Nintendo 3DS

Here are some of the entries I received for the “Share Your Thoughts, Win a DS Game” contest. You can see the winning entry here

Zack

So Nintendo announced the development of their brand new handheld console the 3DS. My initial reaction to this was, why another one and why so soon. I didn’t understand why Nintendo would release information on the next DS after they just launched a XL variant of the DSi. The latest rumors show that it might even be released in October this year. I find it absolutely ridiculous. But I’ll show my input on the actual system its self instead of Nintendo’s lousy marketing plan.

So a DS with 3D technology, 3D technology that requires no glasses of any sort. Sounds pretty cool, but doesn’t seem practical. If I have a handheld device I am usually on the go, I don’t want a distraction of 3D immersion when on the move and outside. I mean if that is going to be the only improvement then I can’t think this will be a good product.

Now not a lot of information has actually been released so my opinion can definitely change. 3DS needs a overhaul in the graphical department and other functionality in order for it to seem worthy of a purchase for users. Otherwise this seems to be a Virtual Boy clone. Bad marketing and a gimmicky idea, I think I will have to shake my finger no at the big N this time. I hope my viewpoint on this changes, only time will tell.

Will

If the 3DS will look like “how it might look” it will be epic! 2 HD, 3D ready widesreen screens, with barely a gap, is just immense for something that you can fit in your hand. It took TV’s decades to develop from the big boxes they were, to the slim, HD, (and only recently) 3D ready units they are today, where as nintendo have done this in less than a decade, a few years even. Sony are in the making of 3D gamin on the ps3, but you’ll need the specs ( and it’s really awkward when you already wear glasses like me) and you’ll need a 3D TV (which are hugely expensive) yet nintendo have avoided all these and fitted in into a handheld console, once again they’ve changing the gaming world. 3DS forever!!

Jessika Amaya

I think that it will improve gaming systems even more to make them more lifelike. It sounds like it will actually make it feel like your actually in the game. Some good ideas for the Nintendo 3DS would be to make it compatable with other games, and have the user able to turn off and on the 3-D as they please and keep some of the other features from the DSi into the 3DS as in the camera and the internet connection. For some people it might really appeal to them that they can play their favorite game in 3-D. Also to make the games in 3-D would take some time yes, but comsumers can wait it out and in the mean time play old games like Mario Kart DS or Zelda: Legends of Time. The 3DS is a good improvement on the DSi since now it is in 3-D. When I can I myself will go out and buy a Nintendo 3DS.

Fahem Erfan

Well I kinda think this is a good idea more creative then the psp go and dsi xl this might be the idea of the century this sounds really good since all the 3d movies and tvs popping out all of a sudden hopefully they are going to make alot of money so nintendo makes really good games for us and maybe they might add flash player since the technology is get alot better since for example the ipod touch but I hope they bring back the gameboy backwards compatibly and maybe have old retro games in the dsi shop channel over all this might be a great system or a bad system we will have to wait till e3.

I recently asked readers of this blog to share their thoughts on the announcement of the Nintendo 3DS. I received around 30 entries. Thank you to everyone who took part. Over the next 2 weeks I will publish some more of the opinions that were sent in. For now though, you can read Brain’s winning entry (then maybe take a look at his Family Guy website). Enjoy.

Brian’s Thoughts

For as far back as I can remember, I’ve been a Nintendo fan. To this day, I have distant memories of blowing the dust from within my Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), before sticking in my copy of Super Mario Brothers 3, which was the only game I was ever fortunate enough to own for the system. Since those, my first gaming experiences, I’ve loyally stuck with Nintendo, even when my siblings and friends diverged into the worlds of Sega, Sony and Microsoft as the years went by.

The one area in which I believe Nintendo truly flourish is that of the handheld gaming system. Probably one of the most exciting moments of my gaming “career” was the day that Nintendo’s latest handheld was released; I bought my DS Phat on launch day and have played it virtually every day since. I recall, before it was released, how Nintendo stressed that it wouldn’t be a true Game Boy successor; that a sequel to the Advance was indeed on the horizon. It’s this recollection that I forced myself to remember when I saw the press release for Ninty’s newest frolic into the handheld video gaming industry: the 3DS.

On first impressions, I echoed what many misinformed readers are still complaining about. “A 5th DS!?!”; “Not ANOTHER DS???”; “The DSiXL is JUST coming out!” But no, like the original DS, this new console isn’t just another iteration of the current generation: it’s Nintendo’s first step into the next. Okay, so the current 3D movie craze may lead you to believe that it’s all just a fad, but let’s face it: when are Nintendo ever wrong? They’re the only original hardware developers still standing, and with very, very good reason. They’re setting new standards with every single thing they do, and the 3DS will be, I repeat, WILL be, no different. It’s going to be yet another winner of a console that, once E3 2010 rolls around, will have the palms of yours, mine and ours prematurely sweating.

Roll on the release of the 3DS, I say. Roll on Nintendo, and roll on the frustrated looks on the Sony and Microsoft executive faces as they scramble to produce something even half as innovative, now that Nintendo have, as usual, thought of it first.

Bookmark this page and check back for the latest news regarding Nintendo 3DS Release Dates

Europe – 10/10/10 (rumoured release date)
North America – Unknown
Australia – Unknown
Japan – Before March 2011 (confirmed by Nintendo)

See below for a table of previous international DS release dates and have a guess at when you think the console will come out in the UK. If you guess it right before any more announcements are made (and don’t say 10/10/10), you win… erm, £1.

21/04/2010 –Magazine Claims to know the Release Date

Well respected UK gaming magazine CVG claim to have been given some information from an inside source. They aren’t giving details but they say “UK industry sources” have informed them that the console is due for an October release. With this in mind Sunday 10/10/10 seems a likely date to chose.
Nintendo told CVG that the story was just “rumour and speculation”.

CVG is a fairly reliable source but the release date of 10/10/10 does seem quite early for a UK release date as all 4 previous DS consoles were released here around 3 – 5 months after the Japanese release.

24/03/2010 – Nintendo Set Vague Release Date

There is currently very little information on the release date of the 3DS. It was originally believed that the console was scheduled for a March 2011 release. Japanese newspaper Nikkei has since claimed that the 3DS will be released in the second half of 2010.

Neither of these dates have been stated as worldwide or Japan only dates. Nintendo may follow the trend from the last two years and release the new DS in Japan around November 2010, while western markets get it in the first quarter of the following year which could make both dates correct.

Possibly a leaked prototype from Nintendo.

In a recent Japanese poll of over 1000 people, only 9% responded saying they plan on buying an 3DS. This figure doesn’t really tell the full story though as 56% sensibly replied stating that they are interested but don’t currently want it, which is no surprise as the no one has seen the console yet. This puts the figure at 64% of those polled to be interested in the new console.

This is actually quite exciting for Nintendo when you take into account that of those surveyed, only 42% own a DS. To have 8% of a country want to buy your products without even seeing it is an impressive achievement. You can expect a big increase in those planning on buying a 3DS after it is unveiled.

Interest in 3DS before it has been shown to the public.

Developers of the Professor Layton series, Level 5 have announced a new game. The exciting thing is that it’s designed for a console that “does not yet exist”. There is a lot of speculation that the new title, Time Travelers, is being developed for the 3DS. Level 5 have made games recently for PSP and PS3 as well as DS games. That means the game could be released on any company’s new hardware but as Nintendo will probably be the first company with a major new console, the game will likely be released on that.

For now the only other information we have on the game is that the director of a critically acclaimed Japanese sound novel game called “428″ is working on it and this concept art:

Win Pokemon SoulSilver for you, and HeartGold for a Friend.

Update: Facebook no longer uses the word “Fan”, so when you visit Facebook, look for the word “Like” instead.

This is your opportunity to go Pokemon hunting in Johto with Pokemon SoulSilver. To make catching them all a bit easier for you, a friend of your choice will receive Pokemon HeartGold.

To enter, just follow the steps below by May 15.

Remember to suggest the Facebook page to your friends because if they win, they could chose you to receive Pokemon HeartGold.

How to Enter

Step 1: Go to the Nintendo 3DS Facebook Fan Page.

Step 2: Become a Fan.

Step 3: Invite your friends. The more that join, the better your chances of one of them winning and giving you the second prize.

The names for the fifth generation of Pokemon games has just been announced as Pokemon Black and White. To be clear, although there have been over 200 Pokemon games (well it feels like it), the main series is made up of just 4 5 generations:

Pokemon Red and Blue
Pokemon Gold and Silver
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
Pokemon Black and White

In each generation, 2 titles are released at the same time for example, the Gold and Silver edition. These are essentially the same game but feature different Pokemon. Several months later a enhanced remake is made of the two such as Pokemon Crystal which came out a year later. Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver were further remakes of Gold and Silver released in 2010. So Silver, Gold, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver are all pretty much the same game. Why does Nintendo make so many versions of the same game? Because people keep buying them. To be honest, there isn’t that much difference between the original 1996 Pokemon Red and 2009’s Pokemon Diamond. Out of 16 games, there isn’t much to separate them. And then there’s the spin offs….

Anyway, end of rant. Black and White are set for a Winter 2010 release, which is when the 3DS is released. It would make sense for Nintendo to make one of their biggest series as release titles for the new console.

First Black and white Pokémon unveiled.

We’re all eager to get our first look at the Nintendo 3DS but that won’t happen until the 17th of June at E3. Until then, this is the best guess I could make. It’s based on the current DSi along with the scraps of details Nintendo have provided and the rumours which come from reputable sources (mostly Japanese newspapers).

What the Nintendo 3DS could look like with the features listed below. Click to turn the 3D effect off.

The design is based on the following reputable rumours and facts:

• 2 Screens – It has “DS” in its name so probably still has dual screens.
• 3D screens – The Nintendo 3DS will feature 3D screens without the need for glasses.
• 3.4″ Screens – Sharp have been showing off their new 3.4 inch,  HD screens, which features a 2D and 3D setting, although they refuse to confirm who they are supplying with the screen.
• Wide HD Screen – The resolution of the new Sharp screen is 480 x 854 pixels. Standard DS has a resolution of 192 x 256 pixels.
• 3D stick – Japanese newspapers have reported the console will have a 3D stick.
• Closer Screens – The gap between the screens has been reduced.
• Force Feedback – A Japanese newspaper has reported that a rumble function will be included.
• Accelerometer – Reports have also been made that the system will detect motion and that it will be greatly improved over the feature found in iPhones.

Leave a comment, let me know what you think.

If, as many believe, Sharp’s new 3.4 inch 3D screens have been designed for the 3DS, this should give you an idea of what that high resolution of 854 x 480 pixels will look like.

This is only 60% of the 3DS's 854 x 480 pixels. Click the picture for full resolution.

You can compare that to the resolution of any of the previous DS series below.

DS, DS Lite, DSi and DSi XL all share this resolution, just 256 × 192 pixels

And here you can see how the screen sizes will compare. The lower screen is the standard DS size and the upper screen is the 3DS size and shape.

The wide aspect ratio of the 3DS compared with the standard DS's 4:3 aspect ratio.

Could it be that the reason for the release of the DSi XL wasn’t entirely just to sell a new console. It might be that it also gave Nintendo a reason to lower the price of its existing consoles without looking like it was needing to gain more sales

When a new games console is released, the old ones go down in price. That’s the way it always is. A new iteration of the DS series meant that Nintendo could drop the price of the DS Lite to levels which would be affordable to people that previously wouldn’t have bought it. If they had just dropped the DS Lite price without a new console release, there would be more speculation about Nintendo struggling to get new customers. Cleaver tactic.