3DS Flip and Play Case - Blue Product Details

Released on 23/03/2011

• 3DS wasn't originally 3D

  The glasses-free 3D visuals of Nintendo forthcoming 3DS have been wowing critics and gamers alike ahead of the console March release, but an interview with Nintendo Hideki Konno a key figure in the development of the handheld reveals that it didn originally have that feature.

  "In 2008 [it] didn't have 3D visuals," Konno told Famitsu magazine. "They [Nintendo] have had a history of experimenting with 3D visuals. With this system, you could say the timing was just right for us. It was the right time to start thinking about using the latest in high-tech and try out glasses-free 3D."

  Konno also revealed that the console motion sensor was another late addition to the feature set, with Shigeru Miyamoto ultimately responsible for its inclusion. "We officially went with them just before E3 last year," he explained. "The boat had really left the port by that point the hardware team had the final specs and just had to work it all out. Then, in the midst of that, Miyamoto said his isn enough; we can really change things if there a gyro sensor in there.We had a prototype for the sensor already, so we got everyone together to try it out."

  A wise decision, we think; Nintendo 2DS doesn't quite have the same ring to it. The 3D- and gyro-enabled portable hits Japan this weekend and will be available across Europe on 25th March.

• 3DS sells like crazy in Japan

  No surprise here: Nintendo has a huge hit on its hands. The legendary company's new 3DS handheld console went on sale in Japan over the weekend and promptly sold by the bucketload.

  How big is a bucketload? In this case, it's 400,000 - count 'em - consoles, as Japanese gamers rushed to pick up the spangly new device, that sees Nintendo embracing the third dimension with an amazing 3D top screen to complement the good old touch screen below.

  With reports that queues stretched to over 750 people - thanks, Eurogamer - the initial shipment sold out almost immediately, with Nintendo seeming likely to shift 1.5 million units in Japan alone by the end of March.

  Figures are all right, of course, but what about us? Well, we'll be getting our hands on the 3DS on 25th March, which means the wait is almost over. Better yet, we'll be able to grab games like PilotWings Resort and Super Street Fighter IV on the same day, with Mario Kart and Zelda instalments hopefully arriving before the year is out.

  If Japan's proved one thing, though, it's that you should probably pre-order to avoid disappointment. This one's selling out on day one, we reckon.

• Nintendo 3DS sales reach 6.68 million

  Nintendo has expressed hope that sales of its 3DS console are back on track after reaching 6.68 million units at the end of September.

  Although the figure is below the company's expectations, it is ahead of the data for the device's predecessor the DS during the same period, reports MCV.

  Sales of the 3DS, which allows users to experience an innovative way of playing new and exciting games, increased during August as a result of a substantial price cut.

  Nintendo has also forecast strong sales during the festive period, with the reduced cost and an improved software line-up expected to attract customers.

  This comes after the Japanese technology firm announced the launch of a new coral pink 3DS console, created to mark the upcoming release of Nintendogs + Cats.

  Set to hit stores on November 18th, the new title will see the portable pooch accompanied by an adorable female friend to play with.

  Published: 04/11/2011

• GAME : 3DS update Round-up

  
  

  GAME : 3DS update Round-up

  If there's one thing the latest generation of consoles has taught us, it's that newly purchased gaming systems aren't the finished article when you first take them out of their shiny wrapping. Not to say they 're lacking anything fundamental, far from it in fact, but system updates now mean it's possible for platform holders like Nintendo to dramatically improve a console's functionality and boost the user experience post-launch.

  

  December's free 3DS system update is a prime example, introducing fresh game content, social features and hardware functionality to the console. Here, GAME runs you through all the major new additions.

  
  

  3D Filming!

  One of our favourite new features is the ability to make ten minute long 3D videos with just a few simple button presses. Icons on the 3DS touch screen allow you to select or fine-tune different recording features such as the 3D effect, altering the sharpness and brightness of your video, and choosing whether to film in regular colour, black and white or sepia. The quality of the recordings we've made so far is surprisingly good, although you obviously have to see them in person to get the full 3D effect.

  While the basic ability to record in 3D is a cool feature in itself, special praise is reserved for the three Trick Shot modes. Interval Shot takes still snaps at your choice of intervals, between every half a second and 60 seconds, before playing them in a rapid slideshow.

  Frame Pick, which essentially enables you to create stop-motion animations, is similar to Interval Shot except it lets you capture images of a physically manipulated object whenever you choose, creating the illusion of movement when the series of pictures is played as a continuous sequence.

  Meanwhile, Clip Link enables you to record various video segments which are then mashed together in the same video file. There's no doubt that budding animators and movie makers will spend a lot of time playing around with these simple to use but rewarding new video recording features.

  
  

  New Plaza updates

  The system update also introduces a range of new features for Mii Plaza, the place where 3DS owners can view the Mii characters they've met via StreetPass (which automatically swaps the Miis and gameplay profiles of players who pass each other on their travels). These include a follow-up to the free, in-built 3DS RPG-style game StreetPass Quest, and new 3D puzzles of famous Nintendo characters to complete by collecting pieces from other players.

  

  
  

  You now receive congratulatory messages in the Mii Plaza for achieving goals such as meeting a certain numbers of Miis or ones from different countries (which are displayed on a new StreetPass Map showing the locations of all the Miis you've encountered), or by working your way through StreetPass Quest 2. There are 78 accomplishments to get in total and a congratulatory message for each. They also unlock up to 35 different tunes to listen to in a new Mii Plaza Music Player.

  The new Puzzle Panel pieces we've collected so far are for Donkey Kong Country Returns and Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D. The puzzles themselves are larger than the originals, with 24 pieces to collect instead of 15, including four pink pieces which can only be collected via StreetPass (others can be purchased with Play Coins, a virtual currency accumulated by carrying your 3DS around with you like a pedometer).

  
  

  New Street Pass Quest

  StreetPass Quest 2, in which you control a team of fighters made up of your friends' Miis, challenges players to save three fictional family members kidnapped by slimy monsters and placed in separate cages. It contains branching paths as well as brand new enemies, and even lets players make parties of Miis to carry out team attacks using weapons or magic. The game also offers players the chance to collect a total of 57 hats for their Miis, compared to the original game's 16, but the title's only accessible if you've completed the first one twice.

  
  

  Download Demos

  Additionally, the 3DS system update paves the way for players to download demos of 3DS games, although none have been made available yet, as well as making it easier to browse and pay for games and content in the Nintendo eShop. Players can now transfer games purchased from the eShop, as well as account funds and save data including photographs and audio files, from one 3DS system to another too.

  
  

  Summary

  All in all, the 3DS system update is an impressive release, adding great new hardware functionality, amusing new game content and cool new social features. It has been almost nine months since release and our 3DS feels like a fresher piece of kit than ever before, all of which leaves us eagerly awaiting the next major system update.

  

  Published: 14/12/2011