Nintendo 3DS
Even though the next Nintendo gaming console, the Wii 2, is a few years away, Nintendo has been pushing the limits with current technology in other ways. For example, the Nintendo 3DS.
The Nintendo 3DS, or 3DS, is a portable game console. It was first released in the US on March 27, 2011. It is the newest addiction to the DS line and offers backwards compatibility to all DS software, including DSi.
The first unveiling of the 3DS came in the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2010. When it was released in the US, 3DS sales were the largest of any Nintendo handheld device. The 400,000 allotment in Japan was sold out on its release day.
Before the 3DS, Nintendo worked for approximately 20 years to figure out a way to make 3D gaming accessible to the public—without the use of glasses. The 3DS was their first example of the next technology, using autostereoscopy.
The 3DS sports a custom PICA200 graphics processor and sports two screens. A slider on the side allows the user to determine how 3D the visuals go. With two cameras on the outside of the device, the user can take photos in 3D and 2D video. The games use flash memory.
Currently the Nintendo 3DS is priced at $249.99 in the US, it allows for messaging, backwards compatibility, an internet browser, and more.
Since children under the age of six should not play 3DS in 3D mode (it is slightly possible to damage their vision) there is a parental PIN which allows parents to disable 3D imaging.
