Nintendo is about to take a battering in the console wars with the addition of the Xbox Kinect and the Playstation Move, but in the handheld marketplace, they’re leading the way with the introduction of the Nintendo 3DS. With the slow burn of rumours about a PSP phone, they’re getting their latest development out to help them retain their place at the top of the handheld market.
The promo trailer’s a bit weird. I reckon it would have been a fair bit cooler if it hadn’t been so “businessmen being sucked into a children’s games console” heavy. I’m sick of seeing that old chestnut. What’s next, My Little Pony being advertised by Alan Suger riding the little blighters around Pony Land, or wherever My Little Ponies come from.
Anyway, the Nintendo 3DS will feature 3D gaming, but with a whole new feature; it can produce cinematic 3D effects without the need to wear 3D glasses. Through a process called auto-stereoscopy the 3DS will make the game jump out at you as you play.
All DS & DSi games will be compatible with the 3DS, so you’ll get to play all your old games on the new device, but there are also more than a few new 3DS games to get excited about. When I first saw the pictures of the upcoming Super Street Fighter 4 3D Edition and Pilotwings Resort, I thought they were for the Wii, but they’re not. They’re scheduled to come out on the 3DS with the console.
The Nintendo 3DS was released throughout Europe on 25th March 2011. However, as well as the 3D gaming, there is also 3D film playback functionality and 2 cameras for 3D photography. There will be a virtual console service with classic Game Boy games available too.
Weighing in at just 230g and with a 90 x 77mm screen, the Nintendo 3DS looks like it may be the smallest heavyweight in the games console market next year. With a long wait for the next generation games consoles, Nintendo might have gotten the timing just right for the 3DS.
