Glasses-free 3D for the iPad/iPhone potential trouble for the 3DS ?

[foolsgold]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBQQE...yer_detailpage

Our old friend Johnny Lee explains how it's done
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Jd3-eiid-Uw

I had assumed that with the 3DS Nintendo had hit on a niche the mobile phones were unlikely to claim any time soon. With a special screen, 3D Apps, new 3D optimized UI these would all be costs faced by those wanting to challenge Nintendo on 3D. Seems those costs have now been reduced.

[Shane R. Monroe]

Not exactly new technology ... It was done commercially on the Hidden object game from Japan. It's just not the same effect that the 3DS does.

[Bill_Loguidice]

Yeah, definitely not the same thing and it's been done already on everything from the DS to the Xbox 360. All it really requires is a camera. The demonstration of the concept always involves the same type of visuals too--I have yet to see it applied to something like what the 3DS does, meaning real-time gaming (or any other 3D game for that matter). With that said, if the technique is ever improved (perhaps one more generation of hardware), it would at least be a more comfortable way of viewing 3D, albeit with likely limited application.

[WorknMan]

And even if it was the same thing, it seems that to a lot of people, the 3D on 3DS is like waggle controls on Wii... folks are just turning it off after the 'wow' factor wears off and playing games normally. The real 'niche' that the 3DS has is a d-pad, analog stick, and real buttons.

[Bill_Loguidice]

The real 'niche' that the 3DS has is a d-pad, analog stick, and real buttons.

As Nous likes to say on my site, then you're talking about the PSP...

Personally I find the 3DS of no value without the 3D; it's an intrinsic part of the experience. There's not enough of interest in the hardware itself otherwise if you ask me. To me, it's 3D all the time or nothing, though naturally there are times when you need to adjust the slider.

[nazzar]

And even if it was the same thing, it seems that to a lot of people, the 3D on 3DS is like waggle controls on Wii... folks are just turning it off after the 'wow' factor wears off and playing games normally. The real 'niche' that the 3DS has is a d-pad, analog stick, and real buttons.

What people exactly? The 3D adds to the experience on the games I've played, I've rarely turned it off. Just like the waggle controls or the gimmicky touch screen, they require games made with them in mind. I look forward to seeing how the 3D effect will be utilised in future releases.

[alexjlopez]

What people exactly? The 3D adds to the experience on the games I've played, I've rarely turned it off. Just like the waggle controls or the gimmicky touch screen, they require games made with them in mind. I look forward to seeing how the 3D effect will be utilised in future releases.

Yeah, that's the first I've heard of people turning the 3D off--it really is a key part of the experience.

Who are these people you speak of, Worknman?

[Bill_Loguidice]

What people exactly? The 3D adds to the experience on the games I've played, I've rarely turned it off. Just like the waggle controls or the gimmicky touch screen, they require games made with them in mind. I look forward to seeing how the 3D effect will be utilised in future releases.

I do believe the anecdotal reports of people turning off the 3D are true. I'm sure it's not large numbers, but it's certainly there. Of course we know it's a fact that many people can't see or perceive the 3D properly, so for them turning it off is the only option to play the system.

I was one of the people looking forward to the 3D effect being a REQUIRED part of gameplay for some releases, but based on all that we've heard, this seems less and less likely outside of optional mini-games that are part of larger games that won't require 3D. It's arguable that it wouldn't make good business sense for a game to require 3D be on 100% of the time. Sad, really.

[Chris]

When I'm playing Nintendogs with my daughter (which is a really great experience by the way and reminds me of when my dad would play 2600 with me as a kid) we put on our tinfoil hats and I turn the 3D off.

Love it for Pilotwings though. Pilotwings is such a great game, I really couldn't ask for much more...only thing missing I'd say is that it lacks personality in comparison to the original Pilotwings where you had flight instructors with different attitudes and such.

The IOS platform has been a great example of how you can have superior technology but it doesn't mean a thing if gameplay is horrific (see the new Atari app and how much better those games play on 30 year old hardware).

[Nectar]

As Nous likes to say on my site, then you're talking about the PSP...

Personally I find the 3DS of no value without the 3D; it's an intrinsic part of the experience. There's not enough of interest in the hardware itself otherwise if you ask me. To me, it's 3D all the time or nothing, though naturally there are times when you need to adjust the slider.

I'm not really impressed by the 3D. (It reminds me of those stickers I used to put on my notebook at school in the 80s.) The effect is interesting but the illusion is lost the moment you move, (which happens too naturally when playing videogames).

Without the 3D, the 3DS is a portable Xbox1 with touchscreen, Nintendo games, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I always felt the PSP was too far ahead of its time. 6 years ago, with the PS2 still going strong, the next gen consoles on the horizon, and the original DS enthralling people with its fresh control scheme, the PSP just didn't seem needed. (How I also feel about the NGP). Now, with games on modern consoles stagnating due to high development costs and phone gaming cheapening the market in a way the Wii detractors could never dream, I feel the time is perfect for a powerful but not too powerful portable gaming console with a buttons, a d-pad, analog stick, and then some.