- 1. Nintendo 3DS: The PSP’s Death Knell
- 2. Nintendo 3DS Images
1. Nintendo 3DS: The PSP’s Death Knell
At E3, Nintendo revealed one of the worst-kept secrets in gaming: the 3DS. Read on for the full spec rundown. What does this mean for Nintendo and Sony?
The general consensus among game industry-watchers at E3 is that Nintendo presented the best press conference among the “big three,” leaving Microsoft and Sony in the dust. While Microsoft made waves by giving everyone who attended the company's conference a free new Xbox 360 Slim and Sony got attention with its homegrown character Kevin Butler, the healthy library of new games from the House That Mario Built put Nintendo over the top.
Nintendo also formally presented its new portable gaming console, the 3DS.The 3DS represents the truly major handheld upgrade from Nintendo since the original DS launched back in 2004. In a 12 month period that has been absolutely dominated by 3D news from other areas of the consumer electronics arena, Nintendo is capitalizing on the newest frontier in entertainment, and doing so without a pair of stereoscopic or active-shutter glasses in sight.
Let’s recap the hardware of the 3DS. The handheld is a little bit bigger than a DS Lite, but still smaller than an original DS at 5.3”x2.9”x0.8”, and the 3DS weighs in at eight ounces. As for the insides, Nintendo didn't reveal much. Many speculate that it may be running on a Tegra platform, but it is safe to say that it’s running on something more power than the sub-100 MHz total clock speed of the original DS. The touchscreen on the bottom of the 3DS is a 3.02-inch screen with a 320x240 resolution. The 3D on the top is much different, coming in at 3.52 inches with an 800x240 resolution. There are three cameras, two on the outside for 3D picture-taking (probably only viewable on the 3DS itself) and one on the inside to use with certain games. The 3DS comes with slots for 3DS and DS games, an SD card slot, integrated wi-fi, rechargeable battery, a new slide pad (analog joystick), and a 4-inch stylus.
Of course, the centerpiece is the 3D screen, which can be turned on and off with the 3D slider to the right of the screen. Not only can you play games and view pictures in 3D, but Nintendo is also promising a great 3D movie watching experience. We are still skeptical on this point, but we will have to wait for Avatar to appear on a 3DS cartridge before we come up with a final verdict. The 3DS also benefits from a graphical update over the DS. From what we saw during the press conference and on the show floor, we think many of the titles look quite a bit like Gamecube games, which is rather impressive for a handheld.
So what does all this mean for Sony's PSP and PSPgo? Neither Sony handheld is selling well today, and the 3DS won't help Sony's standing. Sony has recently added Kevin Butler-like flare to its PSP ads, but we think this is too little, too late. If Sony wants to remain relevant in the handheld space, the company needs to put the same amount of focus it put on 3D for the PS3 into 3D for the next PSP console. Nintendo has done nearly everything right when it comes to its DS line, from backwards compatibility to camera integration to allowing for downloadable content while maintaining physical cartridges. Even if Sony knocks the PSP2 out of the park, the 3DS will remain a formidable competitor with a head start. Analysts expect the 3DS to launch in the first quarter of 2011, though Nintendo has not announced a date.
- 1. Nintendo 3DS: The PSP’s Death Knell
- 2. Nintendo 3DS Images
To be honest, I wasn't that impressed by the looks. Perhaps it's just me, but I was envisioning something similar to those DS concept drawings you see on google. I was expecting something really sleek and thin, you know, "applish". I suppose nintendo needs to design these things to very durable, as most owners would probably be young kids throwing it on their backpacks, or leaving it on the couch.
As for the specs, I was hoping for more on this area too. I was hoping for something like DSi XL size 4.2" screens. If you ask me, the DSi XL actually looks cooler than the 3DS.
And what of the screen resolution? For a next generation handheld, especially one replacing a 6 year old device, I would have expected a higher resolution. I mean, c'mon! For the bottom screen, it's 320x240 pixels on a device manufactured in 2010?? The upper screen, with 800x240 seems like a bigger improvement, but I still think the "240" pixels is way too little, especially considering that this device will be around for the next 5 or so years. Can you really imagine playing a device with such low pixels in 2015? I mean, even our smartphones have 640x800 pixels. What will they have 5 years from now?
.....that's just my thoughts. I was kind of dissapointed by the specs. But I know that specs are just one side of the story. The games will be another. Let's hope for some awesome games!
Looks pretty damn awesome, I can't wait to get my hands on one of this
Looks like you'd sometimes press the arrows when you're trying to use the slide pad. Also looks a bit uncomfortable using the arrows and not the slide pad...
Nintendo's markets are going to revive! I hope they put out some FUN, LONG LASTING games for Wii though.
The graphics on it looks like first gen NDS games.
The graphics on it looks like first gen NDS games.
the games shown on the e3 floor were said to be nothing short of astounding, and those weren't even full games... the graphical improvements will be mind blowing, of course when expanded to near hd resolutions it will still look like crap
I was at the Nintendo press conference, and got to use the 3DS afterward. Believe me when I say the graphics capabilities of the 3DS are improved over the DS and DSi. The 3DS has GameCube-like graphics where the DS line was closer to the N64.
-Devin
the games shown on the e3 floor were said to be nothing short of astounding, and those weren't even full games... the graphical improvements will be mind blowing, of course when expanded to near hd resolutions it will still look like crap
Check out the screen shot on kid icarus on page two!! Damn!!
Nintendo has been doing pretty well with everything lately so I am sure it will do well... Although I don't like the fact that they have shown Sony and Microsoft that not all game systems need a strong processor and video card. =P
Check out the screen shot on kid icarus on page two!! Damn!!
That screenshot isn't all that impressive. For a "next-gen" hand held, it's lackluster. I was hoping for something closer to the Gamecube. In fact, I would gladly trade the lower screen for just one higher resolution screen and a track-pad.
Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait for Sony's rebuttal.
Sony will probably 'copy' what the 3DS has and put it into its new next-gen portable. Besides, when Sony first put out the PS it had a controller that directly emulated the SNES game pad. We can probably expect a 3D-enabled PSP with far more graphical features/fidelity than the 3DS and a possible PSP Go slider form factor albeit thicker to accomodate a new type of UMD with Blu-Ray-like capacity.
Sony leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and that Kevin Butler kid is the most annoying child actor ever. And the UMD format sucks (bad loading times)--go with the faster SD card format instead like the NDS and 3DS, Sony.
oT 3D (even though they'll scale the difficulty down a bit with this version, try getting past the Water Temple, grandma!).
The 3DS is amazing! I haven't been this excited for a new handheld since Game Boy Advance! (The Nintendo DS is cool as a device, but it didn't get the GAMES that it should have had.) WIth Star Fox 3D, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Resident Evil Revelations (which has early graphics that look just stunning) Street Fighter IV 3D, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and a Metal Gear game in the works, as well as many other games from tons of third-party supporters, the 3DS may just finally bring good third-party support back with Nintendo.
I mean, enough with the easy money in casual gaming already--stop focusing on Grandma with a touch screen, and focus on the guys (and gals) who got it done and made gaming with a D-pad, A, B, Start and Select! Even Micro$oft and $ony are trying to cater to this easy money audience with the (gay Wii rip-off) Kinect and (even gayer Wii rip-off) PS Move. Bring on a revolution--the hardcore-gaming revival! Because let's face it--your grandma isn't probably not going to buy a 3DS, because she'll be content with her DSi and Brain Age. I don't think many casual gamers will buy the more expensive 3DS and its "harder" games like TLOZ
I predict that Nintendo will once again reign the handheld market, that the 3DS will be more suited for hardcore gamers (imagine having a fragfest or sniperfest in a 3D jungle :3), and I plan to buy a 3DS the first day that sucker drops. The PSP GO is a joke, and I hope Sony will get kicked in the analog stick.
I have to admit, the 3DS graphics seem a bit sketchy, but that's probably because it was so big on a computer screen. Besides, the 3DS appears to top PSP in nearly every way.
The graphics on it looks like first gen NDS games.
Actually the Kid Icarus is the first game on the 3DS that's why it looks like that, search Resident Evil: Revelations on Gametrailers.com or YouTube.com and watch the trailer. It has close to PS3/360 graphics.
I was at the Nintendo press conference, and got to use the 3DS afterward. Believe me when I say the graphics capabilities of the 3DS are improved over the DS and DSi. The 3DS has GameCube-like graphics where the DS line was closer to the N64.-Devin
You mean PS3/360 graphics.
3DS is the PSP’s Death Knell, so let's see the new PSP to kill 3ds \(^_^)/
The 3DS will be coming out in 2011 in March, not like captainm27 said- "Can you really imagine playing a device with such low pixels in 2015?". The 3DS will also be selling the device for $250.00
It's $300.00 - $350.00 when it comes out in March in North America.
But get it in February in Japan for $300 and less!
Those Japanese have it goo-ood!
-Holly