Nintendo's 3DS at E3 2010

All right, so Nintendo unveiled a new handheld console - the 3DS. The device will allow for 3D viewing without glasses, a feature that goes a long way towards improving the accessibility of 3D in gaming. But there’s many more reasons to care about Nintendo’s next handheld.

There was a lot of 3DS hardware going around at this year’s E3, varying in colors and content - each of the numerous devices was meant to prove to the attendance that the 3DS worked. And, according to every report, it does. People are, however, also reporting that it’s not a perfect technology, as people who have trouble with movie theater 3D have been having similar issues with the 3DS. However, the 3DS features a slider that allows players to adjust the depth of the 3D field, even allowing for it to be turned off entirely.

With so many of the devices going around, it seems like Nintendo’s on the verge of release, right? We’ve already seen a huge library of games to expect, from Kid Icarus and Resident Evil to ports of Ocarina of Time and MGS: Snake Eater. I’ll cover more of the games in a separate article. As far as release date is concerned, numerous reports indicate that we’ll see this new handheld before the end of Nintendo’s fiscal year, so March 31, 2011 is the latest possible date. Cammie Dunaway said as much during an interview with GiantBomb, at least. A release from Nintendo Japan reiterated the point as well.

The 3DS itself is a technological leapfrog to the original DS. While the final design of the device is still “to be announced,” we know a lot of the inner workings (although I sure hope they move the power button). The 3.53 inch upper screen is the only one that will support 3D, in widescreen. The actual pixel resolution is 800x240, but half of those pixels in width are allocated to each of the different 3D images, so we’re looking at 400x240. The 3.02 inch lower screen remains a touchscreen, and is actually smaller than the screens on a DSi (3.25 inches each). The resolution is improved from the previous DS, from 256x192 to 320x240. Game cards will hold up to 2 GB at launch, whereas typically, DS games of the past have been on 128 MB cards, with the bigger games like Final Fantasy on 256 MB cards. Of course, with the availability of microSD cards at 16 GB these days, DS cards could go for larger capacities, should the need ever arise. For some techno-jargon about the GPU, check out this Engadget article. To summarize - it's pretty awesome. There's a trailer for Kid Icarus under the jump that's slightly different from the one shown during the conference - I would guess this one was actually rendered on a 3DS. That, and more, after you click "Read More!"

As far as actually using the handheld is concerned, we have a very similar control layout as the original DS, with one key addition. Nintendo’s fashioned a flat analog stick, which unlike the PSP’s nub, acts more like analog should. Called the Slide Pad, we’ll now have a better way to play 3D games on a DS. With all the new announcements focusing on 3D, it’s almost easy to forget the touch screen is even still there. In most of those games, it would seem that the lower screen has been designated as GUI space - something that undermines the “innovation” extolled by the original DS, but does make some practical sense for a handheld where the small screen is often too busy. I just hope games like Elite Beat Agents will still find their way to the 3DS - though I would happily leave behind the control schemes from games like Phantom Hourglass (which I still loved, sorta). There’s a microphone again, too, so let’s hope for some more blowing at our handhelds!

Other bells and whistles include 3 cameras - 2 on the back, one on the front. The back two are there to take 3D pictures of real life - a nifty feature to say the least. The front camera is there for interaction with your games - Nintendogs+cats is already planning to make use of this to allow pets to lick their owner’s face if it’s close enough. There’s also a “gyro sensor,” and a motion sensor in the device, just as the iPhone 4 has. This, with the camera could do some crazy head tracking tricks...

Wireless in the device is supposed to be pretty damn good, with IEEE 802.11 and WPA/WPA2 support. The device will be able to connect to the Internet and other 3DS systems while not in use, at no extra fee, in order to download or exchange data. This could mean free mystery gifts just for carrying your DS around town, or free demos! This could also be a way of counteracting piracy - if they manage to download patches without your knowing, it could easily brick a pirated device. Of course, I would also expect Nintendo to provide a way to turn off this feature for airplanes and other places where wireless is unacceptable. There’s also likely to be some battery life lost to the process.

Battery life is still to be determined, but according to Iwata, they’re trying to at least match the original DS.

(Remember, this trailer has been up-rezzed, so the pixels you're seeing won't necessarily be there. The trailer here shows the game in its actual resolution. Also remember that the GPU is working twice as hard to generate two images so that this is 3D).