Nintendo Delays 3DS Launch
If you’ve been waiting for the new Nintendo 3DS to hit store shelves, you will have to wait a little longer. Nintendo has delayed the release of its new portable gaming device in the US from fall of 2010 until March 2011. (It will come out first in Japan on February 26, 2011.) The new edition of the popular portable Nintendo system will have 3 dimensional game play that does not require special 3D glasses to utilize.
Miis Integration and 3D Camera Capabilities
The device features a slider which adjusts the intensity of the 3D effects. One can also use the device to take 3D pictures with two of the three cameras that are built into the machine. Another advantage of the 3D cameras in the Nintendo 3DS is that one can create their “Mii” avatar more easily by taking a picture and having it automatically generate the avatar which can then be edited as desired.
The device has a 3.5 inch widescreen on the top, for which the 3D options are available, and a second touch only screen similar to that of the current models. Also like earlier versions of the Nintendo 3DS, the devices can interact with one another wirelessly via a local wireless connection to communicate with other users and challenge them to compete in popular games. This new model will additionally be able to access the Internet and receive data from the Internet, even in sleep mode. As if that isn’t enough, the Nintendo 3DS will also feature 3D movie playback.
Oh, and one last gadget unique to the Nintendo 3DS, is a built in pedometer that tracks how much the owner has walked that day. In today’s world of fitness, the popularity of which was seen in the gaming world by the Wii Fit, this pedometer should be an eye-catching feature.
Do the Features of the Nintendo 3DS Outweigh the Cost?
And how much can you expect to pay for this technology? The company says that it will be charging the equivalent of about $300 for the system in Japan (the US price is yet to be released.) Prior versions of the Nintendo DS have sold at retail for between $129 and $169 on average. The price of the Nintendo 3DS in the US, though not yet released, is expected to be a little lower than the price in Japan, as seen in prices of other gaming systems set out by Nintendo in Japan and the US.
Charging Base, Automatic Updates Via WI-FI, and a Load of Original Games, Sets the 3DS Apart from it's Competitors
Games that will be released for the Nintendo 3DS include Mario Kart 3DS, Super Monkey Ball, Dead or Alive, Splinter Cell 3D, and Nintendogs + cats. But don’t trade in all your old games, the console will also feature backward compatibility to the Nintendo DS series systems including the Nintendo DSi.
And for those of you concerned with the appearance of the new Nintendo 3DS console, the device is set to release in both aqua blue and cosmo black, with later models coming out in colors such as red, purple, and bronze/orange.
Satoru Iwata, the current president and CEO of Nintendo, revealed in September of 2010, that the Nintendo 3DS will use up its battery faster than the older Nintendo DS models. The Nintendo 3DS will, however, come equipped with a charging base for the house, to help aid in the more frequently needed chargings.
The Nintendo 3DS is expected to be more popular than other 3D gaming systems for a few reasons. This device will be the first system to achieve 3D graphics without the need of bulky 3D glasses. Original games for the Nintendo 3DS are going to be more readily available than for other comparative systems, with many games already slated to come out with 3D versions. Another benefit of Nintendo’s 3D portable gaming system, is that there will be automatic updates available for the games via the WI-FI connection in the gadget. The Nintendo 3DS will also come preloaded with software including AR Games, a state of the art program incorporating augmented reality.
Nintendo is predicting that sales of the Nintendo 3DS will be as amazing as its new features. The company expects to sell four million units in the first month alone! Overall, the device looks to be a futuristic game system that will make Sony think twice about their competing PSP console.
