Handheld games enter third dimension

12 April 2012

Nintendo today revealed the first 3D handheld games console.

Called the 3DS, the screen displays a three-dimensional picture without the player needing to wear special glasses. The 3DS console, being launched today in Amsterdam, will go on sale in Britain in March for around £230.

It has been hailed as the first mass-market 3D gadget, and also has a 3D camera, along with a built-in pedometer to count the steps owners take during fitness games.

It uses a "parallax barrier" LCD screen, with pixels aligned so that the left and right eyes see different portions of the image. When combined in the brain, the two views form a 3D image. The launch was being hosted by TV presenter and avid gamer Jonathan Ross, who had been given a preview of the console.

"What I can say about 3DS is that the 3D is far better than I would have thought possible without glasses," he tweeted. However, experts said Nintendo may face initial problems persuading consumers to buy it. "The biggest problem Nintendo is facing is that you can only really see how good it is in the flesh," said Stuart Dredge of Mobile Entertainment.

"Nobody quite knows how consumers will react, especially as 3D TV has been a little disappointing. It will all depend on the games - in the same way Avatar showed people that 3D in the cinema can be great, Nintendo need some killer games." Tom Wiggins of Stuff magazine said: "Given the massive success of the DSi, as long as Nintendo can keep the price of the 3DS down I think it'll be huge. The relatively fixed viewing angle means the glasses-free 3D effects look amazing.

"You just need to have one go to be hooked and there's every chance of it being a hit right up until Christmas."

No glasses needed... DS players are given reason to upgrade

Although 3D TV has failed to take the living room by storm, Nintendo's approach is very different, and potentially very lucrative. By developing a screen that doesn't require glasses, it has given the 3DS a good chance of becoming the first "real'" mass-market 3D gadget.

The depth of the 3D image is stunning, and gives a good sense of movement on such a relatively small screen. However, as Sky has found with 3D TV, some content works better than others, and much will depend on the games in Nintendo's launch line-up. Fast-paced racing and flying games best show off the technology.

3D really gives Nintendo a big advantage, and, crucially, gives its customers a good reason to upgrade.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in