Nintendo Europe president Satoru Shibata and Jonathan Ross at the 3DS preview event
Stereoscopic 3D may finally be poised to shed its image as an expensive curiosity thanks to the imminent arrival of Nintendo's 3DS, a handheldgames console with a 3D screen that does not require glasses.
At an Amsterdam event today, hosted by Jonathan Ross, Nintendo announced that the 3DS will reach UK shops on 25 March, priced between £219 and £229. That may sound a hefty for a handheld console, but the 3DS has potential to be a game-changer.
As well as running 3D takes on some of the best-loved games franchises, it will take photographs in 3D, run 3D video, let users engage in proximity-based social networking and could bring augmented reality(AR) to the mainstream. Some industry experts are describing it as a contender for must-have gadget of the year.
Gamers will find its charms hard to resist, despite the high price – partly explained by a 3D screen that is essentially one screen on top of another, and the use of the most powerful graphics chip ever fitted to a Nintendo handheld console.
Nintendo said that, between the launch and June, 25 3DS games will go on sale. These will include favourite franchises such as Pro Evolution Soccer, Nintendogs (this time including cats), Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Driver, Ridge Racer, Splinter Cell, The Legend of Zelda and Super Street Fighter.
Yves Guillemot, the president of the games publisher Ubisoft, admitted that many 3DS games will be pricier than existing DS games (which typically cost £29.99), but not all. "It depends on how big your game is," he said. "For the small ones, they will be the same as the DS. But if you go with lots of video, then the cartridges will need more storage so the games will become more expensive."
Price issues notwithstanding, Guillemot added: "We expect it will sell a lot faster than the DS, because the DS brought a number of new customers to the industry, like young girls who had not played before and older people via games like Dr Kawashima's Brain Training, and they will want the 3DS."
Concerns have been raised that very young children playing on the console could develop eyesight issues due to their sight not being fully formed. David Yarnton, the managing director of Nintendo UK, said: "We recommend that for under-six-year-olds, it's not advisable to play in 3D.
"With any product, when you're looking at a screen on a prolonged basis, you should have a break. And there's a parental lock, so parents can force it to play in 2D."
The console will also come with a number of AR cards which, when photographed, will activate mini-games.
Yarnton believes "it will be our most successful launch ever".
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