Nintendo 3DS handheld to offer switchable 2D mode, thankfully
By Thomas Ricker 
posted May 10th 2010 6:27AM
posted May 10th 2010 6:27AM
It was pretty much implied when "backward compatibility" was listed as a feature of Nintendo's new 3DS handheld back in March. But it's good to hear that 3D gameplay can be easily switched off, direct from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, when headaches or nausea set in during marathon sessions. This should also ease concerns from parents over any adverse effects that long term exposure to parallax barrier gameplay could have on their children's developing eyes. Besides, a 2D mode is desirable in that we expect it to offer a brighter image (especially when viewing off-center), better text reading experience, and a wider angle of view for sharing the display. Now, we know what you're wondering: what about that new 3.4-inch glasses-less 3D touchscreen display from Sharp, is it 2D switchable? Yup, lending more credibility that we'll see it on the 3DS when the handheld gaming console is fully revealed at E3 next month.
Please tell me the hardware is upgraded. What's the point of 3D if graphics are gonna look 8 years old?
Give me psp2-3D anyday
@Madmax333 I think they'll have to. Customers will want better graphics and they need to be able to compete with the other handhelds ie psp
@Madmax333 Well, they have to have some updated internals to support the newer graphics, don't 'ya think?
@N900 Dont doubt that... However it seems like nintendo updates the bare minimum every time and upgrades the name and releases the product. Look at all the DS crap... DSi, DS lite, DS xl , DS 3D... Come onnnn
@Madmax333
this is a successor to the DS. it isnt another version of ds. why would it have the same hardware, are you illiterate?
@Madmax333
I'd like that bulletproof one.
@Natal Well, the Wii is not very different from the Gamecube. I think they're trying to pull the same thing here (where 3D replaces motion control as the selling point).
@Madmax333
Yes, the 3DS will have improved hardware. Tegra 2 has been all but confirmed for it. Well, it's still rumor (much is at this point) but it has alot of supporting evidence.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/14/rumor-nvidia-tegra-chip-going-into-next-generation-ds/
@Madmax333 Sounds like a certain phone......wassitsname..
@MaJoR Probably Tegra *1* not 2, but otherwise yeah.
@Natal Are you? Cause I'm sure I replied that I'm sure they will update the hardware to handle 3D. What I'm getting at is that based on their track record they never push the envolope, you NEVERexpect awesome graphics from nintendo, just awesome gameplay. At some point though, I would like to feel like the brand new system I just bought is not outdated out of the box.
@Madmax333
I dont understand why people are hating on the 3ds... we dont even know wtf it looks like, it's launch titles or what new innovations it has...
Nintendo is the god of mobile game devices!
@Mike Vick Sure but still I don't play it as a 25 year old guy. They lack mature violent games which we all love. I don't doubt that they are making money and I guess the old saying "if it ain't broke" applies but that leaves a big market slice in turns of mature gamers wanting more. That's where the psp comes in. They just need to make psp 2 soon
@Madmax333
yea i actually agree but at least their games are addictive :p my nephew has one and im sooooo jealous! im buying one for my birthday bro. i like violent games and thats why i have an xbox 360.. nintendo for me serves a different purpose. im in my VERY early 20's and i would still love one of these... i have a psp but it broke NOOOO!
@Madmax333 join the army then. Big N is about gameplay, not death.
@Madmax333
"mature violent games"
That phrase says it all. Now let me get back to Picross 3D.
@Madmax333
"mature violent games which we all love"... Speak for yourself kthx.
I'm perfectly happy with my non-gory-bloody RPG's and the likes.
@Madmax333 What you takin' about, Willis? One of the best (if not the highest) rated games in the DS catalog is a mature, violent title: GTA Chinatown Wars.
@iucidium - 'join the army then' - riiight, see unlike in video games, you don't get to re-spawn when a freaking terrorist blows your @$$ up... See the point he is making is that there IS a large audience that like war games and shooters, and Nintendo has mostly left them behind after the N64 imho. If you need proof of this, just look at Halo, COD Modern Warfare 1 and 2, etc. Nintendo had some good ones in it's day with Golden Eye, Perfect Dark, and Turrok, just to name a few...
@iucidium Are you seriously saying that a game with guns can't be fun and addictive? Seriously?
@iucidium Sorry I handle guns daily at work, so you're saying I can just start blasting people at random and when things get too heated hit the reload button to start over? Sweeettttt
I need to buy one of these man all my homies in the hood have one
@Mike Vick Tell your homies to stop that deer before it...aaaaaaaaagh!!
How do they make glasses-less screens switchable? I thought they used a lenticular screen. Do they just display the same image in both directions? That's not really 2D, is it?
@AaronX
No more than it's really 3D I suppose
@AaronX
One way to do it would be to display the same image on the "left eye" pixels and the "right eye" pixels.
@Old fogie late bloomer
That's what I meant, it's not the same as a 2D display, is it? I think it'll still cause eyestrain.
They should be making Pokemon Black and White for this, not the outdated DS >_>.
@MegaJapan
thats what i was thinking
@MegaJapan
Chances are, it will work on both the original DS as well as the 3DS. Anyone remember the GameBoy Color versions of Pokemon that would still run on the old original GameBoys?
@Kamalot
GameBoy Color was a minor upgrade to the original GameBoy, unlike the transition to GameBoy Advance.
If the 3DS is indeed to be the successor, it is expected for it to have much higher resolution, at least something like 854x480.
Now, can you imagine a game that runs at a resolution of 256x192 on that? Not only would the aspect ration be all wrong but that would be quite the upscaling.
I don't even want to think about it. Screenshots of the game have been revealed, and still nowhere as nice looking as a PSP game would.
I am hoping that Nintendo, GameFreak, or whoever is in charge of this don't kill the franchise due to this stupidity.
everything will remain the same... most people who have that device are loyal customers... creating fragmentation is not going to happen with these consoles.... thats y even though a new product of the same line pops up its still the say... Example Xbox 360 Xbox 360 Elite... difference? a hdmi port
"Thankfully"??? Why "thankfully"?? You do, realize that glasses-free 3D isn't headache inducing, right? You also realize that on a gaming handheld, you DON'T need a wider viewing angle... right?
This is a revolution in gaming and I feel sick when an Apple-lover treats it merely as a threat.
This thing keeps getting better and better, I'm pumped for a successor to the DS. I've had it for five years now (I've owned the original, the Lite and the DSi, gimmie some upgraded hardware and graphics with 3D, and an accelerometer, and a touch screen, and a camera (or two), AND then give me the ability to play videos on it as well as music this time (a la DSi) Also, bigger screens, and make them at least a 16:9 ratio, and this device will be perfect.
Are we really worried about this giving us headaches? I mean, I suppose it might, but... I don't see this as being as vertigo-inducing as, say, IMAX 3D.
More importantly, are we really worried about this ruining our vision? Any more than display screens (and books) already (allegedly) do? I mean, my vision is horrible, and I did grow up programming computers, though my vision was already going before I started, and I don't know that there's too much of a cause-and-effect there.
Turn it off? I don't think I'd ever turn 3d ON.
I wat my headache and nausea NOW, dammit. I don't want to wait for it!
Love the 3D addition to the console
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