Nintendo 3DS Details Released, Ships in March 2011
|
|
CREDIT: Nintendo |
As predicted, Nintendo gave a complete rundown on the 3DS handheld console. It will launch on February 26 in Japan and a month later in the U.S.
Nintendo said its 3-D capable handheld will cost 25,000 yen, which is a little less than U.S. $300, in Japan but failed to give a price for the American market. The device will come in aqua blue or black finishes.
The Nintendo press conferences revealed a few previously unmentioned features in the 3DS. For instance, in addition to taking 3-D pictures with the two rear-facing cameras, the Nintendo 3DS can also use the front-facing camera to take a picture of the user and automatically convert it into a Mii avatar used in Nintendo gaming. Images can be exported wirelessly as QR codes or saved to the accompanying 2GB SD card.
Nintendo 3DS will apparently have a kind of multitasking, too, where users can save the state of an app while switching to another. This allows gamers to effectively leave a game running and return to it seamlessly after launching an app.
There are also significant efforts to link Nintendo 3DS owners. For instance, the device can collect and view Mii avatars from other 3DS owners who are nearby, even if the 3DS is in sleep mode. Games can interact with other 3DS owners, too. Simply walking by another 3DS owner who plays the same game will automatically share information about rankings, play style and freeware. Players can actively compete in games such as Super Street Fighter IV over a Wi-Fi connection.
The 3DS can use GameBoy titles on a virtual console, display augmented reality games and even create a sort of Wi-Fi hotspot called "Wifine."
As expected, there will be a selection of 3-D games available at launch that can take advantage of the Nintendo 3DS's 3-D capabilities. But Nintendo says the company is also looking into providing 3-D movies and TV shows that will work on its special 3-D screen that requires no glasses . For a look at some of the 3-D games that will be available, take a look at the video below.
