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Like a patient coming out of Lasik, the future of 3-D technology is glasses-free. Nintendo is ready to ditch the dorky eyewear now, with its new 3-D portable gaming system, the 3DS.
Like popular Nintendo DS that came before it, the 3DS has two screens. The lower one is a touch screen designed for use with a stylus. The top screen however, produces a 3.5-inch 3-D image you can see with your naked eyeballs.
Nintendo’s 3-D technology works like most others. By showing each eye a slightly different image, it tricks your brain into seeing depth. Because it’s held directly in front of one’s face, the 3DS eschews one of the issues facing the proliferation of 3-D HDTV: The illusion only works from specific angles, making it all but impossible for a group to watch the same screen.
The result on the 3DS is striking on first use. But, more importantly, it’s also adjustable via a simple slider. You can make the effect more or less pronounced on the fly.
In addition to its graphical developments, the 3DS is also equipped with substantial improvements in gaming performance. The touch screen, microphone and buttons are now supplemented by an accelerometer and a gyroscope, bringing motion controls in, and giving Nintendo ammo against the mobile gaming onslaught coming from Apple.
Like with any device launch, the new hardware is accompanied by launch titles that run the gamut from compelling to, well, crappy. The list includes “Madden NFL 3DS,” “The Sims 3” and the brand’s staple “Nintendogs” among others. But, perhaps the game to best display the 3DS’s true strength is “Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition.” The action is fast, the graphics look incredible and it’s meant to be digested in bite-size chunks.
Several augmented reality games come built into the 3DS. By pointing the rear-facing camera at specially designed cards, users unlock 3-D games and animations. It’s not an entirely new concept, but Nintendo does it very well.
As with any 3-D device, you can’t help but wonder if it’ll bring about the headaches associated with the old red-and-blue 3-D glasses. So far, it hasn’t been a concern. The console has been on sale in Japan for more than a month without much complaint, and even the American Optometric Association has said that they don’t see any harmful effects if used “in moderation.” But, with possible plans for downloadable movies to be available on the 3DS, the long-term effects will be interesting to watch. Until then, it’s back to “Street Fighter IV.”