E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) was just over. Despite desperate longing for being there, I couldn’t. So I watched several media briefings via live stream and read the news posted on some gaming sites. God bless internet!
Here is my favorite E3 announcement… The most exciting of all… Ta-daaa…
Yeah, it had been rumored for months that Nintendo was gonna release a new hardware, 3DS. Turns out they are!
It was one of memorable moments in my life, watching Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata hold the blue handheld, unveiling the latest creation of genius.
3DS is coming in 3 colors: red-black, blue-black and black-black. No release date nor price is unveiled yet, but from various gaming sites’ hands-on, it looks like a must-have for those in love with 3D and Nintendo’s games.
3D Games, 3D Movies, No 3D Glasses
I always think Nintendo is the best gaming hardware company. They took a giant leap releasing Wii back in 1996, and now they take another releasing a 3D device requiring no 3D glasses, right when Sony is releasing PlayStation Move and Microsoft is relasing Kinect.
Yes, you read it right. With 3DS, no 3D glasses required to play 3D games and to watch 3D movies.
Take and View 3D Pics
But the most astounding feature of all IMO is the dual-camera on the back of 3DS, and another on its front side. Taking pictures and view them in 3D is now possible. Cool, huh?
3D Depth Slider
On the side of 3DS you’ll find a 3D depth slider. It’s to adjust the 3D-ness (is it even a word? LOL) displayed. You can even turn it off if your eyes can’t keep up. Turns out Nintendo has thought about how we would adapt to this new technology. Several game journalists tweeted that their eyes needed some time to get used to 3D images. See? Told ya, Nintendo is genius!
3D Nintendogs… with Cats!
Nintendo also announced that the top selling game coming from the house, Nintendogs, are currently being developed for 3D support.
I actually wish for a Nintencats. But Iwata said there would be cats in the upcoming Nintendogs. Even better, LOL!
Easy Online Navigation
Gaming data is accessible online, no cell phone carrier nor monthly fee required.
IMO the coolest thing about its wireless feature: 3DS periodically searches for WiFi spots and other 3DS to exchange data in sleep mode. Do you know what it means? Play Nintendogs while you’re away! Your 3DS will play on its own!
Launch Game
3DS will be launched with Kid Icarus: Uprising.
Battery Life
Now this might be an issue. With such powerful features, is 3DS’ battery life reliable? A better handheld should has longer battery life. Unfortunately we’re gonna wait as Nintendo hasn’t revealed anything about battery.
Price
No announcement on 3DS price yet. But Iwata spoke vaguely about it. Here’s a quote from an interview by Venture Beat.
VB: Are you concerned about how much this will cost? There are so many new things in it, I wonder if you will price it above the normal range where you price your handhelds? Your prices are usually below Sony’s.
Iwata: I have to refrain from talking specifically about the price point. What I can confirm is that, in terms of the production costs, it will cost more than the costs for the Nintendo DS today. Having said that, we believe we will produce enough value worthy of the production cost. We do not think we have to sell the products below cost.
Let’s see. DS Lite is priced at $129.99, DSi at $169,99, and DSi XL at $189.99. And Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian expects 3DS to be priced at $249 – $299. If it’s true, do you think the price is right?
Nintendo 3DS Specs
Colors: blue-black, red-black, black-black
Dimensions: 5.3″ W x 2.9″ H x 0.8″ D
Weight: 8 ounces
Top Screen: 3.53″ LCD Glasses-free 3D display with 800×240 px resolution
Bottom Screen: 3.02″ LCD display with 320 x 240 resolution
GPU: DMP Pica 200 @ 400 MHz
Cameras: One front-facing, two outward facing stereoscopic lenses with 640 x 480, 0.3 MPx resolution
Wireless Connectivity: 802.11 Wi-Fi with LAN and 2.4 GHz band support
Inputs: Nintendo 3DS/DS game card slot, SD memory cards, AC adapter, charging radle terminal, stereo headphone jack
Controls: D-Pad, A/B/X/Y face buttons, shoulder pads, start/select button, Slide Pad analog controls, built-in motion sensor, built-in gyroscope
Stylus: On top part of the lower hinge unit
Release date: TBA
Price: TBA
Another good read:
Nintendo 3DS Specs Comparison: 3DS vs PSP and iPhone 3GS
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