Nintendo Officially Reveals 3DS Handheld And Launch Lineup

It's true: Nintendo is entering the 3D world. With Sony already announcing that a number of future PlayStation 3 titles would support 3D, Nintendo has been quick to follow in order to keep pace. Microsoft is taking a slightly different route by focusing on mainstream tactics and a new all-body motion sensing technology, but we have to confess that taking 3D to the portable space makes a lot of sense. Not everyone will be eager to spend $2000+ on a new 3D HDTV, but spending a few hundred on a new portable handheld device is a lot easier to swallow for most.


The Nintendo 3DS will ship with a 3.53" top display and a 3.02" bottom touch screen. It's equipped with three cameras (two outer; one inner) which delivers the 3D effect and can also take 3D pictures. There's also a a motion sensor, a gyro sensor and even a Slide Pad that allows 360-degree analog input. The company's also working hard a bunch of new 3D titles; after all, what's a 3D game console without 3D games to go along with it? Another unique aspect of this is that no glasses will be required. Gamers will need to look fairly directly at the screen to "see the effect," but it's far better than having to wear glasses. There's also a D-Pad and an analog joystick, though the rest of the design looks familiar compared to the existing Nintendo DSi. Nintendo's also including Wi-Fi for online play, with downloadable content to come. Unfortunately, no price or release date has yet been mentioned, but the company would be crazy to wait until after the holidays to launch it.

At the E³ Expo today, Nintendo gave the world the first look at a portable system that lets people view games in 3D, without the need for special glasses. Nintendo also announced a substantial list of upcoming games for Nintendo 3DS, the Wii console and the Nintendo DS family of systems – a lineup that reads like a who’s who of some of the greatest franchises in video game history with a completely new look and feel.

“The additional dimension of depth in 3D makes it easier for players to judge distances while giving developers a new tool to create games and experiences that play with both height and depth,” said Nintendo video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who pioneered the fully rendered 3D video game world with Super Mario 64^™.

Nintendo 3DS comes with a 3.53-inch top screen and a 3.02-inch bottom touch screen. It has three cameras – one inner and two outer – to deliver the 3D effect and take 3D pictures. It includes a motion sensor, a gyro sensor and even a Slide Pad that allows 360-degree analog input. At the E³ Expo, Nintendo showed attendees a range of games and applications for Nintendo 3DS that reinvent some of the industry’s most beloved franchises. These include:

• Kid Icarus^™: Uprising, the long-awaited franchise follow-up to the NES^™ classic.
• Mario Kart^™, which shows off the potential of driving and tossing bananas in 3D.
• nintendogs^™ + cats, a new version of the best-selling nintendogs franchise that lets players interact even more with their virtual puppies – and kittens!
• PilotWings Resort^™, a flying simulation that lets players soar above Wuhu Island.
• Animal Crossing^™, a new installment of the charming community-building franchise.
• StarFox 64^™ 3D, a game that demonstrates the true distance and depth of outer space using Nintendo’s well-known franchise.
• Steel Diver^™, a new submarine-navigation game from Nintendo.
• Paper Mario^™, which brings paper-based 2D environments to life.

Nintendo 3DS also comes to market with the strongest third-party support of any video game system in Nintendo history. Games on display at the Nintendo booth at the E³ Expo include:

• DJ Hero^® 3D from Activision
• RESIDENT EVIL^® REVELATIONS from Capcom
• The Sims^™ 3 from Electronic Arts
• HIDEO KOJIMA’S METAL GEAR SOLID SNAKE EATER 3D “The Naked Sample” from Konami
• Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracles (name not final) from LEVEL-5
• RIDGE RACER^® (name not final) from Namco Bandai Games
• KINGDOM HEARTS franchise game from Square Enix
• DEAD OR ALIVE^® 3D (name not final) from Tecmo Koei Games
• SAMURAI WARRIORS^® 3D from Tecmo Koei Games
• Battle of Giants^™: Dinosaur Strike from Ubisoft
• Hollywood 61 (name not final) from Ubisoft

A sampling of other Nintendo 3DS games already in planning includes SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV 3D Edition (name not final) from Capcom; Madden NFL and FIFA Soccer games from Electronic Arts; CODENAME: Chocobo Racing^® 3D and a FINAL FANTASY ^® franchise game and from Square Enix; a NINJA GAIDEN^® (name not final) game from Tecmo Koei Games; Saint’s Row: Drive By from THQ; Assassin’s Creed^™Lost Legacy, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon^™ and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory^™ from Ubisoft; and a Batman game from Warner Bros. Additional games are in development by Atlus, AQ Interactive, Disney Interactive Studios, Harmonix, Hudson Soft, Majesco, Marvelous Entertainment, Rocket, SEGA, Takara Tommy and Take-Two Interactive.

Nintendo also announced a substantial slate of games on the way for its Wii console and Nintendo DS family of systems, with a list of characters and franchises that appeal to all types of gamers.

”If the video game industry had an All-Star team, Nintendo’s games would fill the starting lineup,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The combination of advanced interface and engaging game play broadens our appeal to all audiences. This is evidenced perfectly at the E³ Expo this year by the incredible new experience and controls that Wii MotionPlus brings to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.”