Nintendo 3DS Revealed at E3: No Price or Release Date Yet [Ninteno]

Big N today took wraps off of their much-anticipated Nintendo 3DS handheld video game system at the E3 2010 show.

The new handheld looks sort of like a DSi, but features a widescreen 3.5″ 3D display at the top which requires no glasses to see the its 3D effect. In addition to the classic touchscreen interface, control is provided through an analog “slide” control, which is located above the D-Pad, and the 3DS also includes a motion sensor and gyroscopic controls. There’s also a special “3D depth” slider, which lets you adjust the 3D effect to your personal taste (and eyeballs).

The system will also be backwards-compatible with games from the DSi. They also revealed that the 3DS would feature a significantly improved graphics chipset, capable of cranking out graphics that look almost as good or better than a Wii from what we can tell. Check out the example screen from the launch title Kid Icarus Uprising for an example of what to expect:

Nintendo also surprised us today, showing off a dual-lens camera on the back of the 3DS, allowing you to shoot your own 3D images, although it’s not clear if it supports video, or just still images.

Nintendo also revealed the 3DS will support playback of Hollywood blockbusters in 3D on the handheld’s glasses-free display. In addition, the 3DS will be able to communicate wirelessly, even when asleep, allowing game downloads, and even persistent universes which continue to update when you’re not playing.

Word from launch developers is that the 3D effect on the 3DS is nothing short of spectacular, with objects literally flying off the screen without need for any glasses.

Nintendo’s initial first-party titles for the 3DS include Kid Icarus Uprising, Mario Kart, nintendogs + cats, PilotWings Resort, Animal Crossing, StarFox 64, Steel Diver and Paper Mario.

There’s no word yet on pricing or a release date for the 3DS, but as soon as we know, we’ll be sure to let you know.

[technabob, Photo Credit: Engadget]

This is either the Nintendo 3DS or an over-the-top mock-up [Nintendo]

We’re not sure what to make of this thing. On one hand the design is clearly out of the box in a way Nintendo tends to think, but the twisting and turning seems just a tad too far from the norm to be real. But the Japanese site says it’s the real deal so it must be real.



The handheld seems to have everything that we’re expecting with a touchscreen autostereoscopic screen with a 854×512 resolution that’s stylus-friendly along with a dual screen mode to replicate the functionality of current DS games. Then there’s the input controls that are clearly designed to work in a 3D space that are obviously included. But it’s the extras that make us question if this thing could really be real.



Apparently the device can generate 3D objects in a augmented reality mode using two rear-facing cameras and sensor. The same sensor can also double as a sort of object scanner to import real objects into the virtual space. The performance is also said to be in the same class as the PS2/GameCube and the unit will reportable be able to link up with the Wii for some sort of VC sharing. The article goes on to tell a tale of WiMAX, WiFi, and even an optional keyboard for some blogging – seriously. It might just be too good to be true.

The post states that the 3DS should hit stores (probably in Japan first) next March 31st and Nintendo will official unveil the unit at E3 in the coming weeks. Jump over to the site and peek the pics. What do you think? Real or fake?

[TechCrunch via Mogu Mogu via Kotaku]