I sure wish this was some kind of early April Fool’s joke, but apparently it’s not.
Nintendo of Japan has announced its next portable gaming system — a true successor to the DS family, not another redesign like the Lite, DSi or DSi XL — called the 3DS (name isn’t final). The device, which is due for release by the end of March 2011, won’t be fully unveiled until E3 in June, but in this PDF letter released to press today Nintendo confirms that the 3DS will feature 3D technology that doesn’t require those silly red and blue glasses. It will also be backwards compatible with all DS and DSi software.
Recent rumors have also suggested that the next DS will come equipped with a motion sensor, which Kotaku shows has already been used to create 3D graphics on the iPhone. There’s also a Japanese DSiWare game that uses the DSi’s built-in camera to generate a 3D effect. So the technology is already out there. The effect looks slick in both instances too, but it’s not something I would want as a standard feature in every game.
Personally, I’m no fan of the whole 3D gimmick (and never have been), and only see it as being more gimmicky on a portable device. I’m also getting a bit tired of Nintendo releasing a new DS hardware configuration every single year. Hell, the DSi XL is only just coming out and its successor is only a year away — why would anyone buy it now?
I’m sure there is plenty more to the 3DS that will make it a worthy successor to the DS, and I look forward to seeing what that “more” is at E3. I remain skeptical of the idea of portable 3D gaming for the time being, but it’d be foolish of me to pass judgment when so little has been announced, so I’ll wait to see what the thing actually looks like first.
What do you think?
Image Source: Games Asylum
Matt Litten is the full-time editor and owner of VGBlogger.com. He is responsible for maintaining the day to day operation of the site, editing all staff content before it is published, and contributing regular news, reviews, previews and other articles.
Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com. After a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez, Matt assumed full ownership over VGBlogger, and to this day he is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere.
Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary! 
Heh, considering I just preordered a DSi XL today the news is a little upsetting. But the XL will be my first DS (came late to the party) so I don’t mind terribly, plus I used gift cards. I would think that a portable 3D device would suffer from the small screen sizes or end up underwhelming as well.
Ouch, sorry to hear that. I’ve really become weary of the whole portable market right now. Seems like every year Nintendo, Sony and Apple are putting out new editions of the DS, PSP and iPod/iPhone, and I always feel compelled to upgrade, but never do because I know there’s just going to be another one. That’s why I’m still on my launch day PSP-1000 and my 3rd gen iPod! I’d probably still have my old DS fat too, but I was fortunate enough to get a DS Lite from Nintendo when it first came out.
No worries, the the DSi XL endded up only costing me $1.39 after gift cards and reward points. I finally picked one up to play the old Dragon Quest/Warrior games and eventually DQ9. I still play my PSP-1000 as well.