Everything We Know About the 3DS
It's only been a few short months since the release of the DSi XL, but Nintendo is about ready to move forward with its next generation gaming handheld: the Nintendo 3DS. Though Nintendo officially revealed the system at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, not everything has been made official on the system.
Keep in mind that this will be a dynamic and organic feature, constantly changing and evolving as Nintendo offers more about the system as we get closer to the system's launch, currently scheduled to land on shelves worldwide by March 2011.
What is the 3DS?
The 3DS is the name of Nintendo's successor to the Nintendo DS handheld gaming platform. The brand was originally revealed to be tentative and a project title, but the official name was locked down at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June 2010.
While there are several enhancements that the Nintendo 3DS brings to the current Nintendo DS form factor, the official "hook" with the 3DS will be its ability to display stereoscopic 3D effects – similar to theatrical movies such as Avatar and How to Train Your Dragon -- on the screen (or screens) but without the need for special glasses.
Other new features include improved processing power, two camera lenses on the outside of the system (for 3D photos), an analog controller called the "Slide Pad," motion-sensing accelerometer and gyroscope, an infrared port, a "home" button that mimics the Wii controller interface, and a telescoping stylus.
The system retains the internal camera, the microphone, and the touch-sensitive lower screen of the Nintendo DSi, though the resolution of the bottom screen has been increased from 256x192 to 320x240.
When was the 3DS announced?
The 3DS was revealed by Nintendo on March 23, 2010 in a brief statement to the press, just prior to the North American launch of the DSi XL on March 28, 2010. It was officially revealed to the masses on June 15th at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California during Nintendo's Media Briefing at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
When will 3DS be released?
No official release date has been revealed beyond Nintendo's statement that it will be available in Japan by the end of the company's fiscal year: March 2011. The system could be released earlier than March 2011.
How much will the 3DS cost?
No official price has been revealed, but expect it to be within the price range of current handheld costs. In North America, the Nintendo DS Lite is currently $129.99, the DSi is currently $169.99, and the DSi XL is $189.99. To remain competitive, expect the cost of the 3DS to fall under $200 in the US, with the current generation of handhelds to receive price drops in preparation of the 3DS arrival.
What will the 3DS look like?
The 3DS looks very much like an updated Nintendo DSi. The form factor remains nearly identical, though the D-pad has been shifted down and the stylus placement has been moved towards the rear of the unit. Side by side comparisons reveal that the 3DS is slightly less wide but also slightly thicker than the original Nintendo DSi.
A submission by hardware manufacturer Mitsumi revealed developer hardware for the 3DS, giving us an early glimpse of the system's use of a widescreen display on top while retaining the 4:3 display on the bottom.
How powerful is the 3DS?
Nintendo has not revealed any specs for the 3DS system beyond the basics and size/shape, but expect it to well surpass the Nintendo DS in visual and processor capabilities. To provide stereoscopic 3D effects the system must have the ability to render each game field twice, one for each of the player's eyes, a technique that will require significant horsepower to produce.
Japanese company Digital Media Professional (DMP) revealed that it is the company that's providing the graphics processor for the 3DS. The system is using the PICA200 graphics core, a chip designed for use in mobile phones, amusement machines, and game consoles. The architecture uses DMP's proprietary "Maestro Technology" to achieve high quality visuals with minimal power dissipation.
Several developers that have experienced 3DS in its current form have reported, off the record, that it has processing capabilities that exceed the Nintendo Wii, and with 3D shaders they can make games that look close to current generation visuals on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on the lower resolution screens.
The 3DS device is not using the NVIDIA Tegra mobile chipset, a rumor that's been floating around since 2009.
What Nintendo games are being made for the Nintendo 3DS?
Nintendo revealed several first-party projects in the works including Animal Crossing, Nintendogs + Cats, Pilotwings Resort, Paper Mario, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Mario Kart, Steel Diver, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
There were several tech demos shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, though it's unclear if any of those projects will be turned into final 3DS software.
How will the 3D work on 3DS?
The 3DS system employs technology that sends two individual images to the left and right eyes of the player. With each screen displaying the same image slightly off-set, the system will force the brain to interpret depth in the same way it does with natural depth perception. There is a "sweet spot" where players must hold the system straight in front of them and at a specific distance from their eyes, and though any drift outside of the sweet spot will kill the 3D effect, it's a wide enough range to enable a certain range of freedom.
The 3DS features a 3.5 inch widescreen display, capable of resolutions of 400 pixels wide by 240 pixels wide -- the system renders a display at 800 pixels by 240 pixels, but the display resolution is cut in half to provide the 3D effect.
Prior to the system announcement, Nintendo ensured that gamers will have the ability to turn on and off the 3D effect. The system has a slider control on the right side of the top half of the system that can intensify or weaken the 3D effect – pushing the slider all the way down turns the stereoscopic effect off completely. An LED indicator will light up when the 3D effect is turned on, no matter its intensity.
When the 3D effect is turned off, you will no longer need to hold the system in its "sweet spot" as the screen will only display one of the two images.
Nintendo has not revealed which company is supplying the 3D screen technology, but it's expected that Sharp, the current provider of LCD screens for the Nintendo DS, is supplying the 3D displays for the 3DS portable. The company revealed, just a week after Nintendo's 3DS announcement in March 2010, its portable 3D screen technology.
article © IGN 2010
Originally Posted by Dragonic
