Nintendo Announces 3-D Handheld Gaming Console
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Nintendo President Satoru Iwata shows off the Nintendo 3DS.
CREDIT: Dan Hope |
LOS ANGELES - The 3-D push goes far beyond TV manufacturers, as Nintendo showed today by unveiling a 3D-capable version of its popular DS handheld gaming console.
At the Nintendo E3 press conference, company president Satoru Iwata unveiled the new Nintendo 3DS , which has two screens just like all DS consoles, but the top screen is now wider (3.5 inches diagonally) and displays content in 3-D without any need for special glasses.
"Man, those glasses!" said Reggie Fils-Aime, head of Nintendo in North America, lamenting the price and inconvenience of buying 3-D glasses for everyone who wants to view 3-D content. He then said that 3-D content that doesn't require glasses is the next important step in the evolution of 3D technology.
"No one said it would be easy. Well, no one but Nintendo," Fils-Aime said.
The bottom screen of the 3DS is the only one that is touch sensitive now. Previously both top and bottom screens were, but Nintendo had to choose between 3-D and touch-capability in order to make the 3DS.
"A touch screen and a 3-D screen do not get along very well," Iwata said.
The 3DS also has improved graphics capabilities, and a new analog stick embedded on the left for controlling characters. It also has a front-facing camera like the DSi, but it now has two cameras on the back side for taking photographs in 3-D.
There is also a small slider switch on the right edge of the device for adjusting the depth of the 3-D effect or turning it off altogether.
The 3DS has full motion sensing capabilities, similar to that seen in a Nintendo Wiimote, but like the new iPhone 4 , the 3DS will now include a gyroscope for increased sensitivity.
The 3DS will have Wi-Fi and automatically connect to other 3DS devices nearby. It also automatically downloads updates and bonus content.
Finally, Nintendo also announced that there would be 3-D movies available for the 3DS.
Nintendo did not give a release date or price for the 3DS.
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