Nintendo 3DS - Official Thread

[jb143]

Actually, Sony has some patents on a fairly advanced holographic display system which basically displays content in a cylinder shape on top of a display table and you can walk around the entire projection cylinder and view the objects inside from all angles. The cost makes it very difficult to use in consumer applications, but I could see it being a reality 5-10 years from now.

Do you have a link or anything to that? I'm intersted in checking it out to see exactly what you're describing. I'm pretty interested in this stuff but as it turns out, most "advanced holographic" stuff out there isn't using holograms at all, and at the very least, are only using the term with an artistic license.

[old_skoolin_jim]

BARF!
*drops 75 cents and disappears*

[Leo_A]

It better have a 2d mode. There's a significant percentage of people, including myself, that can't see in 3d.

[jb143]

I think the theory is that Nintendo will use a fixed parallax barrier, such as a lenticular lens array for the screens. I'm not sure how it's going to work in person, and how lighting and such will effect the experience. Also, you have to wonder if there will be a pretty good percentage of people who won't be able to enjoy it. I have a good buddy that has a problem with one of his eyes, and he can't "see" 3D. I'm not sure whether he'll be able to see 3D on this device or not. I know those people are definitely in the minority, but still....

That's what I was thinking as well. It works like those 3D DVD cases and whatnot that have the grooved plastic, only much finer and much better 3D effect. My guess is that it will pretty much be a DSi but with a screen that allows for games to utilize a 3D effect. If you only have 1 good eye, then it will look like a standard 2D game.

[Gameguy]

Unless it comes with a stand and eyeshade, and has the option to view every game in red monochrome, pass. When will this current 3D craze just die!?

How long did it take for 3D movies to die off in the 50's before they came back recently? I honestly don't know, but once people get tired of the new effects they'll die off.

It's nice Nintendo announced this before the XL got released, imagine if people went out and bought the XL instead of waiting for this new 3D system. Nintendo just saved people a lot of money at their own expense. Thanks big N.

[somesortofrobot]

Okay, no... this is lame. I'm sorry. Not every new system needs a gimmick.

[Enigmus]

PASS.

I agree. I'm okay with their past gimmicks, but 3D? Really, Nintendo? Now we can play Mario games with 8% less Virtual Boy style shame?

And ANOTHER DS? After one came out last year?

Methinks Nintendo is whoring out.
Either that or the DS is the Octomom of portables.

[jb143]

I think it's just one of those "have to wait and see it for ourselves before forming an opinion" things. To me, a mobile platform seems much better suited for something like this than a console.

[The 1 2 P]

So does that make the DSi and DSi XL this generation's Sega CD/32X?

To your point, why are they bringing this up now? Couldn't they have waited for the DSI XL to have some retail time to itself without the overlooming threat of new replacement hardware? I suppose they have a master plan for all of this though.

[Leo_A]

Where's the surprise? We didn't see the backlit SP ("SP2") and Micro until after the DS was on store shelfs and the DS Lite was announced and was just a handful of months away from hitting store shelfs.

The DSi XL was never portrayed as the next generation of Nintendo handhelds. It was a refinement of the Nintendo DS platform that has a larger screen to appeal to those that desired that. It's the Game Boy Micro of the DS generation that is catering towards a niche in the marketplace.

If anything, it's a classy move on Nintendo's part to let consumers know a new generation is on it's way and will be backwards compatible. That way, consumers don't feel burned buying the latest revision of the DS thinking they'll be set for the next couple of years only to see a new generation of Nintendo handheld hitting the marketplace relatively soon.

And I'm unsure what relationship the Sega CD and 32X have with the upcoming DSi XL. The DSi XL is a revision of an existing platform, just like the top loading NES, 4 switch and Jr. 2600 models, the revised SuperNes, the Sega Genesis 2 and 3, PSOne, slim PS2 and PS3, and numerous Nintendo handhelds before this.

[Bojay1997]

Do you have a link or anything to that? I'm intersted in checking it out to see exactly what you're describing. I'm pretty interested in this stuff but as it turns out, most "advanced holographic" stuff out there isn't using holograms at all, and at the very least, are only using the term with an artistic license.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/1..._n_325732.html

I know the basic technology was developed at SPAWAR in San Diego which is a US Navy affiliated lab and Sony licensed some of their patents and then created some of their own. I don't know that even SPAWAR created a fully working prototype, but the technology does seem to be real, if prohibitively expensive.

[Hari Seldon]

I'll wait for the 3DS lite before I make a purchase.

[Voliko]

Interested? No.

[VG_Maniac]

How long did it take for 3D movies to die off in the 50's before they came back recently? I honestly don't know, but once people get tired of the new effects they'll die off.

3D also came back in the early 80's and than died off. It seems like everyone goes nuts over 3D for a short time...but than they quickly loose interest in it. 3D disappears for awhile, than they bring it back for a new generation. It sticks around for a little bit, people grow tired of it again, and it disappears for another 20 or 30 years.

[scooterb23]

Apparently, March 23rd is the new April 1st.

Quoted since no one seemed to read it the first time.

Also: "According to Nintendo, the product will go on sale between April 2010 and March 2011."

Really? Sometime between next week...or a year from now... they aren't even trying and people still get sucked in.

[deltoidsteep]

Maybe I'm just not cynical enough but I think this is going to be fantastic. In all honesty, Nintendo has never disappointed me, and their hardware is always topnotch. I always thought it was sad that the virtual boy didn't get the love it deserved. But then again I never got headaches or anything from playing it. Here hoping Nintendo has better luck on their second 3D outing.

[scooterb23]

Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in the dictionary?

[joshnickerson]

Color me interested. I'm not exactly sure what they aim to accomplish with a 3-D screen, but then again, I wasn't sure what they were going to do with two screens or motion control.

[whoisKeel]

I think if it is well done, it has promise. The fact that it will be glasses free might be the thing that saves it. 3-D + glasses = failure.

[scooterb23]

As I understand it, Sony's portable 3D system will have 3 screens, 3 analog nubs, 3 sets of buttons and 3 memory card ports... It'll be called the PSPSPSPD, and it will cost the same as 3 PSPs. Also, there will be an adapter allowing you to hook 3 old school PSPs together to get the same effect.



The adapter will cost $29.99 and will be available at Sony Style stores sometime between tomorrow, and December 21, 2012.