The wave of the future is here with the advent of 3D gaming. Although it wasn’t a secret, Nintendo unveiled their new handheld gaming console, the Nintendo 3DS at the E3 conference on June 15th. This amazing piece of technology created 3D graphics without the use of special glasses.
With the advent of 3D TV and Blu-ray players we are just on the cusp of the 3D revolution. Strap yourselves in because it is going to be an awesome ride!
For those who were anxiously anticipating a Nintendo 3DS under their Christmas tree, it appears that you’ll have to wait a while longer. While it is often the goal to release new products in time for Christmas, the Nintendo 3DS won’t be available this year. Instead Nintendo has announced a planned release in February for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan. The United States and Europe releases will follow this in the spring of 2011.
This does have one advantage over an October/November release of this year. Hopefully consumers will be able to get their hands on one by Christmas time of next year. Recent releases of new consoles at Christmas time have created huge shortages and frustration for those who wished to buy. (I paid a premium for both my Xbox 360 and my Wii almost a year after their release because they still weren’t in stock in the stores.) While this will hurt some word of mouth marketing as the “impossible item to find” having an item that everyone wants but no one can actually get really isn’t all that great because it doesn’t increase sales. I believe that Nintendo won’t have trouble with good word of mouth marketing when the 3DS is released, regardless of its release date.
This isn’t exactly 3D gaming news but we figured you might be interested anyway. Nintendo is having a Wii gaming competition beginning on July 16th. In the end a nationwide Wii champion will be crowned.
Competitions will be held in over two dozen cities across the US. To find out more information and a competition location near you visit www.wiigames2010.com.
The Nintendo 3DS has been nominated for a couple of impressive awards from the recent E3 convention. While there was a lot of buzz going in about the Xbox 360′s Kinect and and Sony’s motion sensitive controller Move, only the Nintendo 3DS has been nominated for the prestigious Best of Show award.
The Kinect and Move were nominated for Best Hardware but they face stiff competition as the Nintendo 3DS was nominated for that category as well.
The awards will be announced on July 6th. To see a complete list of awards and nominees, see http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/nominees.html
While we don’t know when the 3DS will be released, we do know on some of the titles that are in the works. Don’t assume that these will all be finished at the release but the odds are good that if Nintendo is publicizing them now, they should be coming soon.
Kid Icarus™: Uprising
nintendogs™ + cats
HIDEO KOJIMA’S METAL GEAR SOLID SNAKE EATER 3D “The Naked Sample”
RESIDENT EVIL® REVELATIONS
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Animal Crossing™
Mario Kart™
Paper Mario™
PilotWings Resort™
StarFox 64™ 3D
Steel Diver™
DJ Hero® 3D
The Sims™ 3
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle (name not final)
RIDGE RACER® (name not final)
KINGDOM HEARTS
DEAD OR ALIVE®3D (name not final)
SAMURAI WARRIORS®3D
Battle of Giants™: Dinosaur Strike
Hollywood 61 (name not final)
CODENAME: Chocobo Racing® 3D
SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV 3D Edition (name not final)
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory™
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon™
For screen shots of these games, see http://e3.nintendo.com/3ds/
Because you’re certainly wondering, there is no word on when the Nintendo 3DS will be released and we have no clue what it will cost. Currently the DSi is selling for $170 with the DSi XL going for $190. Expect prices to be more than this but there’s no telling what the limit will be. If there is a short supply at release or around Christmas there’s no telling what you’ll pay to someone who just happens to have them in stock and feels like gouging you.
But here’s what we do know:
The 3DS looks much like the current DSi. There was speculation that it would have a larger screen like the XL but currently the screen is debuting at 3.5 inches. Only the top screen is 3D while the bottom screen remains 2D.
Included with the 3DS is a 3D camera. Snap a picture and be amazed at how cool it looks in 3D. Undoubtedly there will be some cool programs to play with these pictures down the line and the ability to share them as well.
The 3DS also automatically finds wi-fi hotspots and other nearby users. It will connect to other systems even if they are playing a different game. This probably scares some of you with privacy concerns. There is no word whether this feature can be turned off or at least set to manual but we assume that Nintendo is smart enough to realize what it’s doing.
The list of games is mainly old fan favorites so far. Some favorites include Nintendogs (now featuring cats as well!), The Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart, and Paper Mario. See the current list of anticipated titles.
Of course there is the matter of colors that you can buy. While we expect this to grow after release or maybe even before, Nintendo displays the 3DS in a turquoise-like blue, an orangeish red, and a standard black.
Editor’s note: The E3 convention began Jun 15th. We’ll be including news from various sources that got an inside look at new 3D technology.
Being a handheld game, the only way to show off the new Nintendo 3DS and have anyone appreciate the coolness of the 3D was to hand out systems. A few minutes or even a few hours does not give a totally accurate impression but at least we have first impressions now.
The Nintendo 3DS looks much like current DS systems. The top screen is 3D while the bottom screen remains 2D. The 3D effect is rather amazing and doesn’t require glasses to be achieved. (Nintendo isn’t sharing any secrets yet on how they are doing this.)There is a bit of concentration required to achieve the 3D image but nothing like the old “magic eye” posters. If you look away from the screen it may take your eyes a moment to readjust.
Because everyone’s eyes are different, there is a sliding adjuster to help you focus in the 3D image to perfection. It’s my assumption that the image varies slightly depending on how far apart your eyes are and how far away you hold the screen. The adjusting slider is Nintendo’s way of accounting for these differences.
Included with the 3DS is a 3D camera. One tester was amazed at how just a simple picture of his hand looked on the 3D screen. In other words, this is good and could be really awesome once we find out how best to use this technology. Undoubtedly Nintendo will have some fun programs to play with 3D pictures coming out.
There were only two games being demoed but they looked great in 3D as well. A flying game that involved dropping bombs looked like you were actually over the enemy and even cooler when you passed them.
We’ll be looking for more personal accounts in the future as more people get the chance to play with the new Nintendo 3DS.
If you’re interested in the original articles, here’s the links:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/15/nintendo-3ds-in-the-flesh/