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The Definitive Guide To The Nintendo 3DS

2:55AM June 16, 2010 | Brian Ashcraft

Code-name no more, the official moniker for the Nintendo 3DS is… the Nintendo 3DS.

The NINTENDO 3DS is the Kyoto-base game company’s successor to its wildly popular Nintendo DS line. It is Nintendo’s fourth general handheld gaming system after the Game Boy, the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS.

Here is what we know:

• The Nintendo 3DS is black and blue
• As promised, this is a glasses-free 3D device
• Two cameras on the outside of the device for 3D picture taking
• 3D depth slider on the side of the device
• Round numb analog stick called the “Slide Pad”
• Bottom screen is a touch panel
• Below the touch screen are Select, Home and Start buttons
• Underneath the A, B, X, Y buttons is the handheld’s power button
• Motion sensor and gyroscope
• Compatible with Nintendo DSi
• A camera facing the player above the portable’s 3D screen
• The ability to play 3D Hollywood movies, like Legends of the Guardians from Warner Brothers
• The 3DS launch game will be Kid Icarus: Uprising
• It is a powerful system, featuring improved graphics
• The 3DS periodically searchs for WiFi spots and other 3DSs
• Easy online navigation
• No monthly fee for Nintendo’s 3DS online access
• Nintendo is developing 3D Nintendogs
• More than twenty companies have signed on to develop for the 3DS
• The top screen is 3.5 inches
• Release date is TBA
• Price is TBA

The NINTENDO 3DS was first hinted at in an Asahi Newspaper article in January 2010. In an official release this past March, Nintendo said portable, then codenamed the Nintendo 3DS, would enable games to be “enjoyed with 3D effects without the need for any special glasses”.

Comments

  • Tyr

    June 16, 2010 at 7:21 AM

    Is it just me or does the top screen look to small? It just seems so awkward with all that plastic around it…

  • Troy Thompson

    June 16, 2010 at 7:29 AM

    Nothing too fancy (new) in those specs.
    Would be nice if they released the chipset details…

  • Nathan Holmes

    June 16, 2010 at 7:43 AM

    “The Nintendo 3DS is black and blue”

    It comes in a few different colours.

  • Barry

    June 16, 2010 at 7:50 AM

    I hate how Nintendo always leave you hanging as to the specs of their hardware… That said they have habitually not changed much since they released Gamecube.

  • Gobbo

    June 16, 2010 at 8:30 AM

    Silly question – I take it both screens are 3D?

    • Gobbo

      June 16, 2010 at 8:51 AM

      Hmm… Looks like it’s just the top one…
      http://e3.nintendo.com/3ds/

    • Jonathon Tree

      June 16, 2010 at 8:57 AM

      Only the top screen bromide, the big N said they thought 3D tech and a touch screen ‘didn’t get along.’

      • CMRD Bones

        June 16, 2010 at 10:42 AM

        I’d say they probably wouldn’t get along.
        The whole 3D effect without glasses is a substantial enough technical jump. I can’t imagine the effect working too well while you’re moving and poking around with a stylus in your depth of field. Sounds like trying to do a “Magic Eye” book while someone waves their hand in front of your face.

        That said, I’m a bit disappointed with the total resolution of the upper screen. Considering how jaggy some of the promo pictures look, it’s making me think “PlayStation 2″ a bit more than I’d like.

  • James Mac

    June 16, 2010 at 10:31 AM

    When you say 3D, are we talking images pop out of the screen, or in screen but with a greater depth of field and look around ability?

  • Joel

    June 16, 2010 at 5:25 PM

    I’m not really digging the two colour scheme of the handheld and I would much rather have a consistent colour across the inside.

    But it does interest me and I’ll definitely look into it when more info is released.

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