A glance at 3DS

Seems that there's a lot of talk about the next handheld coming to town after PSP Go, DSi, and all the other minor tweaks made to PSP and DSi.

Nintendo's 3DS, from a glance, looks like the next big thing in town. It's probably going to be rather expensive, but if you consider the specifications, it might really be worth every cent. In fact, I'm amazed how Nintendo managed to pull this console off.

Here are the specs:

Size (when closed):

Approximately 134mm wide, 74mm long, 21mm inches thick.

Weight:
230g.

Top Screen:
3.53-inch widescreen LCD display, enabling 3D view without the need for special glasses; with 800×240 pixel resolution (400 pixels are allocated for each eye to enable 3D viewing).

Touch Screen:
3.02-inch LCD with 320×240 pixel resolution with a touch screen.

Cameras:
One inner camera and two outer cameras with 640×480 (0.3 Mega) pixel resolution.

Nintendo 3DS Game Card:
2 GB max at launch.

Wireless Communication:
Can communicate in the 2.4 GHz band. Multiple Nintendo 3DS systems can connect via a local wireless connection to let users communicate or enjoy competitive game play. Systems also can connect to LAN access points to access the Internet and allow people to enjoy games with others.

Will support IEEE 802.11 with enhanced security (WPA/WPA2). Nintendo 3DS hardware is designed so that even when not in use, it can automatically exchange data with other Nintendo 3DS systems or receive data via the Internet while in sleep mode.

Game Controls:
Touch screen, embedded microphone, A/B/X/Y face buttons, + Control Pad, L/R buttons, Start and Select buttons, “Slide Pad” that allows 360-degree analog input, one inner camera, two outer cameras, motion sensor and a gyro sensor.

Other Input Controls:
3D Depth Slider to adjust level of 3D effect (can be scaled back or turned off completely depending on the preference of the user), Home button to call system function, Wireless switch to turn off wireless communications (even during game play), Power button. The telescoping stylus is approximately 4 inches when fully extended.

Input/Output:
A port that accepts both Nintendo 3DS game cards and game cards for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems, an SD memory card slot, an AC adapter connector, a charging cradle terminal and a stereo headphone output jack.

Sound:
Stereo speakers positioned to the left and right of the top screen.

Battery:
Lithium ion battery, details TBA.

Thickness is slightly thicker than the PSP. Length seems a bit long I think. Overall, it might fit into a pocket, though I doubt it will be like the DS lite.

The screen is the main selling point. The ability of displaying 3D view without the use of special glasses. This is simply sick. There's even a depth slider to adjust how '3D-ish' you want it to be. Also I heard the power of the system is almost as good as a GameCube (ie better than PS2 graphics).

I wonder how Sony is going to respond to this. They'd better do something better than just introducing touch screen to the PSP.

I hope 3DS doesn't trip and fall on release. If Nintendo fully deliver what is expected of the system, it's going to be one tough handheld to beat. It's set to release by March 2011, but as of now there are around 60 games announced for its release inclusive of: 'SSFIV 3D Edition', 'Snake Eater 3D Edition', a SRW game (name not finalized), Gundam game (name not finalized), and of course the usual Mario and Zelda games. It seems that almost every company wants a share in this 3D phenomenon.