Nintendo showcased one of the most intriguing gaming hardware innovations at E3, the Nintendo 3DS. Although Nintendo’s E3 presentation didn’t demo the 3DS gameplay on stage, a hands-on demo was provided following the presentation and on the E3 show floor. The 3DS demo didn’t show gameplay, but showcased a few of Nintendo’s characters, including Link, Mario, Pikmin and Metroid. The character models could be viewed by moving the new "Slide Pad." This showed an amazing and crisp 3D animated view, all without the use of 3D glasses. The 3D Depth Slider also demonstrated how the view could be switched from a standard "flat" game view to a deeper 3D view, on-the-fly. The effect was stunning. You could see the depth and popping action come to life. Nintendo truly has added 3D magic to the Nintendo DS. It’s a dramatic evolution of the Nintendo DS, which is a groundbreaking tech innovation as well. This is a far cry from the days of the Virtual Boy. 3D gaming is really here to stay. There are other technical capabilities on the 3DS which evolve the Nintendo DS family further. See more in the Nintendo 3DS technical specifications listed below.
See a couple of pictures of the Nintendo 3DS here (appropriately available in red or blue colors).
Here are the technical specs of the Nintendo 3DS, from Nintendo:
(more details on the 3DS games are listed following the tech specs)
Size (when closed): Approximately 5.3 inches wide, 2.9 inches long, 0.8 inches tall.
Weight: Approximately 8 ounces.
Look: Final design is TBA.
Top Screen: 3.53-inch widescreen LCD display, enabling 3D view without the need for special glasses; with 800×240 pixel resolution (400 pixels are allocated for each eye to enable 3D viewing).
Touch Screen: 3.02-inch LCD with 320×240 pixel resolution with a touch screen.
Cameras: One inner camera and two outer cameras with 640×480 (0.3 Mega) pixel resolution.
Pre-Installed Software: TBA
Nintendo 3DS Game Card: 2 GB Max. at launch.
Wireless Communication: Can communicate in the 2.4 GHz band. Multiple Nintendo 3DS systems can connect via a local wireless connection to let users communicate or enjoy competitive game play. Systems also can connect to LAN access points to access the Internet and allow people to enjoy games with others. Will support IEEE 802.11 with enhanced security (WPA/WPA2). Nintendo 3DS hardware is designed so that even when not in use, it can automatically exchange data with other Nintendo 3DS systems or receive data via the Internet while in sleep mode.
Game Controls: Touch screen, embedded microphone, A/B/X/Y face buttons, + Control Pad, L/R
buttons, Start and Select buttons, “Slide Pad” that allows 360-degree analog input,
one inner camera, two outer cameras, motion sensor and a gyro sensor.
Other Input Controls: 3D Depth Slider to adjust level of 3D effect (can be scaled back or turned off
completely depending on the preference of the user), Home button to call system function, Wireless switch to turn off wireless communications (even during game play), Power button. The telescoping stylus is approximately 4 inches when fully extended.
Input/Output: A port that accepts both Nintendo 3DS game cards and game cards for the Nintendo
DS family of systems, an SD memory card slot, an AC adapter connector, a
charging cradle terminal and a stereo headphone output jack.
Sound: Stereo speakers positioned to the left and right of the top screen.
Battery: Lithium ion battery details TBA.
Languages: TBA
Parental Controls: Parental controls similar to the Nintendo DSi system will be included.
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The price and release date of the Nintendo 3DS is still to be announced. Of course, gaming technology is only as good as its games. The great news is there is already a solid lineup of games in the works. Just look over the list of games below, many which look great even in 2D.
Here’s a partial list of the announced Nintendo 3DS games so far:
(sorted in alphabetical order, by game publisher)
Several Nintendo 3DS screenshots have been released (in flat 2D, of course). 3DS games which have screenshots have active links below.
Activision Publishing, Inc.:
DJ Hero 3D
AQ INTERACTIVE:
cubic ninja
ATLUS:
Etrian Odyssey
Shin Megami Tensei
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Capcom:
RESIDENT EVIL REVELATIONS
SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV 3D Edition (name not final)
Electronic Arts:
FIFA Soccer
Madden NFL
The Sims 3
Gameloft:
Asphalt GT
Harmonix:
"Music game"
HUDSON SOFT:
Bomberman franchise
DECA SPORTS franchise
KORORINPA franchise
KONAMI:
Baseball franchise
Contra franchise
Frogger franchise
HIDEO KOJIMA’S METAL GEAR SOLID SNAKE EATER 3D – The Naked Sample
PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER franchise /
WINNING ELEVEN franchise
LEVEL-5:
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle (name not final)
Majesco Entertainment:
BloodRayne: The Shroud
A Boy and His Blob
Face Racers: Photo Finish
Lion’s Pride: Adventures on the Serengeti
Martha Stewart
WonderWorld Amusement Park
Marvelous Entertainment:
BOKUJYOUMONOGATARI 3D (name not final)
NAMCO BANDAI Games:
Dragon Ball franchise (name not final)
Gundam franchise (name not final)
PAC-MAN & GALAGA (name not final)
RIDGE RACER (name not final)
Super Robot franchise (name not final)
Nintendo:
Animal Crossing
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Mario Kart
nintendogs + cats
Paper Mario
PilotWings Resort
Star Fox 64 3D
Steel Diver
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
ROCKET:
Crash-City GP
VS-robo
SEGA:
Sonic (name not final)
Super Monkey Ball (name not final)
SQUARE ENIX:
"Chocobo Racing 3D"
DRAGON QUEST franchise
FINAL FANTASY franchise
KINGDOM HEARTS franchise
Take-Two Interactive:
Carnival Games franchise
TECMO KOEI GAMES:
DEAD OR ALIVE 3D (name not final)
DYNASTY WARRIORS (name not final)
NINJA GAIDEN (name not final)
SAMURAI WARRIORS 3D (name not final)
TOMY:
LOVELY LISA 3D
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN ACTION
THQ:
de Blob 2
Kung Fu Panda Kaboom of Doom
Marvel Super Hero Squad Infinity Gauntlet
The Penguins of Madagascar
Puss N Boots
Saints Row: Drive-By
Ubisoft:
Assassin’s Creed Lost Legacy
Battle of Giants: Dinosaur Strike
Driver Renegade
Hollywood 61 (name not final)
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
Warner Bros:
Batman franchise
LEGO franchise
Keep a lookout for more E3 2010 news from GamingBits.com here.
