On March 27, Nintendo will enable portable entertainment in 3D without the need for special glasses with the release of the Nintendo 3DS system. The system will be available in a choice of Cosmo Black or Aqua Blue at a suggested retail price of $249.99. “Nintendo 3DS is a category of one–the experience simply doesn’t exist anywhere else,” says Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. “You have to see Nintendo 3DS to believe it. And it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before.”
Nintendo 3DS sports two screens: The bottom touch screen makes use of a telescoping stylus stored in the unit; the top screen displays 3D visuals to the naked eye.
“Looking at the screen is like peering through a window into a world where characters and objects have true depth,” says a representative. The system’s 3D Depth Slider enables players to select the level of 3D they prefer, whether increasing it to the highest level, scaling back to a moderate setting, or turning it off completely.
Nintendo 3DS adds a Circle Pad to provide the 360 degrees of freedom and precision necessary to play games in 3D worlds.
Additional features include : aA built-in motion sensor and gyro sensor, a StreetPass feature capable of exchanging game information with other Nintendo 3DS systems, a SpotPass feature for connecting to compatible public hotspots and through a wireless broadband Internet connection, and a variety of pre-loaded games, applications, and features, such as Nintendo 3DS Camera.
Nintendo 3DS has three cameras: One camera points at the user, while two additional cameras point outward. These two outer cameras take photos in 3D.
Nintendo 3DS in Sleep Mode can act as a pedometer, letting users earn Play Coins for the steps they take; users can trade Play Coins for additional content. Nintendo 3DS Sound enables users to enjoy sound-manipulation tools while listening to MP3 or AAC music files.
Nintendo 3DS comes with six augmented-reality (AR) cards. When the two outer cameras are pointed at the cards, they read the cards and superimpose images and animations onto the scene. Developers can also use this technology to add creative experiences to their games.
During the launch window, between March 27 and the E3 Expo in early June, more than 30 games will be available to Nintendo 3DS owners. These include Nintendo-created games, such as Pilotwings Resort, which has players soaring acrobatically over iconic Wuhu Island; nintendogs + cats, a new version of the Nintendo DS classic with a feline enhancement; and Steel Diver, a side-scrolling submarine adventure that gives the illusion that the player is peering into an aquarium. Other Nintendo 3DS games in the works include : The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Star Fox 64 3D, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and new installments in the Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, and Paper Mario series.
Nintendo 3DS also has strong third-party support. A partial list of titles coming soon to Nintendo 3DS includes” Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked from Atlus; Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D from Capcom; Madden NFL Football from EA SPORTS; The Sims 3 from Electronic Arts; Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D from Konami; LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars from LucasArts; Ridge Racer 3D and Dual Pen Sports from Namco Bandai Games America Inc.; Super Monkey Ball 3D, Thor: God of Thunder and CRUSH 3D from SEGA; BUST-A-MOVE UNIVERSE from Square Enix, Inc.; Samurai Warriors Chronicles and Dead or Alive Dimensions from Tecmo Koei America Corp.; and Asphalt 3D, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Shadow Wars, Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3D, Rayman 3D, and Rabbids Travel in Time from Ubisoft.