I talked a bit about E3, the world's biggest video game convention, the other day, but with the show officially starting today, the game's afoot. Microsoft has already disappointed with what used to be the Project Natal now known as the Kinect, being merely a rip-off of anything and everything Nintendo has done for the past, oh, ten years. The real surprises though came from Nintendo at their press conference. I make no mistake, I'm a Nintendo nerd, I love Nintendo, always have, and I've stuck by 'em through all their rough patches and I feel like the pay off is coming. Not only did they show off a new Zelda, more of the new Metroid, and made me salivate over Disney Epic Mickey, they made me want stuff I didn't even know I wanted, like a Wii remake of Goldeneye, a new Kirby, and a brand new Donkey Kong! But, the main thing they did, is they might have changed the future of gaming, and not just gaming, but the future of the entertainment industry as well.
Nintendo unveiled their new handheld game console, the Nintendo 3DS. Let's put it simply, it's just like the Nintendo DS with better graphics, and, oh yeah, it's all in 3D. And you wanna know the best part? You don't need 3D glasses to play it. That's right, you can adjust the depth of field with a little slider on the side of the handheld. There are two screens, the top screen will play widescreen 3D and the bottom being a touch screen like that of the DS. And if that's not enough, Nintendo announced the ability to watch feature length 3D movies on your 3DS, you can take 3D pictures with it, and it will be completely wi-fi capable. I've just gotta say, Nintendo is ahead of the curve once again. 3D is one of the big topics at this year's E3, a lot of developers making games in stereoscopic 3D and releasing them with 3D glasses, but Nintendo has taken a giant leap above and beyond the competition, and if the 3DS delivers, it will be the gamechanger to the entertainment industry that Avatar was supposed to have been.
The mere thought of just being able to look at a screen, no peripherals, and see real 3D images is astounding from a technical point of view. While I'm still not sold on the idea of 3D in film or television, in the world of gaming it sorta fits, and if anything Nintendo has made me a believer, especially since I wont have to wear the dumb glasses to enjoy something like a brand new Kid Icarus game! But the main thing I wonder, is how does it work? If it's real 3D, just without the glasses, it's got something to do with the screen itself. Is the screen like a projector or something? I don't know, but after seeing the display at Nintendo's press conference, it got me to thinking about the application of this 3D technology across the whole entertainment industry.
Imagine seeing a 3D movie and not having to look like a dork in your 3D glasses, but can just enjoy it with no dimness of the light or colors. It's more natural, and you know what, I might actually like that. And what about 3D TVs using the same technology as the 3DS? The only thing that can hold this advancement back is the simple fact that Nintendo has a patent on the technology, so it will be a few more years before say Samsung has a 3D TV out with this technology, and it would be even longer for movie theaters to convert to this new format. I mean, if it's the screen itself that's making 3D possible, then that means movie theaters would have to install new screens at a very high price tag to keep up, and if 3D TV catches on before then, or 3D gaming, people wont wanna leave their house for the gimicky 3D movie anymore. But I'll be honest, I'm a 3D skeptic, but I really wanna try out a Nintendo 3DS, maybe even buy one when it comes out, cause it truly can be the threshold of the future.
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