Nintendo 3DS handheld announced, more news at E3
Posted by Joystiq Mar 23 2010 08:44 GMT in Nintendo News
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A press release on Nintendo's Japanese website appears to confirm the company's next handheld console, temporarily named the "Nintendo 3DS," and said to include hardware and software that will enable "3D effects" without the need for special glasses. The console is stated to be backwards compatible with DS and DSi games and is expected to go on sale (in Japan, presumably) "during the fiscal year ending March 2011" -- so within the next year. The press release has no pictures or other information, and save for the fact that it appears as a file on Nintendo's website, there's no other official word about the new hardware.

There are a few dots to connect, however: 3D gaming is on the rise, and a few other companies have also experimented with head tracking as a way to implement 3D effects. Nintendo's own Satoru Iwata hasn't been impressed with 3D gaming in the past, but his issue is with the glasses, not the technology. "I have doubts whether people will be wearing glasses to play games at home," he said recently. We've also heard that the next handheld would have a "movement sensor" of some kind, so if Nintendo really has designed a head-tracking 3D solution, then maybe the console is ready to go. The press release, which you can read after the break in full, says we'll see more at E3, so stay tuned.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Source -- Nintendo (PDF)

Replies:

next year huh? Maybe I should sell my DSi now
Reply by Francis Mar 23 2010 14:01 GMT
Aw shit.
Reply by Flar3 Mar 23 2010 14:19 GMT
more like E3D mirite?
Reply by ©na Mar 23 2010 17:48 GMT
Sounds awesome but what will happen to all the 2D games? D;
Reply by MM Mar 23 2010 18:26 GMT
hurr
Reply by Fallen Shade Mar 23 2010 19:40 GMT

I'm still content with my clunky orriginal DS.

Reply by DarkBlueAce Mar 23 2010 19:54 GMT
Am I the only one who would prefer it if 3D just died?
Reply by Popple Mar 23 2010 20:15 GMT
this is the 5th ds
Reply by Nastasia Mar 23 2010 20:34 GMT
Yes but this one isn't a remake and is the real successor.
Reply by MM Mar 23 2010 20:39 GMT
Who the *crag* cares if it has 3d, it's still another ds
Reply by Nastasia Mar 23 2010 20:43 GMT
That's like saying an Xbox 360 is still another Xbox.
Reply by MM Mar 23 2010 20:51 GMT
the xbox has nothing to do with this, nintendo doesn't usually release the same *crag*ing handhelds with the same name and same basic concept with only a few minor changes.
Reply by Nastasia Mar 23 2010 21:03 GMT
3DS is to DS as GBA is to GameBoy.
Reply by Francis Mar 23 2010 21:14 GMT
what Francis said
Reply by MM Mar 23 2010 21:31 GMT
Yeah this isn't just a re-iteration of the same handheld, this is THE NEXT GENERAAAAAAAATIOOOOON
It's like the current gen just started yesterday
Reply by Lord Crump Mar 24 2010 01:34 GMT
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