Nintendo Announces New 3D Handheld Game System Called 3DS, 23rd March 2010 (1up.com)
New platform does not require 3D glasses and is backwards compatible with the DS.
Though we've been hearing rumblings of a successor to the Nintendo DS for quite some time, this morning Nintendo finally officially announced its new handheld game system -- one that plays games in 3D.
Referred to as the Nintendo 3DS, the new handheld system will be capable of playing games in 3D without the need of any special glasses. Also, the 3DS will be backwards compatible with current Nintendo DS and DSi titles.
According to Nintendo, the company will reveal more details on the 3DS this June at E3 2010 (one can assume it'll likely be playable there). And as for any sort release timing, Nintendo states that the new system will release in Japan before March of next year (based on historical Nintendo handheld product releases we'd guess late this year for Japan and sometime next spring in the U.S.).
Interestingly, this isn't the first time Nintendo has experimented with 3D in a handheld -- the failed Virtual Boy, released back in 1995, allowed people to look into a device similar to a head mounted display that created the illusion of 3D depth. Its monochromatic visuals ended up largely failing to impress, and the system itself came with the warning that it could be damaging to eyes. Let's easily assume Nintendo has learned a lot from those days.
Also interesting were recent statements made by Ignition's Shane Bettenhausen in which he claimed that Sony's new handheld platform, also rumored to be shown at this upcoming E3, will be very similar to what Nintendo is planning. "The two products will be very competitive," he said. "The DS and PSP both existed in completely different sides sides [of the spectrum]," he said. "If those two put out similar products at the same time, it really evens the playing field." Is this a strong hint that Sony's next handheld will also offer 3D?
In other Nintendo handheld news, the latest iteration of the Nintendo DS, the plus size DSi XL, hits the U.S. on March 28th. We were sent a gigantic sandwich to celebrate.
1UP artist mock-up, not an actual 3DS