During its opening keynote at E3 this morning, Nintendo confirmed the upcoming release of a new handheld gaming console, the 3DS. The Nintendo 3DS boasts 3D gaming without glasses required, along with better hardware to provide superior graphics.
The public unveiling of the 3DS was by far the most anticipated announcement during the Nintendo press conference.
As previously rumored, the new gaming unit will not require owners to wear custom glasses, a big win for customers that want the 3D experience without bulky eye-wear. The 3DS itself also includes a touchscreen located at the bottom, while the 3D screen is located up top. A switch on the slide gives users the option of altering the 3D depth effect.
Nintendo is packing two camera lenses on to the 3DS, offering 3D photo capture and playback directly on the device.
Many developers have signed on to create games for the 3DS. Square Enix, Electronic Arts, Konami, and Ubisoft are developing 3DS game titles, with other publishers expected to make game announcements in the near future. Movies from Disney, Warner Bros. and Dreamworks will be ported to the 3DS, but only How to Train Your Dragon was listed by name.
Even though Nintendo heavily discussed and demonstrated the 3DS during the show, pricing and release date information wasn't disclosed.
Switching to the living room, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime said the market for the Wii console remains strong. The recent talk regarding sales struggles is just 'false assumptions' surrounding the supposed over saturation of the console gaming market. Even so, Nintendo does face very real problems from the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3, which have expanding game catalogs, price tags that keep dropping and now motion control features.
Nintendo also countered criticism of a lack of game catalog by announcing a number of game titles that should be released through early 2011. GoldenEye 007, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and Skyward Sword were all being shown for the Wii and 3DS. Wii Party and Mario Sports Mix were also announced, with many additional game titles expected for 2011.
Nintendo didn't openly discuss its strong anti-piracy measures that will be included to help the company crack down on handheld console piracy.
