E3 2010: Details on the Nintendo 3DS
Ok, everyone has heard by now that Nintendo has revealed their upcoming 3D handheld system, the Nintendo 3DS, at E3 in Los Angeles. We have all heard the name by now, but what do we actually know about this powerful, little system?
The Nintendo 3DS, on the surface, looks a lot like the current design of the Nintendo DSi... but there is a lot more to offer inside this little package. The device houses two separate screens; on the top there will be a 3.5-inch wide screen which supports the 3D images without the need of special glasses. the 3D effect can be controlled with a slider on the side of the unit’s top half to either maximize the depth of the 3D effect or eliminate it all together. The bottom half of the device will be home to both the manual controls as well as a 3.02-inch touch screen.
Control wise, the 3DS has a (now) standard control pad as well as A, B, X, and Y buttons (plus triggers), and an all new “slide pad”. The slide pad is basically the equivalent of an analog stick, something long sought after by die-hard portable gamers. There will be a 4-inch, telescopic stylus included in order to interact with the system’s touch screen. The 3DS will also include 3 separate camera with one on the inside of the device (facing the user) and two on the outside for use on your surroundings. The two outside cameras can be used to take actual 3D images as you please which you can save and share with your friends.
While the details have not been given in depth, the Nintendo 3DS will support movie playback and allow users to play 3D Hollywood feature films on the device. Iwata said that the details surrounding those capabilities would be covered at a later time and date, but mentioned that studios such as Warner Bros. and Disney are scheduled to support the handheld.
Per Nintendo, here are the official Nintendo 3DS Specifications:
All of that technology squeezed into one, tiny, pretty package. Have a look for yourself:
The Nintendo 3DS, on the surface, looks a lot like the current design of the Nintendo DSi... but there is a lot more to offer inside this little package. The device houses two separate screens; on the top there will be a 3.5-inch wide screen which supports the 3D images without the need of special glasses. the 3D effect can be controlled with a slider on the side of the unit’s top half to either maximize the depth of the 3D effect or eliminate it all together. The bottom half of the device will be home to both the manual controls as well as a 3.02-inch touch screen.
Control wise, the 3DS has a (now) standard control pad as well as A, B, X, and Y buttons (plus triggers), and an all new “slide pad”. The slide pad is basically the equivalent of an analog stick, something long sought after by die-hard portable gamers. There will be a 4-inch, telescopic stylus included in order to interact with the system’s touch screen. The 3DS will also include 3 separate camera with one on the inside of the device (facing the user) and two on the outside for use on your surroundings. The two outside cameras can be used to take actual 3D images as you please which you can save and share with your friends.
While the details have not been given in depth, the Nintendo 3DS will support movie playback and allow users to play 3D Hollywood feature films on the device. Iwata said that the details surrounding those capabilities would be covered at a later time and date, but mentioned that studios such as Warner Bros. and Disney are scheduled to support the handheld.
Per Nintendo, here are the official Nintendo 3DS Specifications:
- Size (closed): 5.3-inches wide, 2.9-inches long, 0.8-inches tall
- Weight: approx. 8 ounces
- Top screen: 3.53-inch widescreen LCD display, 800x240 pixel resolution (400 pixels per eye for 3D effect)
- Bottom screen: 3.02-inch LCD touch screen, 640x480 pixel resolution
- Wireless communication: utilizes 2.4 GHz band for wireless communication, supports IEEE 802.11with enhanced security, designed to communicate and function (wirelessly) while in sleep mode
- Motion sensor / internal gyroscope for movement based gaming
- Sound: stereo speakers on both sides of top screen
- Media input: supports 3DS, DS, and SD memory card devices
- Other connections: AC adapter connection, headphone jack, charging cradle connection
- Parental controls included in system OS
All of that technology squeezed into one, tiny, pretty package. Have a look for yourself:
