Nintendo 3DS Hardware Includes Optional 3D Toggle, Stronger Anti-Piracy Measures

May 10, 2010 9:00 AM

Though Nintendo is waiting until mid-June to properly debut its new portable game machine, the Nintendo 3DS, the company has confirmed a few new details about it.

The portable's three-dimensional visuals--achieved without the need for glasses thanks to a specialized display--can be toggled on and off due to health concerns, Nintendo president Saturo Iwata told Forbes during a recent chat in a Tokyo hotel.

In addition, the Nintendo 3DS--due to launch no later than March 2011 and confirmed to be backwards compatible with the software of both the vanilla Nintendo DS and the camera-equipped Nitnendo DSi--will also include stronger measures to prevent the use of pirated software and games, though Iwata refused to elaborate on the specifics.

"We fear a kind of thinking is become widespread that paying for software is meaningless," he said. "We have a strong sense of crisis about this problem."

Chris Faylor

Chris Faylor was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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dantastic

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May 10, 2010 9:03 AM

must have 3DS XL
- Smitty
  
   reply
  May 10, 2010 9:11 AM
  
  gotta wait for the 3DS lite to come out first, then the 3DSi, THEN, you'll get your 3DS XL.
  - silverback1138
    
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    May 10, 2010 11:26 AM
    
    Nice. And you know that everyone will get each of them. Nintendo will be back to printing money hats.
  - Gwyndion
    
     reply
    May 10, 2010 11:37 AM
    
    You might be joking... but you are probably closer to reality than you really should be. :)
    - shinseitom
      
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      May 10, 2010 12:59 PM
      
      There's multiple versions of every major handheld and console out there... wait, I take that back. The Wii doesn't have multiple versions does it?
      
      Odd, I've never thought of that. There's multiple 360s, multiple PS3s, multiple PSPs, multiple DSs, but not multiple Wiis with different features (though I guess you could consider the motion plus bundle a new one?)
      - shinseitom
        
         reply
        May 10, 2010 1:46 PM
        
        This post was going somewhere else and my thought process got completely derailed. Oh well.
      - Mr Gore
        
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        May 10, 2010 6:03 PM
        
        There are not multiple variations of Xbox 360s out there is the same sense that there are Nintendo DSs. There is the 360 Elite with a color change and bigger hard drive but hardware-wise they are the same as the basic ones.
        
        shinseitom
        
         reply
        May 11, 2010 1:50 AM
        
        Different motherboards, added hdmi, hard drive (or not). All packed in different boxes for different prices. I'll agree, there's not much difference between the different Xbox types, but it's there. It doesn't change the way you play most of the games, but neither do the DS refreshes (though the DSi is iffy, with DSi only stuff).
        
        I guess I was just trying to say making fun solely of the DS for having different versions is kinda silly with all the different variations of other systems out there, like say the PSP. Plus, at least each new version of the DS (up until the XL) honestly seemed like an improvement over the previous version.