The 'No Dumb Glasses Required' Nintendo 3D DS Games Console

newsguy 1 685 Views

Now that's cool. Nintendo has confirmed via a press release that it is set to release a brand new DS portable video game console, complete with 3D capability but without the need to look like a total dork and wear those silly glasses. Unfortunately though the Nintendo 3DS, how did they come up with that name, will not be released in time for Xmas it would seem. Likely timeframe is 'before the end of March 2011' which is a bit of a shame if you ask me.

Here's what the Nintendo press release, translated from the Japanese so excuse me for any errors, has to say about the 3DS:

Nintendo will launch the Nintendo 3DS during the fiscal year ending March 2011, allowing games to be enjoyed with 3D effects but without the need of any special glasses. The Nintendo 3DS is going to be the new portable game machine that succeeds the Nintendo DS Series, which has cumulative consolidated sales of 125 million units as at the end of December 2009. It will include backward software compatibility, including games for the Nintendo DS and DSi. We are planning to announce additional details at E3 show, which is scheduled to be held from June 15, 2010 at Los Angeles.

Are there any Nintendo games developers on DaniWeb who, without breaking the NDA, are able to shed some more light on how the console will work with regards to the 3D effects? Engadget is reporting that the 3DS will likely use the Sharp 'parallax barrier' LCD as seen on some Japanese smartphones already.

Now, what about the games? Anyone care to guess at the best 3D games for a portable console, dual screen, Nintendo format? Oh, not forgetting of course, if this will point the way for a 3D version of the Wii soon.

Dani AI

Generated

Good catch, — and fair point, . A concise follow‑up for anyone landing here years later: Nintendo did ship the 3DS in early 2011, and the upper display is an autostereoscopic panel (800×240 overall, 400×240 per eye) with a user 3D‑depth slider built into the hardware. (en.wikipedia.org)

How the glasses‑free effect actually works, and what that means for games: the common approach is a parallax‑barrier / autostereoscopic arrangement that directs different pixels to each eye so the brain perceives depth. The benefit is no glasses; the tradeoffs are real — per‑eye effective resolution is lower, brightness and backlight demands rise, there’s a limited “sweet spot” and visible crosstalk/ghosting at some angles. Reviewers noted these practical limits at launch. (en.wikipedia.org)

Practical implications for developers and designers: rendering stereoscopic views either doubles rendering work or forces “2D+depth” approximations, so profile performance early and choose an approach that fits your engine and GPU budget. Keep critical UI/HUD elements at the screen plane (zero parallax), use modest binocular disparities for gameplay objects, avoid rapid camera shakes that break stereo fusion, and provide an easy way to turn 3D off. The visual discomfort people report with extreme parallax is well studied — follow comfortable disparity rules and test on real hardware at the expected viewing distance. (gamedeveloper.com)

Quick checklist to apply now (prototype → polish): 1) run A/B playtests with 3D on/off; 2) measure FPS and fillrate cost for dual views; 3) lock HUD to screen depth and limit maximum forward/back parallax (use the “percentage rule” from stereo cinematography as a starting point); 4) include accessibility/parental options and default conservative 3D levels. These steps give the best chance that 3D adds clarity and gameplay value instead of causing headaches. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

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tech-kay 0 Newbie Poster

Nintendo, you never cease to amaze me. :)

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