Nintendo 3DS?

Expecting Nintendo DS2? Nintendo has followed Microsoft's naming convention and announced the Nintendo 3DS, making people think that this is the 3rd generation of the DS handheld, and the number 3 is always better than 2 right? So what makes this handheld "more better"?

Slated to be released in Nintendo's 2010 fiscal year (April 2010 - March 2011), the Nintendo 3DS will feature 3D gaming with Gamecube-level graphics.

Yeah. 3D TV's and 3D gaming (on TV consoles) are both on the way, while PC gamers have had 3D gaming for quite a while now. But for most of us, the Nintendo 3DS will be our first taste of 3D gaming.

How will this work?

Nintendo could go the obvious route and implement a 3D display that does not require glasses. However, this technology is still new and expensive. If Nintendo plans to release this within a year, I doubt they are enough 3DTV factories to churn out enough displays for the inevitable millions it would sell on launch day. Cost is another factor that Nintendo takes very seriously. Their consoles, whether handheld or not, has been targeting the family and casual gamers, so I doubt they will alienate them by pricing the 3DS too high.

The other alternative is an interesting one. Making use of the 3DS' (rumored) camera, the image on the screen would adjust to the player's perspective. It's kinda hard to describe, so I'll let the video explain.



This technique sounds really interesting to me, and seems like the kind of clever trick Nintendo would make use of. It's a clever software trick that does not need more hardware than what the DSi already has (2 cameras) and it's cheap (free?). Till we get further confirmation at this year's E3, I think this is the most likely solution.

Source:
Nintendo (pdf) via Kotaku.com