling due to the limited selection of games available. And, if you manage to release a good title, there’s the chance of releasing a sequel and a new brand is born."

Arkedo Studio, the French developer known for the critically acclaimed DS title Big Bang Mini, said that the 3DS's known features are "pretty exciting", and that they "can't wait" to put their hands on it.

Create Studios has said that they are looking forward to creating games for the system, saying that they're always excited by the potential that a new Nintendo system provides. They said that if done to enhance the gameplay, 3D is really a good idea. They said that while film has been exploiting 3D the most, they feel like it is better suited for video games and possibly other media.

Game developer HMV has stated that they are looking forward to more information on the product come E3 and that they are excited by the possibilities that 3D offers.

Even Microsoft's Takashi Sensui, one of Nintendo's competitors, praised the product, saying "I think it is an extremely good experiment. 3D games are suited for the play environment of portable machines. It’s relatively easy to realize a 3D environment space because the viewpoint and screen distance are nearly fixed."

Analysts
"I don't understand the technology behind a 3D display that doesn't require glasses. If it's so easy to do, why would Samsung put out 3D HDTVs that require glasses? My guess is that Nintendo has figured something out that is either very cool and advanced, or is a gimmick, and until I see it, I really won't know. What's interesting to me is that Nintendo is so bold. It seems that if 3D on portable devices was easy, Apple would have beat them to it. If they truly pioneer a technology, my guess is that Apple will mimic the technology. Without a real breakthrough in game play (as happened with the DS), I'm not sure that this device will do much more than serve as a replacement for current DS owners." - Michael Pachter

Critics
The day the system was announced, the editors of Official Nintendo Magazine in the United Kingdom revealed their top 5 wishes for the new handheld, which included:


 * 1) GameCube style graphics
 * 2) Lenticular technology
 * 3) Pokémon 3D
 * 4) Mario 3D
 * 5) Better movie tie-ins

Shortly after the announcement of the system was made, GamePro made a list of features that they hope are included in the system. They stated that they hope Nintendo implements a 3G connection, and that Nintendo further embraces social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. GamePro noted in their article that ever since the original Nintendo DS released, the price of the system has increased as new iterations of the original model had been released. They said they hope that this trend does not continue and that the Nintendo 3DS is NOT more than $200.

Features
"Target Shooting" augmented reality tech demo at E3 2010The Nintendo 3DS is based on a custom Pica200 graphics processor from a Japanese start-up Digital Media Professionals (DMP). [24] It has two screens; the top screen is a 3.53-inch 5:3 3D screen with a resolution of 800×240 pixels (400×240 pixels per eye, WQVGA) that is able to produce a stereoscopic three-dimensional effect without 3D glasses, while the bottom screen is a 3.02-inch 4:3 non-3D touch panel with a resolution of 320×240 pixels (QVGA). The 3DS weighs approximately 8 oz. and, when closed, is 5.3 inches wide, 2.9 inches long, and 0.8 inches tall.

The system features several additions to the design of the original DS, including a slider on the side of the device that adjusts the intensity of the 3D effect, a round nub analog input called the "Slide Pad", an accelerometer, and a gyroscope. In addition, there is an infra-red communicator port situated on the top of the unit.[25]

The 3DS has two cameras on the outside of the device, capable of taking 3D photos and capturing 3D video, as well as a camera positioned above the top screen that faces the player; both cameras have a resolution of 640×480 pixels (0.3 Megapixel). The system also has 3D movie playback capability; Nintendo has made deals with Warner Bros, Disney, and DreamWorks to deliver 3D movies.[26] Although no titles have been announced yet, the trailers for Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon, Warner Bros' upcoming film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and Disney’s upcoming film Tangled were shown on the 3DS during the Expo.[27]

In addition to its own software, the Nintendo 3DS will be backward compatible with Nintendo DS software, including DSi software. Announced titles include Kid Icarus: Uprising [28] and Mario Kart 3DS. [29] Many companies have signed on to develop for the 3DS, and over 75 titles in all have been confirmed.[30] At launch, the Nintendo 3DS cards will hold up to 2GB of game data and look almost exactly the same as those of the current DS.[30] However, there is a small tab jutting out on the one side, most likely to prevent 3DS cards from being inserted in a Nintendo DS.[31]

The system supports multiplayer gameplay via a local wireless connection or over the Internet. Expanding upon the connectivity of the Nintendo DS, the Nintendo 3DS features an "always on" background connectivity system, which can automatically seek and connect to wireless network nodes such as Wi-Fi hotspots, sending and downloading information in the background while in sleep mode or while playing a game. One application of being considered for the system is functionality to "automatically acquire magazine and newspaper articles", similar to networked e-book reader applications.[32] The background connectivity will be utilized in Tag Mode, which allows users to exchange software content regardless of what software is currently in the console. For Tag Mode, sharing content is stored in a "data slot" in the console. Using this data slot, Nintendo 3DS users can readily share and exchange content for multiple games at the same time, whenever they are connected, even when playing unrelated games.[33] Using the console's background connectivity, a Nintendo 3DS in Tag Mode can automatically discover other 3DS units within range, establish a connection, and exchange content for mutually-played games, all transparently and without requiring any user input, even when the console is dormant. Tag Mode can be customized to fit the user's preferences, including opting out of Tag Mode for selected software.[34]

According to game developer THQ, the Nintendo 3DS features sophisticated anti-piracy technology which Nintendo believes is able to significantly curb video game piracy, which had increasingly depressed the handheld market with the proliferation of cheap flash memory and the rise in illegal file sharing.[35]

The system has been shown in three color schemes: blue, red, and black.[30] Purple and bronze/orange versions were also seen at E3 2010.[36] All 3DS systems feature a black surround on the top screen to help increase the 3D effect.[citation needed] Video games

The first official game that was announced for the Nintendo 3DS was Kid Icarus: Uprising, first shown at the E3 2010 presentation. A wave of games followed afterwards on the website for the Nintendo section, including: Kid Icarus: Uprising, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart 3D, PilotWings Resort, Star Fox 64 3D, Steel Driver, Nintendogs + Cats, Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D, and many others.