Latest Technology News

Nintendo DS: 3D version on horizon

The Japanese firm Nintendo has discreetly announced the launch of a 3D Nintendo DS in Japan by March 2011.

The Nintendo DS “dual screen” console was first released in late 2004 in Japan and North America. At the time, it included many innovative features for a portable video game player, such as two screens, including one touch-screen, a microphone, two surround sound speakers, integrated Wi-Fi, etc.

The DS is the brand’s star product. As at 31st December 2009, it was the world’s second biggest-selling console with over 125 million sales, behind Sony’s PlayStation 2 with some 145 million, but outstripping the ever-present Game Boy, originally released in the late 80s, with 118 million units sold.

Company President Satoru Iwata revealed the news in a brief press release in March 2010. For the time being, only a few general details about the new console have been unveiled, and there is no image yet, as the 3D console is still at the embryonic stage. The only certainty about this future product is that special glasses will not be required: “Games can be enjoyed with 3D effects without the need for any special glasses.” The 3DS consoles will also be back-compatible with older DS and DSi games.

The technology to be used has not been revealed in detail, but some specialists have been suggesting possible options for the company. The first is that the 3D Nintendo DS (or “3DS”) will use the same technology as the Nintendo DSi, that is a sophisticated algorithm enabling a camera to constantly follow the user’s eye movement, in order to adjust the image and make it 3D. The system functions through the use of a particular material, not requiring any kind of filter for the screen. A second solution would be to project an LCD image through a filter adapted for the screen. However, this would be inconvenient for users, as they would have to constantly stay in the same position, without moving. Finally, the third possibility would be to achieve the effect of 3D depth by displaying one pixel per eye, via a piece of film dividing the screen. This solution is also not so convenient for users however, as they would only be able to perceive the 3D effects when directly facing the screen.

Nintendo’s launch of a 3D console constitutes its reaction to the launch of 3D for the PSP3, by its eternal rival PlayStation, and reflects the increasing intensity of the competitive environment. According to a survey published by Web Flurry, the US market leaders have been attacked by a new entrant, Apple with its iPhone, which grabbed 19% of the US market in 2009. Although Nintendo has lost 5%, the Japanese manufacturer remains the uncontested leader with a market share of 70%, overwhelming Sony, which has been more deeply affected by the new arrival, experiencing a drop in its market share from 20% to 11%.

Further information will be revealed by Nintendo at the annual video game convention E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), due to take place from 15 to 17 June in Los Angeles.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 at 8:46 PM and is filed under Top Technology News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.