3D technology is nothing new, it has been around in some form or another since the late 1890s. Yeah, shocked me as well when I realized that 3D viewing tech has been around for over a century. 3D isn’t even new to the world of video games as the SEGA Master System used glasses to achieve the 3D effect. So what sets the 3DS apart from everything else? Well hit the jump and I’ll be happy to let you know!
One of the greatest things about the 3DS is that the only thing required to achieve the 3D effect is the system itself. No glasses. No $3,000 televisions. It is going to be great to see what developers can do with 3D beyond floating damage bars. The best part of the whole deal is that  every single game will be made with 3D in mind, because every single system has the capability to display a 3D image. Giving this technology to a heap of creative developers is a very good thing.
Not everyone is so jazzed about all things 3D, despite all the buzz it has been getting as of late. Roger Ebert is one such person as he has a couple of good points on why 3D is actually a bad thing, one being that it can be a distraction to the viewer. He could be on to something there, as one study in the UK indicated that 12 percent of the population can’t see 3D images properly or found watching them uncomfortable.
I’m willing to take my chances. Nintendo has yet to let me down with a handheld yet, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt. I can’t wait for the handheld’s first proper Mario and Zelda games so Nintendo can show us exactly what we were missing without that third dimension.
i dont mind what people say , i already know i gonne love my 3ds , its a nintendo console you cant go wrong with that .
the first party titles are most of the times classics i dont want to miss them out.
I'm not sure yet if it will be just an addition, or a new way of playing. Think about it this way, "If gaming were cooking, we don't know yet if 3D is a spice, or the main ingredient." –DoA developer guy.
But I'm sure I'll love it.
the problem with 3D in the movie setting is that its 3D for the sake of 3D. it might be ok for action movies, but for dramas its useless. whereas in video games, it could be a characteristic used by the gamer to judge distance of objects. of course, whether that is really the case is up to the developer, but i think it could be more useful for games than movies. therefore comparing the movie experience, and video games in 3D is like comparing apples to oranges.
imagine for example an old 2D top down shooter game of xevious. then make a new version where you have depth in the z axis, and your vehicle can move in that axis. your enemies could be on different z planes, and move just like you. that would make the 3D functional in the game, as opposed to just the look of it.
on the other hand, this kind of 3D will no doubt be popular until true 3D, holographic gaming. the problem with this 3D obviously is its straining on the eyes because of the illusion its attempting to create.
I'm a fan of 3D since childhood when I had a View-Master and my parents had a stereopticon with a ton of reprinted vintage photos. A huge draw to the 3DS for me is stereoscopy, but I'm also psyched for the higher quality graphics (check out some gameplay videos and keep your DS visuals in mind) and the street pass / social features.
Come for the 3D, stay for the rest of the system.
movie-wise, i like 3D for movies like Piranha 3D (which was an amazingly good time), and not for movies like True Grit. I imagine the same case for games. Star Fox 3D yes, competitive fps multiplayer no (since it just sounds distracting).
(PSST! Eugene! You spelled third wrong!) I am definitely getting it, but not at launch. Mostly due to the face that I don't have the money yet, but there's only a couple of games that interest me, and I'd rather have a few games than just two. :/
3D in movies has two great uses:
1. Cheap gags (House of Wax, Magic Journeys, Captain EO, Honey I Shrunk the Audience)
2. Enhancing sense of place, heights, and textures (How to Train Your Dragon, Up, Avatar)
3D in gaming? The Toy Story Mania ride has proven that it can work incredibly well on a big scale. On a handheld? I'm expecting some genius ideas from Nintendo, and I really can't wait to see this thing in action for myself.
I'm actually surprised that the percentage of people who can't experience 3D comfortably or at all is so low; I'm sure the percentage of people who never play video games at all is higher.
I'm down on 3D, and not merely because I cannot see it. It is a gimmick that adds nothing to gameplay. It does nothing to expand the market the way Wii and DS did. How is it any different from the "better graphics" race that Nintendo has bowed out of this generation? If graphics don't matter, then why do 3d graphics matter?
I see Nintendo trying to push Sony out of the handheld space (unnecessary). I see Nintendo trying to combat smartphones and iPods (also unnecessary). I see Nintendo trying to deliver something that no one else can, but they USED TO DO THAT WITH THEIR GAMES. Nintendo is not a tech company, and trying to WOW us with amazing hardware seems to go against their usual procedure. Hardware facilitates software, but has there really been any software shown that utilizes 3D graphics in any interesting ways? All I've seen are ports and AR tech demos.
While I'm sure it will be profitable, the 3DS is not going to come close to the success of the DS or Wii. Frankly, I'm a bit confused about a lot the moves Nintendo has made these last couple years. I know they can't just do "more of the same", but I don't think 3DS is the answer.
Already got my 3DS preordered. I am definately getting this thing. I am syched. Just the prospect alone of better richer gamecube/Wii like graphics on a handheld is insentive enough to get it. Not to mention the adddition of virtual console later on. I never played Link's Awakening or Metroid II. I am sure those will be downloadable. 🙂
Bottom Line, the 3DS will rock our world!! 🙂
I don't know rdaneel72, The 3DS looks and sounds to be pretty impresive. Sometimes Successor trump their predecessors. Don't be surprised if 3DS surpasses the sales of the original DS. THis things has so much potential and can do a lot more.
Don't underestimate the power of Nintendo. 🙂
You will not fight, then you will meet your destiny. 🙂
@gamecollector44 thanks, I will try to keep the typos to a minimum.
@MatthewCase
I agree that the 3DS seems to be an amazing piece of technology. And that is the very reason I am concerned. Nintendo stepped out of the Nuclear Arms Race of bigger, faster, better graphics this past generation, and they had enormous success. The 3DS seems to be Nintendo stepping back into that race, impressive technology for technology's sake. Where are the games that use that impressive technology in some compelling way? The hot game for 3DS is a port of a 12-year-old Zelda game, with 3D (BETTER!!!!) graphics. Not compelling.
I repeat, if graphics don't matter, then why do 3D graphics matter? And if 3D graphics don't matter, then why spend $300 on a 3DS? The answer to that question is the games, not the tech.
Since 3D is optional on the 3DS I don't see lots of games having gameplay based on exclusively on 3D. I would bet money that it will take longer to figure out how to use the 3D in an innovative way in the 3DS than it took to figure out how to use the touch screen for the ds
rdaneel72, I understand what you're saying. But I still think we shouldn't write off the 3DS yet.
I think the 3D has great potential, but it'll only be as valuable as the developers make of it. For instance, everyone wondered what on earth the Wii remote's capabilities could do for gaming. And we've gotten a lot of games with silly waggle that feels tacked on and doesn't add a lot to the experience. On the other hand, you have games like Metroid Prime 3 which really utilize the full extent of the remote's pointing and gyroscopic functions in creative and intuitive ways.
So I think that creative developers will give us some surprising new experiences that would not have been possible on a traditional DS. But we'll get a lot of bunk that plays exactly like a DS game (with 3D tacked on) as well.