Nintendo 3DS ditches the glasses
The big push in 3DTV has been to figure out how to achieve 3D effects without glasses. In June, Nintendo brought forward its own two cents on the subject: the new Nintendo 3DS, which can produce a stereoscopic 3D effect without requiring glasses. There’s a slider at the top where players can vary the level of the 3D effect to the point of eliminating it completely. People upgrading to the system will be able to play all DS and DSi games, and there will also be a slot for an SD memory card. There’s no firm release date set, but it’s expected before April 2011.Some Japanese developers have already gotten their hands on software development kits for the system, most notably Nintendo stalwart The Pokemon Company. In February, one unnamed source has said that the 3DS will have a “tilt” function similar to the iPhone. The system also has a Slide Pad analog input for the first time, an accelerometer, and a gyroscope currently confirmed. Nintendo also has deals with Warner Bros., Disney, and Dreamworks to bring 3D movies to the system.There’s no mention on what movies will start things off, but trailers for How to Train Your Dragon, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole, and Tangled were shown at E3. Games announced currently include new titles in the Kid Icarus, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and Metal Gear Solid series. Fans can also expect to see Batman, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, DJ Hero, and Star Fox appearing on the system.The Nintendo DSi is still relatively new (released April 5, 2009), but the addition of 3D gameplay should make this an automatic upgrade for most Nintendo DS fans. It should also entice new players over to see what all the fuss is about. The official release date and price will be announced on September 29th, so start getting excited now.