E3 2011: Nintendo 3DS New Lineup

I am hard-pressed to say that the Nintendo 3DS launch needs a "shot in the arm," since, quite frankly, the lineup has been pretty much DOA since the system launched.  Nintendo must know this too, since Reggie Fils-Aime came out to tout their new 3DS lineup first, and it looks like they're giving people what they want.

UPDATE: We've gotten our hands on some new titles and some assets, and we're happy to share them with you here!  We've added new details where appropriate, but, for the most part, Nintendo has only released the news that these titles exist -- nothing about release or other pertinent info. 

Hit the jump for all of the details and screen shots!  Animal Crossing 3DS, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Kirby Mass Attack, Luigi's Mansion 2, Mario Kart 3DS, and more!

Click to read more ...

3DS @ GDC - Nintendo's News Round-Up

In case you didn't know, the Game Developer's Conference is currently taking place this week in San Francisco.  Earlier this morning, Nintendo took center stage in the Moscone Center to give the developers, designers, press, and gaming professionals a sneak peek at what's in store for Nintendo and their recently-launched-in-Japan 3D handheld, the Nintendo 3DS.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata opened the keynote address, who emphasized the importance of content in the games industy, and then passed NoA President Reggie Fils-Aime to show the attendees what content they have in store:

NETFLIX SUPPORT ON THE 3DS

Joining the ranks of the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and a myriad of internet connected TVs, set tops, and handhelds, the Nintendo 3DS will be able to connect to Netflix's immensely-popular video streaming service later this summer.  Reggie says that "3D programming is on the way," implying that, when Netflix starts streaming 3D media, the 3DS will be able to accommodate.  Historically, handhelds (such as the iPhone and iPod Touch) have not counted toward Netflix's six-device limit; however, it is currently unknown whether the 3DS similarly applies.

NINTENDO PARTNERS WITH AT&T FOR ACCESS TO THOUSANDS OF WI-FI HOTSPOTS

Later this summer, a newly announced partnership between Nintendo and AT&T will give 3DS gamers access to the internet via AT&T's Wi-fi hotspots in restaurants, bookstores, and shopping plazas all across the country.  The 3DS's always-on SpotPass will connect to these hotspots automatically so that gamers can play online games and search the 3DS eShop for downloadable videos and game content.

THE NINTENDO eSHOP HOSTS NEW CONTENT

The eShop, accessible via Wi-fi on the Nintendo 3DS, will give gamers access to all kinds of downloadable content, including blasts from outside of Nintendo's past.  The eShop will host DSi Ware, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color games, in addition to Sega Game Gear and Turbografx-16 titles.  Nintendo is also going to offer "3D Classics" - classic titles given the 3D treatment - although no titles have been announced.

SUPER MARIO 3DS

In a move that surprises exactly zero people, Nintendo is bringing the red plumber to the new handheld in three glorious dimensions.  While no real details have been announced, Iwata said that the game is currently being worked on by the team behind Super Mario Galaxy, so I guess that means we can suspect some jumping, some stomping, and an awful lot of star chasing.

The Nintendo 3DS was released in Japan this past weekend, with a North American release to follow on March 27.

Nintendo Issues 3DS Warnings for Young Gamers

The system doesn't even comes out for until February, but Nintendo is taking a proactive step forward to prevent harming the vision of the young ones excited to get their sticky hands on Nintendo's latest handheld.

"Vision of children under the age of six has been said [to be in the] developmental stage," Nintendo posted on its site. According to the company, the 3DS "delivers 3D images with different left and right images, [which] has a potential impact on the growth of children's eyes."

The 3D effect can be adjusted by a slider, increasing of the decreasing the perceived depth or, in technical terms, the "3D-ness" of the image.  Nintendo will no doubt tell you to adjust the image to minimum preferred to prevent any type of damage that can occur (not that, in all likelihood, anything would occur anyway.)

Here's hoping that it won't be as annoying as the Virtual Boy's compuslory "GIVE YOUR EYES A REST!" warning that came up every so often while playing that red-eyed beast.

Nintendo 3DS Finalized Design, Specs, and Price

During the Nintendo Conference in Tokyo, the home that Mario built has finally unveiled the finalized retail design ... which doesn't look that different from its earlier design.

The 3DS, which will come in "Aqua Blue" and "Cosmos Black," will release in Japan on February 26, 2011 for a rather princely sum of ¥25,000 (~$300 USD.)  A month later, the handheld will be released in North America and Europe for an undisclosed amount.

The system will release with an AC adapter, a charging stand, a stylus, a 2GB SD card, and 6 cards for an alternate reality game that comes with the 3DS.

The full specification list follows:

Size

• 134x74x21mm

Weight

• 230g

Upper Screen

• 3.53 inches, wide screen with naked eye 3D support, 800x240 pixel resolution

Lower Screen

• 3.02 inches, 320x240 pixels

Camera

• One camera on the inside, two cameras on the outside. Each camera is 0.3 megapixels (640x480)

Wireless Communication

• 2.4GHz. Can exchange data with other 3DS units through Surechigai (Tag Mode). Can connect to the internet via wireless LAN access points (compatible with WPA/WPA2 IEEE802.11 security).

Inputs

• A/B/X/Y, D-pad, L/R, Start/Select, Slide Pad (360 degree analogue input), Touch Screen, Internal Mic, Camera, Motion Sensor, Gyro Sensor

Other Inputs

• 3D Volume (can smoothly adjust degree of 3D output), Home Button (for opening the Home menu), Wireless Switch (can turn off wireless even while in mid-game), Power Button

Connector

• Game Card Slot, SD Memory Card Slot, AC Adapter Connection, Charge Connection, Headphone Connection

Sound

• Stereo Speakers on the left and right of the top screen

Touch Pen

• Can be contracted. Max length 10cm

Battery

• Lithium Ion Battery

Game Card

• Nintendo 3DS exclusive game cards. Size is the same as DS cards. Max memory capacity will be 2 gigabytes at system launch

Enjoy 3D images with the naked eye on the top screen.
You can adjust the 3D volume to change the 3D feel, and can also make it 2D.

A stereo camera that can take 3D pictures
Includes 2 external cameras. When you take 3D pictures, they can be viewed on the spot.

New input interfaces
Slide Pad, Motion Sensor, Gyro Sensor

Itsunoma ni Tsuushin
When the 3DS is in sleep mode, the system will automatically seek out Nintendo Zone and wireless LAN access points and will grab information, game data, free games, videos and other things from the internet. The name, incidentally, translates to something along the lines of "Wireless Communication When You Weren't Expecting It."

Surechigai Tsuushin/Tag Mode
When the 3DS is in sleep mode, it will automatically exchange data with other 3DS systems. The system can transfer data from multiple games simultaneously.

Functionality For Use Without Leaving Games
Home Menu, Internet Browser, Notice List

A Variety of Software Built In
Nintendo 3DS Camera, Nintendo 3DS Sound, Mii Studio, Surechigai/Tag Mode Mii Plaza, AR Games, Omoide Kirokuchou (Memory Recording Notebook) and more

Download Sales of Games
In addition to buying games, you can view introductory videos and rankings

Transfer Over Software and Data
You'll be able to transfer your already purchased download software to 3DS. This includes DSi Ware games from DSi and DSi LL.

Backwards Compatible
In addition to playing games made for 3DS, the system can also play DSi and DS games.

Parental Controls
You can set play restrictions based off game ratings. You can also limit browser use and other areas. Parental Controls have been improved from the DSi versions.

Nintendo's Next Handheld Goes 3-Dimensional

Nintendo's already got a surprising number of machines in the pipeline as far as portable gaming goes:  DS, DS Lite, DSi, DSi XL.

Not content with just printing money, Nintendo announced today that they are going to be releasing the (tentatively named) Nintendo 3DS, which, according to the investor memo, will allow gamers to "enjoy 3D effects with the need for any special glasses."  The new handheld will also support backwards compatibility to DS and DSi games.

No need to check the calendar; it's not April 1st.

The company that Mario built promises many more details to come at this year's E3 and a release date sometime within the next fiscal year.  (The attentive will note that the "next fiscal year" for Nintendo actually begins in April 2010, but seeing as Nintendo will reveal "additional details at E3 show" in June, you probably shouldn't get your hopes up about seeing this any time soon.)

The sleuth and electrical engineer in me is trying to figure out what we can construe about the device from the scant details.  By being backwards compatible with DSi, we should be getting front-facing and rear-facing cameras.

Also, with a front-facing camera, it's possible to get 3 dimensions without using glasses using that awesome head tracking technique popularized a few years ago by Johnny Chung Lee.  From a display perspective, you can get 3D without glasses simply by adding a small mesh-like grating in front of the screen and manipulating parallax of the image (although I hope they don't do this because I have yet to see one that isn't distracting.)

Gizmodo is also reporting the possibility of accelerometers, 720p video, and a possible SIM card.  I have don't have a lot of faith in many of these being true, but then again... I wasn't exactly expecting this news to pop up in the first place.

We'll just have to keep an eye out for the official announcement in June.