Nintendo releases details about its handheld, 3-D gaming system
By Doug Gross, CNN
Prices, launch dates and games for the Nintendo 3DS were announced on Wednesday.
(CNN) -- Gamers got some long-awaited answers about Nintendo's 3-D handheld gaming system on Wednesday.
The Nintendo 3DS, which displays three-dimensional images without the help of glasses, will go on sale March 27 in the United States and sell for $250, the company announced during simultaneous events in Amsterdam and New York.
The system will be released March 25 in Europe. European prices will vary according to the retailer.
The handheld gadget turned heads when it was unveiled last summer at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles.
The Nintendo 3DS's hallmark feature is that it renders games in 3-D without requiring special glasses. It has two screens -- only one in 3-D -- and includes its own Wi-Fi connection and a camera that lets players create avatars using images of themselves.
The console will come with a new game called "Face Raiders" installed. The game takes advantage of the handheld's 3-D camera, letting users take photos and add the images to a target shooting gallery.
In Amsterdam, Nintendo announced that a 3-D version of Capcom's "Super Street Fighter IV," and new versions of the long-running "Dead or Alive," "Resident Evil" and "Sims" series will be among the titles available.
The New York event also confirmed that a new offering from the popular "Madden NFL Football" franchise will offer a game on the console.
"In terms of game selection, there will truly be something for everyone," said Satoru Shibata, president of Nintendo of Europe.
"This isn't just the launch of another game device, but the start of a new entertainment era," he said.
At E3, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata showed off updates to the "Legend of Zelda" and "Mario Kart" series on the handheld system. Other titles that have been spotted in online stores include the "Metal Gear" franchise as well as 3-D versions of classics like "Contra" and "Frogger."
Nintendo said it will offer more than 30 games this summer, developed by both the company and outsiders.
The company already has announced that the 3DS will go on sale in Japan next month for about $300. The console will be available in black and aqua blue. The 3-D effect is adjustable, letting players turn it off or slide it to full 3-D, as well as stopping somewhere between the two.
The 3DS will let gamers play with friends, or even strangers, with interactive features called Spot Pass and Street Pass.
Street Pass exchanges game information not just with friends, but people you pass on the street.
"To be clear, no such transfer will occur unless you want them to," said Nintendo Europe marketing director Laurent Fischer.
Unlike rivals Sony and Microsoft, which launched respectively their Move and Kinect motion-control systems in 2010, Nintendo didn't roll out a major advance to its Wii console, which paved the way for that gaming genre.
But the promise of the 3DS still helped Nintendo create one of the biggest splashes at E3, the video-game industry's glitzy annual coming-out party.
Many reviewers who have spent time with the game believe its 3-D capabilities have the potential to significantly change the experience of handheld gaming.
The company did not address a warning it issued last month, saying children younger than 6 shouldn't play with the 3DS because it could harm their eyesight.
Credit: CNN (www.cnn.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment