Nintendo is about to make 3D glasses a thing of the past.
At midnight tonight, the gaming giant will unleash its latest handheld device, which comes with a three-dimensional screen that can play both video games and movies.
The $250 Nintendo 3DS will become both the first 3D video game system and the first 3D device to not need the kind of glasses that are familiar features of 3D movies and TV.
Excited gaming fans were already lined up yesterday at the Best Buy in Union Square, the headquarters for the North American launch event starting at 9 p.m. tonight.
“Nintendo always makes great innovative systems and games,” said Isaiah-Triforce Johnson, 28, a professional videogamer from Brooklyn who was first in line, and said he was there since Monday. “I want to be able to experience that innovation that Nintendo makes.”
Demos at the Best Buy yesterday impressed some young aficionados.
“It was good,” said Turik John, 11, of Manhattan. “It was pretty cool to see the transition between normal and 3D.”
The 3DS looks a lot like an old Nintendo DS, with a folding, “clamshell” body and two screens. But one of the screens is capable of displaying games that have 3D depth, like looking through a window.
The device also has two cameras that can take 3D photos that can be stored in a 2-gigabyte memory card. Another popular feature is the ability to download 3D movies from Netflix. They can be watched without glasses.
The game’s 3D does have some drawbacks.
Nintendo warned that kids age 6 and under shouldn’t use the 3D because it can cause eye problems. It also has been known to make some users sick and even go into seizures. To combat this, Nintendo has put a sliding control that can adjust the degree of 3D. All the games can be played in 2D.
Some gamers also complained yesterday that the 3D could be hard to see if you didn’t hold the device right in front of you and between 10 and 14 inches from your eyes.
“It’s cool. The new technology it’s emersive,” said Brian Ephraim, 31, a Web designer from Manhattan. “But if you hold it at an improper angle, it looks strange.”
Cameras
Dual cameras can take 3D photos that can be displayed on the screen and saved on a 2-gigabyte memory card.
A third camera can take pictures of the user, which can be transposed into games.
3D Screen
First 3D-capable gaming screen — with no glasses required and with “intensity” controls. Can also play games in 2D.
Movies
Device can stream 3D movies from Netflix, if user is a subscriber. An Internet browser is included.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi device can locate other nearby Nintendo 3DS systems, and users can play with each other.
Downloads
Memory card and Wi-Fi can also be used to download music and games.
Graphics
Special cards can create 3D game graphics on the screen with real world areas (like a tabletop) as the background.
Prizes
It has a pedometer that can give the user virtual “coins” for walking around that can be used to get prizes in games.