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Iwata: 3D functionality of Nintendo 3DS can be turned off
Afraid that the jump-off-the-screen 3D effects promised by Nintendo's next handheld (code-named the 3DS) will become tiresome and overly gimmicky? Addressing concerns that there may be possible health consequences with 3D gaming, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata assured Forbes that the 3D function can be turned off easily, allowing players to enjoy games in a more traditional 2D manner. While little else is known about the device, it seems like a smart move to ensure Nintendo's next system is attractive to as wide of an audience as possible. Of course, we may change our minds after its E3 debut -- perhaps the 3D effect will be so captivating that we'll be unable to think of gaming in any other way. [Via GoNintendo]
Reggie: five million Wiis sold this year; almost a million have 'participated' in Netflix
Nintendo's had quite the start this year, president Reggie Fils-Aime revealed during a recent CNBC interview (that you can watch after the break). Both the Wii and DS are performing exceedingly well in 2010, Fils-Aime reported -- a level of success we're certain Nintendo isn't familiar with. "In the last four months, consumers have bought over five million Wii consoles," Fils-Aime boasted. He was quick to jab competitors Sony and MIcrosoft as well, stating "that amount is equal to the entire amount that our competitors have sold over the previous 12 months." Fils-Aime also offered a neat statistic on Wii Netflix usage. Since launching on the console in March, "almost a million" have participated in the service. He added that "we're getting great consumer compliments." Fils-Aime said that the DS has been selling extremely well and that "we think that through April that we'll have the best four month time period to kick off a new calendar year that we've ever had with the device." We'd comment but, really, doesn't this happen every year? Update: We were contacted by Charlie Scibetta, senior director of corporate communications for Nintendo of America, who offered this clarification on Reggie's reported sales figures: "The sales figures referenced in the CNBC interview were not for the first four months of calendar year 2010, but rather the last four months of current publicly reported NPD data which runs December of 2009 through March of 2010." Well now, we're glad that's all cleared up! [Via Edge]
Finding a new dimension for gaming at the 3D Gaming Summit
A small crowd of movie and game producers met this week at Universal City in Los Angeles for the first-ever 3D Gaming Summit, to sit down and discuss the trend of 3D imaging in gaming and film. Much of the talk at the summit was speculative -- with almost no actual consumer devices on the market and nearly none within price range of the average consumer anyway, gaming in 3D isn't much more than an idea at this point. Most of the technology companies in attendance are still working to get content producers to use their systems to create games and films rather than selling hardware directly to consumers. Still, the panels and discussions at the summit offered an interesting look at what many believe to be the eventual future of the industry. From a lunchtime interview with Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil director Paul W.S. Anderson to a Playstation Move demo (and a panel moderated by a Joystiq editor), the 3D Gaming Summit showed off a lot of guesswork, a few interesting demos, and a few big holes that will need to be filled if 3D gaming is going to ever take off.
Nintendo 3DS may launch in October, say 'UK industry sources'
How the mighty have fallen. Where just last year companies like Apple and Nintendo were renowned for their ability to keep completely silent about impending hardware, these days the thrill of exposure and some media pressure go a long, long way. Now, if Computer and Video Games' sources are to be believed, Nintendo's had another leak: an October release date for its autostereoscopic 3DS handheld in the UK. That's well within the original "before March 2011" timeframe, and apparently a surprise for game publishers currently planning software for Holiday 2010. Besides, since Europe typically gets Nintendo systems after the US and Japan, some lucky dogs might get the system even earlier -- we'll let you know when we see it ourselves at E3 this June.
Mega64 shows off the Nintendo 3DS's revolutionary tech
We're not quite sure what we like best about the new video from comedy goldmine Mega64 after the break: the proposed lifelike tech behind the upcoming Nintendo 3DS (we've got our fingers crossed!) or that Korn is currently recording a new song for Haze 2. It's probably the Haze 2 thing. Regardless, it's a great spoof on an upcoming gaming handheld we know virtually nothing about, which kinda makes the handheld the easiest thing to make fun of right now. Besides Haze, of course. [Via Destructoid]
Reggie Fils-Aime: Nintendo 3DS is Nintendo's next 'platform'
It may sound like the obvious statement to make, but for how much Nintendo has enjoyed marginally improving its handheld over the last few years, it's a big deal. According to an interview with Businessweek, Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime has stated that the upcoming 3DS will indeed be Nintendo's next platform -- not simply another revision of its already existing DS tech. "The Nintendo 3DS for us is our next handheld platform," Fils-Aime assures. Even though Nintendo's business is "fundamentally about software, not hardware," the new tech will be "a means to an end" -- the final goal being "a great consumer experience." Reggie wouldn't offer anything else on the proposed new handheld, other than mentioning Nintendo's plans of debuting it at E3. We'll be there. [Via MCV]
Hitachi 3.1-inch 3D IPS display is another Nintendo 3DS contender
Step aside Sharp, Hitachi has a parallax barrier 3D display all its own that likewise doesn't require special glasses to view. While not as bright (400nits vs. 500nits) or big as Sharp's 3.4-incher, Hitachi's contribution brings a 3.1-inch IPS panel to mobile 3D devices pushing the same 480 x 854 pixels and 1,000:1 reported contrast. While the image above won't make much sense outside of Japan, here's the gist: a series of vertical slits in the IPS LCD directs light to the right and left eyes to give the 3D effect -- no special glasses required. Remember, both Hitachi and Sharp have a long, and sometimes dubious, relationship with Nintendo so don't be surprised to see either (or both) announced as partners when Ninty unveils its 3DS handheld console at E3 in June.
Was Nintendo pressured into revealing the 3DS early?
Hey, remember when Nintendo unveiled a 3D Nintendo DS, the 3DS, completely out of the blue? And you know how they announced it just a week before we Americans finally got our hands on the DSi XL -- effectively making it seem obsolete before it even hit retail? It seemed like curiously unfortunate timing, but according to M2 Senior Analyst Billy Pigeon, there was something more sinister behind the surprise unveil: the Japanese media. "Apparently, the Japanese press was all over it and talked with suppliers there and Nintendo just wanted to get out ahead by breaking the news to prevent a leak." That they did, but they also subverted the US launch of the oversized DSi in the process. It's a gaming system few really thought they needed in the first place, and now with confirmation of something better coming soon it looks even less appealing.
Nintendo stock rises following 3DS announcement
You may have been a bit bewildered by Nintendo's out-of-nowhere announcement of a new DS a week before the North American launch of the DSi XL, but one group seems to have no issues with the timing or technology of the Nintendo 3DS: investors. Marketwatch reports that Nintendo stock rose 9.7 percent yesterday in response to the hardware announcement. While it's hard to gauge exactly what it is about the 3DS that has inspired such confidence among investors, we would guess it's less about the current 3D trend and more about the fact that Nintendo announced a new thing, and Nintendo things have been good for stocks in the last five years or so.
Koller says Sony keeping 3D on PS3, Nintendo 3DS is 'bit of a stretch'
It doesn't sound like Sony's going to jump on the 3D handheld bandwagon right away. SCEA Director of Hardware and Marketing John Koller told IGN that Sony's interest in 3D technology is limited to the PS3 -- you know, the system that can sell Bravias. "Our focus on 3D right now is on the console," Koller said. "There's a tremendous amount of opportunity on PlayStation 3 with 3D. The amount of interest in 3D from the retail side and game publishers is off the charts. We know we have a hit with 3D on PS3, and we're going to concentrate our efforts there." While that in itself isn't a definitive dismissal of adopting whatever 3D tech is in the Nintendo 3DS for a new PSP model, Koller's followup statement makes clear his skepticism about the competitor's new strategy: "I think it remains to be seen where Nintendo goes with 3D on a portable," he said. "Having been in the portable space for quite awhile, I think it's an interesting move, but one I'd like to see where they go from a demographic standpoint. 8- and 9-year-olds playing 3D is a little bit of a stretch given where some of our research is right now." Of course, having been in the portable space for quite awhile, Koller must have some suspicion that a new DS could be a massive hit -- as Nintendo handhelds tend to be -- and create a market for 3D handhelds. In the meantime, PSP players looking for a 3D experience have the third-party V-Screen and Solid Eye peripherals at their disposal.
Analyst: 3DS will help Nintendo stave off iPhone
Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian has said in a new report that the Nintendo 3DS system will not only increase unit sales for the DS platform (obviously), it will satisfy demands of consumers now excited about 3D technology, and help differentiate Nintendo's offerings from iPhone software. He notes that cheap iPhone games are cutting into the DS business. "However," he suggests, "with a differentiated 3D display, high quality games, and profitable business model for publishers, we believe the 3DS could help reduce the competitive threat from smartphones." Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, however, doesn't believe 3D on its own is enough -- because if that's all it is, Apple will simply copy it. "It seems that if 3D on portable devices was easy," he told CVG, "Apple would have beat them to it. If they truly pioneer a technology, my guess is that Apple will mimic the technology." That's a pretty pessimistic outlook. We're going to have to play a lot of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on our touchscreen-based handheld game console to cheer ourselves up after reading that.
3DS said to feature 3D control stick, Sharp LCD screens; will be playable at E3
As if news of a new handheld device coming from Nintendo in the middle of the night wasn't enough, Engadget today spotted two reports out of Japanese newspapers Asahi and Nikkei detailing the 3DS' known hardware so far. Asahi claims that the handheld's 3D output (remember, sans silly glasses) comes via a "parallax barrier LCD" from Sharp, while Nikkei backs this up and adds that the device's screens will measure roughly four inches diagonally across (each). Nikkei also claims the device will feature a "3D control stick," though this could presumably be an analog control stick, as well as rumble support and an upped battery life / speedier Wi-Fi. And while we heard last night that the device would arrive on retail shelves sometime in "Fiscal 2010" (before the end of calendar year March 2011), the report says it will arrive during the "second half of [calendar] 2010," owing the new handheld's reveal to slowing DS sales. In speaking with a representative from Nintendo of America, the New York Times confirmed that we'll get our first hands-on with the 3DS at E3 2010, so we'll get our chance to find out exactly what that hardware contains soon enough. Source 1 - Asahi Source 2 - Nikkei Source 3 - The New York Times [Via Engadget]
Nintendo 3DS to come with '3D control stick,' vibration, and Sharp's parallax barrier 3D LCD?
You had the hard news for breakfast, so how's about some less official, but still pretty robust, fodder for brunch? Asahi in Japan offers the first word on how the 3DS achieves its 3D-ness by suggesting that the new portable game machine with feature a parallax barrier LCD from Sharp. The tech has apparently already been deployed in a few cellphones over there and is described as "unsuitable" for large-screen TVs. This is corroborated by Nikkei, which suggests that the screens on the new device will be smaller than 4 inches diagonally, placing it closer to the DSi than the 4.2-inch DSi XL / LL. Other news from the latter source include so-called 3D control stick(s), though it's not entirely clear whether this'll be anything massively new or just a pair of analog nubs for us to push around. Either way, Nintendo is said to have secured patents for the new control methodology in Japan late last year. The Nikkei article also mentions improvements in WiFi transfers and battery life, as well as a new vibration function. Now that we've got all that out of the way, can someone please tell us if this thing has Tegra inside or not?
Nintendo announces 3DS -- the glasses-free 3D successor to the DS
Whoa, now this is a whopper coming (almost) out of nowhere. Nintendo has just slipped out a press release in Japan informing the world that all-new 3D-capable portable hardware is coming, with a full unveiling set for E3 2010 this June. Tentatively titled the 3DS, this glasses-free 3D wonder is pitched as the successor to both the DS and DSi, and will use a "compatible cart" that should ensure backwards compatibility with your vast library of favorites from the older consoles. Nintendo expects to launch the 3DS into retail "during the fiscal year ending March 2011." Update: Unofficial reports from Japan suggest the 3DS will have a parallax barrier 3D LCD from Sharp, a vibration function, and a "3D control stick." Read about it all here.
Nintendo 3DS handheld announced, more news at E3
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Nintendo_s_next_handheld_has_3D_without_the_glasses'; A press release on Nintendo's Japanese website appears to confirm the company's next handheld console, temporarily named the "Nintendo 3DS," and said to include hardware and software that will enable "3D effects" without the need for special glasses. The console is stated to be backwards compatible with DS and DSi games and is expected to go on sale (in Japan, presumably) "during the fiscal year ending March 2011" -- so within the next year. The press release has no pictures or other information, and save for the fact that it appears as a file on Nintendo's website, there's no other official word about the new hardware. There are a few dots to connect, however: 3D gaming is on the rise, and a few other companies have also experimented with head tracking as a way to implement 3D effects. Nintendo's own Satoru Iwata hasn't been impressed with 3D gaming in the past, but his issue is with the glasses, not the technology. "I have doubts whether people will be wearing glasses to play games at home," he said recently. We've also heard that the next handheld would have a "movement sensor" of some kind, so if Nintendo really has designed a head-tracking 3D solution, then maybe the console is ready to go. The press release, which you can read after the break in full, says we'll see more at E3, so stay tuned. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] Source -- Nintendo (PDF)
