The Nintendo 3DS is going to blow your mind!
Although this is a site about the Wii, the Nintendo 3DS deserves some outstanding praise as, according to the hype surrounding it, this could be one of the greatest portable gaming devises ever created! This may sound like a brave statement but I think you may change your mind when you read what this unique handheld has to offer!
As you will have undoubtedly gathered, the Nintendo 3DS is about a gaming experience in another dimension: 3D to be exact! The increasing desire for 3D entertainment has been taken on by the makers of this console and allowed us to access 3D in places that would have been, in the past, confined to our homes or the cinema screens.
The world’s first ever handheld console makes you see the world another way!
The first ever handheld device to offer 3D, the 3DS sells itself on the basis that it is a glasses free 3D experience. The console features two screens; a 3.5 inch display that renders 3D images and a a smaller screen at the bottom that is a touch screen display. On the right of the console there is a slider that controls the level of 3D effect that you wish with an option to turn it off altogether. On the left is an analogue controller and a D pad, with the four button selection on the right. It also has an accelerometer and a gyro sensor for full motion controls, just like the Wii console. A subscription free wi-fi service is also included, which will keep you connected at all times and automatically downloading game data and other extras whenever they become available for no extra cost.
Dimensions for the handheld are approximately 5.3 inches wide, 2.9 inches long, 0.8 inches tall and it weights approximately 8 ounces. More details can be found at Nintendo E3 Network.
See your memories in 3D!
A very strong selling point for people that are fairly interested in gaming but like their gadgets to come with that little extra is that the Nintendo 3DS also has three cameras, one above the screens, and two on the other side, which will allow users to take 3D digital photographs! They both have 640×480 (0.3 Mega) pixel resolution and this alone is amazing, but if that wasn’t enough for the gadget lovers, at the ES Expo launch, Nintendo’s CEO Satoru Iwata confirmed that the device would be, in the future expanding to 3D movies as well with The LA Times reporting that Nintendo has made deals with Warner Bros, Disney and DreamWorks to deliver “stereoscopic 3-D movies to Nintendo’s upcoming 3DS hand-held console.” No titles have been announced yet although the trailer for Disney’s upcoming film Tangled was shown on the 3DS during the Expo.
70 Nintendo 3DS games in the development:
Developers and publishers alike have already started working on the titles for this handheld with games such as DJ Hero, Resident Evil Revelations, Metal Gear Solid, Ridge Racer and Saint’s Row with Nintendo is working on 3DS versions of Mario Kart, Paper Mario and Animal Crossing amongst others.
There are already reviews of demo games which have been very positive. A huge favourite with the classic DS was the Nintendogs +Cats and it doesn’t disappoint in 3D. From three choices of puppies you either choose a golden retriever, a Yorkshire terrier or a beagle and you can then watch him charge around the room in 3D! When the dog comes up and puts his paws on the screen you can stroke him by stroking the touch screen! There are toys for the dogs to play with such as balls and boomerangs (you throw the boomerang by using the touch screen again) and, if this is what makes you happy, you can dress the animals up in anything from a Mario hat to sunglasses! Hell, you can got the whole hog and give the poor animal a haircut…on the console obviously…don’t think I am telling you to give real life pet Fido a trim after ready this!
Whats the difference?
You might be thinking that as you already have the Nintendo DS Lite or another handheld gaming console that you don’t see the point in changing to the 3DS, but take a look at the Nintendo 3DS comparison to the DS Lite for an idea of the different specifications and dimensions. There is also a video on YouTube for Nintendo 3DS Comparison to DS Lite.
So the price is….?
So the question just remains now, when is it released and how much will it be? Rumour has it that it is to be released in Japan at the back end of this year, and normal practice is that Japan gets the exclusive look at new games and consoles before the rest of the world although it believed that Europe and the US will also get it at this time, probably to coincide with Christmas. There is no news on the price yet although in these tough economic times, Nintendo will probably consider that if they price it way out of most people’s budgets then even the hype won’t sell the Nintendo 3DS so hopefully we can expect a reasonable price with a lot of value for money with a gaming console and 3D pictures and movies!
