Nintendo announces 3DS - DS successor that plays games in 3D without glasses!

I think it's the DS successor:

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2010/100323.pdf

Courtesy of @markmacd's twitter

• - New portable hardware
• - To be announced at E3
• - Backwards compatible with DS games
• - Uses 3D technology with no glasses needed! (What!?)
• - Release BEFORE March 2011

Also:

http://kotaku.com/5499697/nintendo-announces-new-hardware-the-nintendo-3ds

At a Nintendo quarterly Q&A, the exec addressed the issue with the Asahi Shimbun, asserting that the reporter stated, "The graphics for the next DS will be highly detailed and it will contain a motion sensor, right?" Iwata claims he then replied, "Those things are naturally being required. But do you think it would sell with just that?" Iwata emphasized that this last part was left completely out.

It appears that the extra element Nintendo believed was necessary to really sell the DS successor is 3D.

Also, IGN article:

http://ds.ign.com/articles/107/1079233p1.html

Nintendo has announced the 3DS, a new hand-held system set for release before March 2011 in Japan. This new system will be fully unveiled at this year's E3 show in June.

While details are a bit slim as of now, the announcement stated the console would incorporate 3D technology without the need for players to wear special glasses. The 3DS will also be backwards compatible with all DS and DSi software.

Nintendo says this new portable machine will "succeed" the DS series. As of December 2009, the DS console has sold 125 million units worldwide.

Rumors of a new DS console have been buzzing for a while now. The latest instance came from President and CEO Satoru Iwata, when he reportedly told Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun the company was working on a DS successor that would have "highly detailed graphics" and use a sensor with the ability to "read the movements of people playing."

Basically, some places are saying it's the DS successor and could have Gamecube graphics! :o

Wow, just wow! :shock:

"The product will go on sale between April 2010 and March 2011."

...to be announced at E3.

I don't think he understands how April Fool's works...

Really, I'm not sure what is going on with that Kotaku article. Is this supposed to be a joke or something? I don't even know. I don't understand how he got from those statements to the system having a 3D display.

A 3D display without glasses on a portable device? That doesn't even sound realistic. That type of technology is still massively expensive in a large form. The idea of a portable system having it seems rather preposterous, especially from Nintendo.

It could be entirely possible WITH glasses, and Nintendo has already put out a 3D system which failed spectacularly sales-wise, so I wouldn't necessarily rule THAT out. I don't see how any of this follows from the comments that were made by Nintendo reps though.

"The product will go on sale between April 2010 and March 2011."

...to be announced at E3.

I don't think he understands how April Fool's works...

Really, I'm not sure what is going on with that Kotaku article. Is this supposed to be a joke or something? I don't even know. I don't understand how he got from those statements to the system having a 3D display.

A 3D display without glasses on a portable device? That doesn't even sound realistic. That type of technology is still massively expensive in a large form. The idea of a portable system having it seems rather preposterous, especially from Nintendo.

It could be entirely possible WITH glasses, and Nintendo has already put out a 3D system, which failed spectacularly sales-wise, so I wouldn't necessarily rule THAT out. I don't see how any of this follows from the comments that were made by Nintendo reps though.

StopThePresses

[QUOTE="StopThePresses"]

"The product will go on sale between April 2010 and March 2011."

...to be announced at E3.

I don't think he understands how April Fool's works...

Really, I'm not sure what is going on with that Kotaku article. Is this supposed to be a joke or something? I don't even know. I don't understand how he got from those statements to the system having a 3D display.

A 3D display without glasses on a portable device? That doesn't even sound realistic. That type of technology is still massively expensive in a large form. The idea of a portable system having it seems rather preposterous, especially from Nintendo.

It could be entirely possible WITH glasses, and Nintendo has already put out a 3D system, which failed spectacularly sales-wise, so I wouldn't necessarily rule THAT out. I don't see how any of this follows from the comments that were made by Nintendo reps though.

ASK_Story

It says "3DS" but that doesn't necessarily mean much. Certainly it implies nothing about glasses or lack thereof.

If this is indeed correct, I would much rather have heard it at E3 and had a joygasm :( the wonders of the internet though I guess. Nintendo should give a statement in the near future if this isn't the case, do you read Japanese Ask? or can you only make out some of that pdf.?

I'm going to assume the 3D gameplay is going to be SOMEWHAT similar to this. Not the same technology (I believe this uses the camera), but more of just to show you guys what it could perhaps look like to have 3D on a portable.

http://www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/nintendo-ds-3d-hidden-picture/341097

At this point, I can only say....W....T.....F?

I have heard that this is such the case, however, as in the information is legit and you should definitely expect certain franchises to see an appearance on here, such as Mario and Animal Crossing, for instance...

Im gonna with fake for now.

1. We all know Nintendo is tied-lipped when it comes to big anouncments and just coming right out like this isnt like them.

2. It just doesn't sound real.

I'm going to assume the 3D gameplay is going to be SOMEWHAT similar to this. Not the same technology (I believe this uses the camera), but more of just to show you guys what it could perhaps look like to have 3D on a portable.

http://www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/nintendo-ds-3d-hidden-picture/341097

Foxh0und666

Im gonna with fake for now.

1. We all know Nintendo is tied-lipped when it comes to big anouncments and just coming right out like this isnt like them.

2. It just doesn't sound real.

wildcat2000

Is this proof enough for you?

http://ds.ign.com/articles/107/1079233p1.html

It's real. Believe! :D

I find it hard to believe that such a small format would be able to accomplish true 3D. Hell, consoles can't even do it yet. That said, I trust Nintendo, they realize how important their handheld market is and I doubt they'd do anything to endanger its success. It'll be interesting to see what they've come up with.

Stereoscopic images were being generated by computers two decades ago.

Stereoscopic images were being generated by computers two decades ago.

ThePlothole

[QUOTE="ThePlothole"]

Stereoscopic images were being generated by computers two decades ago.

StopThePresses

Sorry, I was replying to Rekunta. The point was this technology doesn't need a supercomputer to work.

I guess I'm lucky I didn't buy a DSi today, huh?

Hmm that is quite interesting and could be very cool. Looking forward to seeing more on this.

Megaton news, will now wait from buying any new DS until this thing comes out. Good job sabotaging DS XL launch. :Pdvader654

1) How do you achieve true 3D on a handheld device?
2) Why not introduce this technology into a home console first?

I'm still very sceptical about this whole deal... and if it is "Gamecube-powered" I wonder why it isn't backwards compatible with GC games, even by download.

If this is real, it's a bit much. With being the 5th DS in a short amount of time, all being about the same price on release, it's rather overkill to have another DS... with 3D technology.

Unless they're actually planning releasing their IP's with this technology and keeping it good, I'd say they need to stick with making good games for the DS in the market they already dominate.

I dont know about this one, I mean the ds xl has just come out and it seems fairly ridiculous for nintendo to announce a new version of the ds so soon. Sounds cool though if they could pull something like this off.

1) How do you achieve true 3D on a handheld device?
2) Why not introduce this technology into a home console first?

foxhound_fox

Stereoscopic support has been introduced on consoles on several occasions... most recently the PS3. However to take the glasses out of the equation requires a special display. "Autostereoscopic" TVs exist, but currently they are expensive and have a very narrow effective viewing angle. With a handheld the screen is of course built in. And since only one person generally uses it, viewing angle isn't an issue really.

and if it is "Gamecube-powered" I wonder why it isn't backwards compatible with GC games, even by download.

foxhound_fox

I imagined what would be preventing them from using GC titles is controller limitations, and HDD limitations.

If this is real, it's a bit much. With being the 5th DS in a short amount of time, all being about the same price on release, it's rather overkill to have another DS... with 3D technology.sirkibble2

This seems more like a DS2 than a simple iteration of the current system. I don't think it's overkill since by the time it is released the DS will be about 7 years old. A glance at the lifespan of the GBA (2001-2004) indicates that this is a fairly long console cycle.

1) How do you achieve true 3D on a handheld device?
2) Why not introduce this technology into a home console first?

I'm still very sceptical about this whole deal... and if it is "Gamecube-powered" I wonder why it isn't backwards compatible with GC games, even by download.

foxhound_fox

If this is real, it's a bit much. With being the 5th DS in a short amount of time, all being about the same price on release, it's rather overkill to have another DS... with 3D technology.

Unless they're actually planning releasing their IP's with this technology and keeping it good, I'd say they need to stick with making good games for the DS in the market they already dominate.

sirkibble2

A DS with 3D capabilities and GC graphics? That's awesome if true!

Well, now that a few more sources are posting this story, I'm convinced that Nintendo is stretching the definition of 3D in some fashion to create buzz, because there is no way that they are using a technology which is prohibitively expensive everywhere else.

StopThePresses

Part of why the technology is so expensive is because it's currently sold in very low volumes. Nintendo would be able to push this in very high volume. It should also help that the displays are small.

I just don't see why Nintendo would let the hardware go too far from the DS at this point in time. The DS continues to put up huge numbers, and I doubt Nintendo would want to fracture that userbase too much by suddenly jumping to GameCube-level hardware. The 3D thing makes perfect sense though...it's something that they could have as a cool new feature, but games that use it could still work on an old DS.

1) How do you achieve true 3D on a handheld device?
2) Why not introduce this technology into a home console first?

I'm still very sceptical about this whole deal... and if it is "Gamecube-powered" I wonder why it isn't backwards compatible with GC games, even by download.

foxhound_fox

They haven't necessarily said yet that it isn't. Maybe they'll mention that at E3?

This seems more like a DS2 than a simple iteration of the current system. I don't think it's overkill since by the time it is released the DS will be about 7 years old. A glance at the lifespan of the GBA (2001-2004) indicates that this is a fairly long console cycle._Tobli_

The GBA itself did have a four year lifespan but don't forget about all the other GBA iterations that came out--GBA SP, Micro, for example. The SP was fine. The Micro was overkill. This 3DS would, in my mind, fall under overkill.

[QUOTE="StopThePresses"]

Well, now that a few more sources are posting this story, I'm convinced that Nintendo is stretching the definition of 3D in some fashion to create buzz, because there is no way that they are using a technology which is prohibitively expensive everywhere else.

ThePlothole

Part of why the technology is so expensive is because it's currently sold in very low volumes. Nintendo would be able to push this in very high volume. It should also help that the displays are small.

[QUOTE="_Tobli_"]This seems more like a DS2 than a simple iteration of the current system. I don't think it's overkill since by the time it is released the DS will be about 7 years old. A glance at the lifespan of the GBA (2001-2004) indicates that this is a fairly long console cycle.sirkibble2

The GBA itself did have a four year lifespan but don't forget about all the other GBA iterations that came out--GBA SP, Micro, for example. The SP was fine. The Micro was overkill. This 3DS would, in my mind, fall under overkill.

*pic*

Maybe something like this.dvader654

[QUOTE="StopThePresses"]

[QUOTE="dvader654"]*pic*

Maybe something like this.dvader654

*pics*

Anyway, someone already posted a link in this thread for a DSi game that does that using the camera, which means the DSi can already do that. It doesn't seem like much more than a gimmick as far as games are concerned. It's not like Nintendo doesn't like their gimmicks though.

geez, that shaky dino pic caught me off guard there. :lol:

The DSi currently sells at retail for about $170. This new system is going to be more powerful, about as powerful as the GameCube according to rumors. That alone will make it more expensive than the DSi. Nintendo doesn't like releasing expensive hardware anymore. That's why they got out of trying to compete with Sony and Microsoft in terms of graphics. The made money off of every Wii sold instead of initially selling them at a loss hoping to make it up in the long run. That said, it's hard for me to imagine them releasing a portable that costs more than the Wii's launch price of $250, and that price is really pushing it for a portable system. I'm thinking they would really like to keep it at $200 or below. (In fact, now I'm starting to suspect that the DSi, in addition to being an easy way to get some people to buy the same product yet again, was a bit of a market test to see how well they could sell a portable system near that price point.) Add in a genuine 3D display on top of all of that and now we're talking about a product that would have to even more. A super-conservative estimate would be an extra $100 and I don't even think that is remotely realistic at this point in time.

StopThePresses

Nintendo has never been into releasing expensive (loss leader) hardware. With Sony and Microsoft taking the premium route to the extreme this generation (and taking one of big N's advantages: IBM), I doubt they could have competed in hardware even if they had wanted to. However as someone else pointed out the Gamecube was a hundred dollars at the end of last gen, and they were still making a profit! I imagine even shrunken down that hardware wouldn't be terribly expensive these days. The DS hardware is also pretty old, and I imagine quite cheap as well. Heck, it would not surprise me if sales for the various incarnations were mostly net at this point.

As for the cost of the displays... well, according to this cnet article a parallax barrier equipped LCD of this size would only be about $20-30 right now.

Would the price of such technology be accomplished within the price range of a handheld?

Rekunta

According to CNet, it is possible.

[QUOTE="StopThePresses"]

[QUOTE="dvader654"] Obviously it won't shake, it will use cameras to track your head. This thing:

*pics*

dvader654

Anyway, someone already posted a link in this thread for a DSi game that does that using the camera, which means the DSi can already do that. It doesn't seem like much more than a gimmick as far as games are concerned. It's not like Nintendo doesn't like their gimmicks though.

Tilting the screen to get a different angle though, as opposed to just using a thumbstick or something to achieve the same perspective change - yes, that is a gimmick.

[QUOTE="StopThePresses"]

The DSi currently sells at retail for about $170. This new system is going to be more powerful, about as powerful as the GameCube according to rumors. That alone will make it more expensive than the DSi. Nintendo doesn't like releasing expensive hardware anymore. That's why they got out of trying to compete with Sony and Microsoft in terms of graphics. The made money off of every Wii sold instead of initially selling them at a loss hoping to make it up in the long run. That said, it's hard for me to imagine them releasing a portable that costs more than the Wii's launch price of $250, and that price is really pushing it for a portable system. I'm thinking they would really like to keep it at $200 or below. (In fact, now I'm starting to suspect that the DSi, in addition to being an easy way to get some people to buy the same product yet again, was a bit of a market test to see how well they could sell a portable system near that price point.) Add in a genuine 3D display on top of all of that and now we're talking about a product that would have to even more. A super-conservative estimate would be an extra $100 and I don't even think that is remotely realistic at this point in time.

ThePlothole

Nintendo has never been into releasing expensive (loss leader) hardware. With Sony and Microsoft taking the premium route to the extreme this generation (and taking one of big N's advantages: IBM), I doubt they could have competed in hardware even if they had wanted to. However as someone else pointed out the Gamecube was a hundred dollars at the end of last gen, and they were still making a profit! I imagine even shrunken down that hardware wouldn't be terribly expensive these days. The DS hardware is also pretty old, and I imagine quite cheap as well. Heck, it would not surprise me if sales for the various incarnations were mostly net at this point.

As for the cost of the displays... well, according to this cnet article a parallax barrier equipped LCD of this size would only be about $20-30 right now.

I guess I'm lucky I didn't buy a DSi today, huh?

Kreatzion

I just don't see why Nintendo would let the hardware go too far from the DS at this point in time. The DS continues to put up huge numbers, and I doubt Nintendo would want to fracture that userbase too much by suddenly jumping to GameCube-level hardware. The 3D thing makes perfect sense though...it's something that they could have as a cool new feature, but games that use it could still work on an old DS.

Teufelhuhn

You and me both. *high fives* But yeah, I'm really excited for this, and do you know why? Not because of the 3D, not because of the motion tracking, but because of the THUMBSTICK! Say it with me, everyone! Thummmmmb stiiiiiiiiiick! :DJustPlainLucas

I just hope it's a decent thumb stick. I hate that "nub" the PSP uses.

I just hope it's a decent thumb stick. I hate that "nub" the PSP uses.