Nintendo 3DS handheld announced, more news at E3

Yeah, I have a DSi and had a DS Lite and am wondering what Nintendo is thinking... honestly, I've never wanted 3D gaming capabilities just because it's never worked properly, and I have to say that while Nintendo makes good, solid hardware, it's never done something so crazy before. 3D gaming on a handheld? Seems like not such a great idea. I feel like Nintendo's been on some sort of randomness rage recently with accessories like the Vitality sensor, and I really hope they've thought this one through.

Hope this thing packs a *lot* more punch than the DSi, at least PSP level hardware if not twice that would be nice. I'd guess that they're going to need it for the stereoscopic calculations, considering the DS barely does regular 3D acceptably. I mean, I love my DSi and have no desire for a PSP, but the best games on the DS tend to be 2D games (my personal favorites being turn based strategy games like Advance Wars). Probably some of the best graphics on the system are Metroid Prime Hunters or perhaps some of the Final Fantasy games, and they're not even N64 level quality. But I guess this is largely due to the lack of texture memory and the resulting crappy textures.

Starting to get off topic I guess, but tl;dr, I really hope Nintendo know's what they're doing here and isn't just rigging 3D stereoscopic hardware on top of the DSi.

"it's never done something so crazy before."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Boy

Sounds a lot like what people thought when they announced the DS having two screens and one being touch sensitive.

I have confidence in Nintendo after the Wii/DS generation that Nintendo knows how to market to the gimmick/casual market really well. Since the DS just started to get some really deep games from 2008 onward, don't think I'm ready to leave it just yet. Will give this 3DS some time to evolve first.

That and my DS Lite just broke so I'm purchasing a DSi this week. Don't want to think my purchase is outdated before I even do it ;)

oh, and iofthestorm - I think you need to go back and play your N64. With the exception of FF:Crystal Chronicles on N64, the DS has matched/beaten a lot of games. Nostalgia has shined your N64 memories to probably look better than they actually were. Maybe the first year or two of DS games couldn't match it, but now they do a pretty damn good job for what it is. Definitely better looking than the N64 was.

Crystal Chronicles on N64?

???

http://imgur.com/GuaiU.png

Nintendo has done it again! First the Wii caused Microsoft and Sony to play catchup, now its going to make BIG MONEY off of this! This should get interesting...

It's been done on the DSi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5QSclrIdlE

I just wanna do hoodrat stuff with mah friends!

Sorry, 5am fail. Anyways my point remains valid. A lot of 3D DS titles look just as good if not better than N64 titles did. Being on a smaller screen helps as resolution is less, requires less hardware, etc.

I was just thinking how awesome Crystal Chronicles looked for the system/time it was out. Forgot that it was a GameCube game.

This could be awesome. As a person who owns the virtual boy and busts it out every once in a while, the possibility of having old VB games on 3DSi-ware is sweet. I'm in.

@Punkrawk Bbob
I'm not sure what you're talking about. The N64 is more powerful hardware than the DS. And lower resolution does not help a game look better, it makes it look worse.

I think it would be awesome! I'll buy that! :D

It may be too early to get excited now, but the video impressions for the firmware of this device is really astounding. Opinions: http://2su.de/Wea

Who you going with!?

"the company's next handheld console...temporarily named the Nintendo 3DS"

It's not another DS, it's another Gameboy. Go fail somewhere else

It says "successor" to the DS.

right... so nintendo does portable glasses-less 3d while sony and microsoft play catch up in the motion sensor arena, and they're the ones milking the consumer?

@ sinai

How many DS models have there been, again?

@spartan

how many ps3 models? how many xbox skus? how many rock bands? how many mario games?

i can play this game all day.

@spartan

The same number of PSP models.

DS Phat, DS Lite, DSi, DSi XL
PSP Phat, PSP Slim, PSP-3000, PSPGo

Technically the same amount, but the 2000 and 3000 are pretty much the same, and the Go is the first real system tweak. I mean, the difference between DS models seems much more apparent between changes. First was a huge overhaul in size and structure, second added two cameras and a slew of functionality additions, and the last made it huge again. PSP just slimmed a bit, changed the screen a bit, then made a sweet (albeit UMD-less) sleek redesign.

Don't think this is too early or anything, but damn it for announcing at a time when my DS broke and I'm needing to buy a new one.

http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~nad10/pubs/EID97.pdf

I had no idea it existed. This is going to be amazing.

People can't see that Nintendo this whole generation is only doing things it already did in the past.

The Zapper
The Wii Fit (There was a balance board AND a sensor carpet for the SNES)
The Virtual Boy now

The only thing is, the tecnology now is at a level that it wasn't in the past and things are actually working.

"The only thing is, the tecnology now is at a level that it wasn't in the past and things are actually working."

Well, kind of, says the laggy wiimote.

@Ashenkal

The Wiimote is essentially the Power Glove.

It's so bad.

Dungeon man!

Nah, it's all done with holograms. It's Truly Outrageous!!

I hope it comes bundled with Street Fighter ^_^

You forgot Lite!

NO the Super Nintendo 3DSi XL Turbo HD Remix "lite" will come the year after

If it's a successor.. 3DS2iHDR, released in 2 colours til everybody has one then release 6 new colours.. then 3DS2iHDR-lite in the same fashion, releaseing the 3DS2iHDR-XL shortly after.. it's bound to be widescreen too

...how can it be both XL and Lite...?

....Nintendo is blowing my mind...!!!

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Pfft. Before that, they should release a way for me to get all my VC and WiiWare games off my broken Wii console and onto my new one.

Yeah, I agree there too. I really wish Nintendo just "understood" online the way Microsoft does, it's their major flaw right IMO. You have the option of tying your Wii Shop/DSi Shop accounts to your Club Nintendo account, so why don't they let you redownload games downloaded on a different machine? I guess I've heard that in some cases Nintendo will transfer your stuff for you if you send in your broken Wii to them, but that's really something we shouldn't have to do. Meh.

I bet they will set up some sort of system. Probably involving linkage to a Club Nintendo account (since it's system-exclusive, all you would have to do would be go online with your DSi and link your account through that DSi, then a purchase record would be tied to an account temporarily)