The Nintendo 3DS has been confirmed and will have a March 27, 2011 release in North America. The price is $250. Although the name and look of the device are similar to that of the DS series, Nintendo considers it to be the successor to the DS and a brand new console. It contains three cameras, two on the outside (for 3D photographs) and one internal one above the top screen. The bottom screen is a touch screen comparable to the DS bottom screens, and the top screen is Wide Screen and an autostereoscopic 3D LCD. Autostereoscopy is a process that sends different images to the left and right eyes to enable the viewer to view the screen in 3D "without the need for special glasses." The 3DS is said to enhance Nintendo's online experience.
Introducing the Nintendo 3DS system. Experience incredible gameplay featuring real 3D graphics that do not require any special glasses or additional accessories. Nintendo 3DS is a breakthrough in portable entertainment, a truly cutting-edge piece of hardware that has to be seen to be believed.
Hardware Features
3D Screen
Like previous handhelds released by Nintendo, the Nintendo 3DS incorporates both an upper and lower LCD display in a clamshell layout. The lower screen features familiar Nintendo touchscreen technology, is 3.02" (2.42" wide x 1.81" high) with 320 x 240 pixel resolution and is capable of displaying 16.77 million colors, but the groundbreaking upper 3D screen of the Nintendo 3DS system is where Nintendo opens up a whole new world of eye-popping gameplay possibilities. This 3.53" display (3.02" wide x 1.81" high) is capable of displaying approximately the same 16.77 million colors, but with 800 x 240 pixel resolution. 400 pixels are allocated to each eye to enable 3D viewing. This stereoscopic 3D display gives objects within the gameworld a feeling of space and depth that extends far into the back of the screen. This amazing depth of field effect vastly increases the ability to see the position of characters and obstacles in compatible game, making many game experiences even more intuitive for all types of players.
3D Depth Slider
A built-in 3D Depth Slider along the right side of the top display allows you to immediately adjust the intensity of the 3D settings on the Nintendo 3DS system to your liking. The 3D effect can also be turned down completely if the player so chooses. All Nintendo 3DS games and applications can be played in 2D, and look better when played on the Nintendo 3DS than any Nintendo handheld before it.
Motion Sensor and Gyro Sensor
Portable play control reaches a new level with the Nintendo 3DS' Motion Sensor and Gyro Sensor combination. Together these precision built-in features allow for new and unique gameplay mechanics as the 3DS reacts to real-time motion and tilt. Whether players are twisting their systems side to side, or moving it up and down, their motion-compatible Nintendo 3DS games respond instantly.
Circle Pad Analog Control
With the Circle Pad, located above the + Control Pad, Nintendo 3DS offers full analog control in 3D game worlds. Combined with the touch screen, traditional buttons, camera and microphone input, and advanced motion control of the Motion Sensor and Gyro Sensor, the potential is extraordinary.
3D Camera Functionality
Along with a digital camera facing inwards towards the player, the Nintendo 3DS system features two outer cameras positioned along its upper edge when device is open. These two cameras see the world in 3D, much like the human eye, allowing for the creation of 3D photos - and a similar 3D effect to that seen in Nintendo 3DS games. All cameras feature 640 x 480 resolutions with single focus lenses that use the CMOS capture element and an active pixel count is approximately 300,000 pixels.
Adjustable Stylus
The adjustable Nintendo 3DS Stylus takes the idea of touch control to a new and even more user-friendly level. Once removed from the holder, the stylus length can be adjusted to your liking with a simple push or pull. Now anyone can achieve the optimum level of comfort while playing games that use the stylus.
Cradle Charging
Dock your Nintendo 3DS system whenever you are not using it in the included Charging Cradle to keep it powered. You can then leave the system on in Sleep Mode while charging, so that it can communicate via the SpotPass feature at any time of day or night.
Other Key Features
StreetPass
Social and wired like no Nintendo system before it, Nintendo 3DS brings fellow players together in exciting new ways with StreetPass communication. Set your Nintendo 3DS to Sleep Mode and carry it with you wherever you go to exchange game data like Mii characters, high scores, and custom characters with other users you pass on the street. You control what data you exchange and you can exchange data for multiple games at once, making virtual connections with real world people you encounter in your daily life.
SpotPass
Nintendo 3DS includes SpotPass, a feature that lets Nintendo 3DS detect wireless hotspots or wireless LAN access points and obtain information, game data, free software, videos and so on for players even when the system is in sleep mode.*
2 GB SD Memory Card Included
Every Nintendo 3DS system comes packed with a 2 GB SD memory card. You can use this SD memory card to store your 3D photos, and sound recordings created on the Nintendo 3DS system, and music** from your PC. You can also use it to store games downloaded from the Nintendo eShop. The Nintendo 3DS system has SDHC card compatibility to increase your storage space even further.
Backwards Compatibility
Almost all existing Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi games can be played on a Nintendo 3DS system in 2D. With backwards compatibility, your existing portable games look and play just as well.***
Wireless Communications
Nintendo 3DS utilizes a frequency of 2.4 GHz, enabling local wireless communication among multiple Nintendo 3DS systems for game play and StreetPass, as well as access to the Internet through wireless LAN access points (supports IEEE802.11 b/g with the WPA/WPA2 security feature). Recommended distance of wireless communication is within 98.4 feet. This can be shorter depending on the environmental situation.
Every generation now seems like they are exceeding the standards and going that extra mile to make everything so much greater than the last idea. Well, if you want to talk about revolutionary then Nintendo's brand new invention of the 3DS. This handheld device takes gaming to a new level, you may raise and lower the amount of 3D you wish all the way down to 2D. The simple switch on the right side of the handheld device allows you select your game play dimension of choice. Here are some other great features the Nintendo 3DS has to offer.
1. At E3 the Nintendo representative released the new handheld features. One of those interesting features besides the switch which allows 3D game play is the slide that comes from the bottom left corner of the DS. What I does is allows you to control the angle of the camera, that correlates with what's going on at the same time on the screen.
2. You're probably all wondering what some system like this will cost, but sadly it has not yet been released. Not only that but one of the other key facts that we don't have happens to be the release date as well as the price. If you keep on top of it and follow it you will find that the cost and release date will be disclosed soon.
If you're looking forward to the new handheld system then soon enough we'll have a portable 3D gaming system for our use.
Like any other video game system on the market, Nintendo wants a fresh variety of games the whole family can enjoy and educational games are helping this effort greatly. When my niece got herself an educational video game with her parents, I originally thought nothing of it. Gradually however, I noticed that she and her parents were playing the game together as well. It turns out that now many educational games on the market are also used to help educate people of older ages as well as compared to older games on older consoles.
While a good percentage of the game she plays is meant for kids her age, there are also games meant for the adults as well. The kids will get simpler spelling and vocabulary games aimed at helping with their basic reading and writing skills. Adults on the other hand will have much more complex vocabulary that is used in more complex conversations aimed at improving their skills.
The same can be seen in the more logic games such as the puzzle and math games. For the children, the games are made to improve basic math skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division where the adults will have more complex formulas and problems to solve using multiple formulas and more complex algebra. The logic games are great simply because they help kids in solving problems while helping adults not only solve problems but keep the mind sharp.
It's good to see that educational games are beginning to target not only younger audiences, but older groups too. It's a fun way to get everyone in the house learning and not just watching television.
Nintendo DS educational games are helping lead the way for games of future consoles to help people of all ages learn.
GREAT ITEM. FOR SUPER NINTENDO. WORKS GREAT. LOTS OF SUPER FUN. GREAT FOR COLLECTORS.The original Street Fighter II is a famous fighting game. Players select from one of eight characters: Ryu, Ken, Blanka, E. Honda, Zangief, Chun Li, Guile and Dhalsim to do battle with. They must then use their combat strengths to defeat the other seven fighters followed by four boss characters: M. Bison, Vega, Sagat and Balrog. Each character represents a certain country and has their own reasons for wanting to win against the others. Each character contains his own selection of basic fighting techniques based on three styles of punches and three styles of kicks. The effect of each of these changes depending on the characters orientation (ducking, airborne or standing still). Street Fighter 2 made famous the "button combination" style of gameplay used to unleash powerful moves specific to each character. These include the ability to project fireballs, channel electricity or capture the opponent in a tight suplex. Street Fighter 2 is one of the most cloned fighting games and its effects on gameplay and fighting games specifically can not be understated. Street Fighter 2 is responsible for making popular several different elements.
Customer Reviews
Old Memories
I play this game against my husband for fun when we are at home. it is a bonding and childish experience. It's the coolest game ever!
Its the best game I ever owned! It has cool music you won't stop and there is a easy to hard level and there is a total of 8 Fighter'S to pick from ryu,ken,chun Li, and more it has nice music that makes you want to fight more!You gotta own this game! Good game, but not the best Street Fighter
I've always liked the Street Fighter games a lot. A few years ago, one of my friends gave me Street Fighter II for the Super Nintendo, and it's good in most ways. The graphics and backgrounds were good for the time, the control is responsive, and it has cool sounds, sound effects, and music. The fighting in the game with the regular moves such as the punches and kicks, and the special moves such as the fireballs, Blanka's electricity, the fast kicks, etc. make this game a lot of fun. But it's not the best Street Fighter game ever made. In fact, it's not even the best of the Street Fighter II games. My only complaint is that it's a real slow fighting game. If you like fighting games, I would recommend getting Street Fighter II, but I would recommend one of the faster Street Fighter games such as Street Fighter II Turbo, which is the same as this game, but A LOT faster.
A sampling of other Nintendo 3DS games already in planning includes SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV 3D Edition (name not final) from Capcom; Madden NFL and FIFA Soccer games from Electronic Arts; CODENAME: Chocobo Racing® 3D and a FINAL FANTASY ® franchise game and from Square Enix; a NINJA GAIDEN® (name not final) game from Tecmo Koei Games; Saint's Row: Drive By from THQ; Assassin's Creed™Lost Legacy, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon™ and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory™ from Ubisoft; and a Batman game from Warner Bros. Additional games are in development by Atlus, AQ Interactive, Disney Interactive Studios, Harmonix, Hudson Soft, Majesco, Marvelous Entertainment, Rocket, SEGA, Takara Tommy and Take-Two Interactive.
Nintendo also announced a substantial slate of games on the way for its Wii console and Nintendo DS family of systems, with a list of characters and franchises that appeal to all types of gamers.
"If the video game industry had an All-Star team, Nintendo's games would fill the starting lineup," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "The combination of advanced interface and engaging game play broadens our appeal to all audiences. This is evidenced perfectly at the E3 Expo this year by the incredible new experience and controls that Wii MotionPlus brings to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword."
Wii:
The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword: The game marks a turning point for the franchise, as the introduction of full motion controls enabled by the Wii MotionPlus™ accessory synchronizes player movements with Link's actions while offering the most intuitive play control of any Legend of Zelda game to date. The game is scheduled to launch in 2011.
Donkey Kong Country™ Returns: The classic franchise makes a return with new levels and updated graphics, but with the same sense of fun and excitement of the original. For the first time in the series, two people can play through the entire game cooperatively. The game is scheduled to launch this holiday season.
Kirby's Epic Yarn™: Kirby's entire immersive world is created from different fabrics and textiles. Kirby himself is made from yarn, which gives him the versatility to take the shape of a car, submarine, parachute or UFO. The game is scheduled to launch this fall.
Wii Party™: A party game that brings the fun off the screen and into the living room. Players must perform tasks in the real world to achieve success in the game. The game is scheduled to launch this fall.
Mario™ Sports Mix: A collection of four amazing sports - Mario style. Players can compete with their favorite Mushroom Kingdom characters in basketball, volleyball, hockey and dodgeball. The game is scheduled to launch in 2011.
PokéPark™ Wii: Pikachu's Adventure: The first Pokémon adventure game on the Wii console puts Pikachu™ at the center of a fun, expansive area filled with adventure, Attractions and Pokémon. Players take on the role of Pikachu and interact with Pokémon and compete in Skill Games and Attractions, such as races, battles and other challenges, to save the PokéPark from disaster. The game is scheduled to launch this holiday season.
Samurai Warriors™ 3: Players can choose from more than 35 playable samurai characters, many based on actual figures from Japanese history. Each samurai has different skills and weapons, and each one offers a different perspective on the overall story of the unification of Japan. The game is scheduled to launch on Sept. 27.
GoldenEye 007™from Activision: The original revolutionized first-person shooters, and this Wii-exclusive sequel features four-player split-screen competition or up to eight players competing online. It's the signature GoldenEye experience for a new era, and is scheduled to launch this fall.
Disney Epic Mickeyfrom Disney Interactive Studios: In this Wii exclusive, players take Mickey Mouse on an epic journey of creativity and discovery. In Wasteland, an alternate world with lands inspired by Disney's animated films and theme parks, players use paint and paint thinner to change the world and affect the outcome of the game. The game is scheduled to launch this holiday season.
NBA JAM from Electronic Arts: In this revival of the classic franchise with vintage game play, the Wii-exclusive sequel includes new features that bring outrageous moves and over-the-top hoops action to new levels. The game is scheduled to launch this October.
Just Dance 2®from Ubisoft: The second installment of the popular franchise features hot dance moves choreographed by experts in every style of music. Up to eight players can compete or, for the first time, two players can dance side by side as a duo. It's a nonstop dance party only available on Wii this fall.
Sonic Colors™ from SEGA: In Sonic's latest adventures, he blasts through obstacles like never before as he uses colored power-ups to boost his abilities and speed through stages. The game is scheduled to launch this holiday season.
New Carnival Games®from 2K Play: This sequel to the multimillion-selling original features more than 30 new games and 300 new prizes, plus multiplayer action for every game. Only available on Wii this September.
Nintendo DS Family:
Pokémon Ranger™: Guardian Signs: The third installment in the action-packed Pokémon Ranger series lets players take on the role of a Pokémon Ranger tasked with protecting Pokémon, people and nature. With new Ranger Signs to call powerful Pokémon, including Legendary Pokémon, and the addition of multiplayer missions, players investigate the nefarious actions of the Pokémon Pinchers, who have been disrupting the peace by chasing and catching Pokémon. The game is scheduled to launch this fall.
Golden Sun™: Dark Dawn:A classic role-playing game branches out with a new look, countless adventures and heroic battles. The game picks up 30 years after the first two games in the series left off with amazing graphics and beautifully animated summoning abilities that span both Nintendo DS screens. The game is scheduled to launch this holiday season.
Dragon Quest® IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies™: For the first time, this storied franchise is appearing exclusively on the Nintendo DS family of systems. Character customization, cooperative multiplayer adventuring and an epic story make for a one-of-a-kind experience. The game is scheduled to launch on July 11.
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future™: This third installment in the series includes more than 165 puzzles and even more animated sequences and voice acting than the previous game. The game is scheduled to launch on Sept. 20.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong™: Miniland Mayhem: Players use the stylus to draw red girders and control items like ladders, pipes, springs and conveyor belts. The goal is to bring the Mini Toys to the door. Using an intuitive tool kit, players can create new level maps and share them with the public. The game is scheduled to launch this holiday season.
Super Scribblenauts™from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment: The sequel to the smash-hit original includes 120 new levels, the ability to use more than 10,000 adjectives, a hint system and a level editor for players to create their own levels and objectives. The game is scheduled to launch in Q4.
Ghost Trick™: Phantom Detective from Capcom: Players are transported into the spirit world of a murder victim who has lost his memory and returned as a ghost. Players must possess and manipulate objects to solve puzzles and the mystery. The game is scheduled to launch this fall.
Rock Band® 3 from MTV Games: The franchise makes its first appearance on Nintendo DS with a stylish interface that puts players into the Rock Band universe like never before. Eight play modes challenge players in guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocals, and both co-op and competitive multiplayer options are available. The game is scheduled to launch this holiday season.
Okamiden™ from Capcom: Players use a brush to draw bridges into existence, traverse canyons and connect winding paths through space. This sequel to Okami follows the story of an adorable wolf pup that fights off a new threat that has drained vibrant colors from the world. The game is scheduled to launch in 2011.
FINAL FANTASY®: THE 4 HEROES OF LIGHT™ from Square Enix: This first original FINAL FANTASY game for the Nintendo DS family of systems uses charming storybook visuals and a fun, intuitive combat system. Players can customize their characters and up to four players can join forces for cooperative play. The game is scheduled to launch on Oct. 5.
Sonic Colors™ from SEGA: The portable version of the game doubles the excitement and action by using both screens as a giant, unified landscape. The game is scheduled to launch this holiday season.
For the duration of the E3 Expo, Nintendo will provide fans with exclusive videos and Nintendo content on the Nintendo E3 Network. People can visit http://e3.nintendo.comto watch developer interviews, get all the information about new games and see coverage coming directly from the show floor. The same exclusive content also will be streamed through theNintendo Channelto Wii owners who have a broadband Internet connection.
Remember that Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about these and other features, visit http://wii.com or http://www.nintendodsi.com.
Dragon Quest VI, An Enhanced Version of a Classic RPG Makes its Debut in North America
The DRAGON QUEST® VI: Realms of Revelation™ game makes its U.S. debut for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems, combining classic role-playing thrills with fresh character options, unique challenges and play-it-anywhere convenience.
Sometimes choosing between videogame systems is like choosing which lie you’d most like to be true. You can see it in the short chronology of videogame hardware released since the 1970s. Every successive generation has combined the promise of optimal pleasure with technological progress—the great and secret mystery of turning a small electrical current in a piece of silicon into a flickering mirage that responds to your touch. If everyday life is indifferent to our actions, videogame machines are the doting android nanny designed to reaffirm our instinct for magical thinking.
In those terms, waiting for the Nintendo 3DS to arrive is both exciting and hopeless. After learning to connect gestures with game actions on the Wii, Nintendo’s advance to three dimensions is apt. In a time when motion control is becoming a standard, visuals with added dimensional information appear to be the perfect next step. “This is going to be a big day for Nintendo, and we believe it’s going to be a big day for all of you.” Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s President and COO, said to the press as he prepared to announce the 3DS launch details. If only.
When it comes to gaming, this new 3D is a fundamentally confusing idea. As Fils-Aime mentioned, videogames have rendered graphics using polygons for 15 years. These three-dimensional computer worlds are projected onto flat surfaces where it’s easy enough for our brains to re-imagine them in proximate 3D.
Nintendo’s newest version of 3D isn’t any less 2D than what we’ve been doing for the last decade and a half. It does, however, have a better way to trick our brains into thinking that a flat screen is actually a window, something it accomplishes by rapidly alternating between two slightly offset images.
Nintendo can claim to be the first videogame company with hardware that produces this effect without glasses. In other words, they’re the first company to create a machine advanced enough to lie to you without the need of extra peripherals.
What I’ve discovered in my time playing 3DS demos so far is that the effect is impressive, fragile, and very quickly forgotten. I played every available demo after Fils-Aime’s presentation in New York and found the 3D effect inessential in every way.
The original DS had one of the least impressive launch lineups in videogame history, but even amidst this haphazard heap were hints at how the touchscreen could be a central idea in game design. Feel the Magic XY/XX was predictably shallow but it prefigured the touch-only greats like Nintendogs and Electroplankton. Ping Pals showed how much more efficient menu-hopping could be using a stylus. Even the wobbly touchscreen-steering wheel of Ridge Racer DS gave some sense of new ground being broken.
With the 3DS launch window games, there is almost nothing that proves the extra spatial information is more than an expensive luxury. Ideally, this added information would enhance ambient exploration in games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but instead the 3D effect made the environments feel overly big and empty. Kid Icarus: Uprising is purported to make even better use of the effect with its floating enemies and obstacles, but I found it was a superfluous affect easily forgotten amid the constant bulletstream. Nintendogs + Cats didn't seem to benefit from the 3D either, its furry pets directly facing the camera in a way that flattened the whole screen.
As I played each of these games—making a point of switching back and forth from 3D to standard view—I was reminded that both view options are already in 3D. The autosterescopic effect remains a trick played on a 2D surface, an enhancement of a mode of play that the industry—led by Nintendo—has been moving away from for the last several years. It’s in motion control that real three-dimensionality occurs, and on this point the 3DS is a perfect contradiction.
The system uses two cameras, a gyroscope, and accelerometers to support motion play, but the 3D technology in the screen is so fragile that small movements ruin the effect. The 3DS will include some augmented reality games in its operating system, and these make terrific use of the device’s motion sensors and its 3D camera capabilities. Face Raiders takes a picture of a person’s face and uses it to populate enemies in a shooting game. The reticule stays centered onscreen and the player must physically turn around in order to to confront and destroy the surreal floating faces. Another shooting game has players using a card placed on a table as a reference point. The card turns into a target-filled pit, and moving the 3DS around like a viewfinder reveals previously hidden targets. Games like these are playful beginnings, awkward and charming points of departure for real three-dimensional interaction and hints at what the future of mobile gameplay might one day become.
Frank Lantz, creative director and co-founder of the design studio Area/Code, once described a future in which games had computers in them, rather than running inside computers themselves. The 3DS could hasten the arrival of that future. Ironically, it’s this exciting potential that is most hindered by the dazzle of the 3D screen effect. It’s a seductive flash of something new and seemingly miraculous, but so far it’s more of a lie than a promise kept.
