Nintendo 3DS

Lore & Background

Nintendo began experimenting with stereoscopic 3D video game technology in the 1980s. The Famicom 3D System, an accessory consisting of liquid crystal shutter glasses, was Nintendo's first product that enabled stereoscopic 3D effects. Although few titles were released, Nintendo helped design one—called Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally—which was co-developed by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory and released in 1988. The Famicom 3D System failed to garner market interest and was never released outside Japan. Nintendo's second attempt with 3D development was the Virtual Boy, designed by Gunpei Yokoi, creator of the Game Boy handheld console, Kid Icarus, and popular Metroid video game. It was a portable table-top system consisting of separate handheld controller and goggles that used two tiny, rapidly oscillating mirrors to achieve stereoscopic monochrome 3D. Released in 1995, the Virtual Boy sold fewer than a million units, with only 22 compatible game titles released, and was widely considered to be a commercial failure. Shigeru Miyamoto commented in a 2011 interview that he felt conflicted about Yokoi's decision to use wire-frame models for 3D and suggested that the product may not have been marketed correctly. The failure of the Virtual Boy left many at Nintendo doubting the viability of 3D gaming. Despite this, Nintendo continued to investigate the incorporation of 3D technology into later products. The GameCube, released in 2001, was also capable of displaying true stereoscopic 3D with an LCD attachment, though only the launch title Luigi's Mansion was ever designed to utilize it. While a working internal prototype was created, the add-on itself was never released due to its expensive cost, leaving the feature unavailable outside of development. Nintendo later experimented with a 3D LCD during the development of the Game Boy Advance SP, but the idea was shelved after it failed to achieve satisfactory results. Another attempt was made in preparation for a virtual navigation guide to be used on the Nintendo DS at Shigureden, an interactive museum in Japan. Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi encouraged additional 3D research in an effort to use the technology in the exhibition. Although the project fell short, Nintendo was able to collect valuable research on liquid crystal which would later aid in the development of the Nintendo 3DS. Speculation on the development of a successor to the Nintendo DS began in late 2009. At the time, Nintendo controlled as much as 68.3% of the handheld gaming market. In October 2009, tech tabloid Bright Side of News reported that Nvidia had been selected by Nintendo to develop hardware for their next generation portable game console. Later that month, speaking about the future for Nintendo's portable consoles, company president Satoru Iwata mentioned that while mobile broadband connectivity via subscription 'doesn't fit Nintendo customers', he was interested in exploring options like Amazon's Whispernet found on the Amazon Kindle which provides free wireless connectivity to its customers for the sole purpose of browsing and purchasing content from the Kindle Store. Nintendo had expressed interest in motion-sensing capabilities since the development of the original Nintendo DS, and an alleged comment by Satoru Iwata from a 2010 interview with Asahi Shimbun implied that the successor to the Nintendo DS would incorporate a motion sensor. The claim led to a minor dispute between the publication and Nintendo over its accuracy. In February 2010, video gaming website Computer and Video Games reported that a select 'handful' of Japanese developers were in possession of software development kits for the Nintendo DS successor, with The Pokémon Company given special priority. According to their insider at an unspecified third-party development studio, the hardware features a 'tilt' function that is similar to that of the iPhone, 'but does a lot more'. On March 23, 2010, Nintendo officially announced the Nintendo 3DS handheld console. According to industry analysts, the timing of the announcement, which had drawn attention away from the launch of the company's still-new Nintendo DSi XL handheld, was likely intended to preempt impending news leaks about the product by the Japanese press. In April 2010, a picture of a possible development build of the internal components of the 3DS was released as part of a U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing by Mitsumi. An analysis of the image showed that it was likely genuine as it featured components known to be used in the Nintendo DS line along with features of the 3DS that had not been announced like a 5:3 top screen and a control nub similar to those used in Sony's PlayStation Portable systems. In June 2010, video gaming website IGN reported that according to 'several developers who have experienced 3DS in its current form,' the system possesses processing power that 'far exceed[s] the Nintendo Wii' and with 3D shaders, they could make games that 'look close to current generation visuals on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3'. IGN also cited 'several developer sources' as saying that the system does not use the Nvidia Tegra mobile chipset. The system was fully revealed at Nintendo's conference at E3 2010 on June 15, 2010. The first game revealed was Kid Icarus: Uprising, and several other titles from third parties were also announced, including Square Enix with Kingdom Hearts 3D, Konami with Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, Ubisoft with Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy, and Capcom with Resident Evil: Revelations and Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition. Other Nintendo-developed titles revealed after the conference included Mario Kart 7 (then named Mario Kart 3DS), Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Star Fox 64 3D, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. Nintendo also demoed 3D trailers of the movies How to Train Your Dragon, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, and Tangled on the 3DS. The 3DS design shown at E3 was almost final, but subject to minor changes. On September 29, 2010, Nintendo announced that the Nintendo 3DS would be released in Japan on February 26, 2011. Furthermore, several additional features were announced: the inclusion of a Mii Maker (similar to the Mii Channel on the Wii), Virtual Console (including Game Boy and Game Boy Color), 3D Classics, a cradle for recharging the system's battery, multitasking, several included augmented reality games, an included 2 GB SD card, and stored game data, as well as the final names for the 3DS tag modes, StreetPass and SpotPass. Nintendo further revealed that the system would be available at launch in two colors, 'Aqua Blue' and 'Cosmo Black', and that its launch price in Japan would be ¥25,000. The final physical design was also revealed at this event.

Reader's Guide

The Nintendo 3DS family of systems combined have sold 75.94 million units, and games for the systems have sold 392.29 million units. Less than six months after launch, Nintendo announced a significant price reduction from US$249.99 to US$169.99 amid disappointing launch sales. The company offered free games from the Nintendo eShop to consumers who bought the system at the original launch price. This strategy was considered a major success, and the console went on to become one of Nintendo's most successful handheld consoles in the first two years of its release. The 3DS family received several hardware revisions during its lifespan. The Nintendo 3DS XL, featuring larger screens, launched in July 2012. The Nintendo 2DS, an entry-level model with a non-folding design and no 3D display, followed in October 2013. The New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 2DS XL added upgraded hardware and additional controls, beginning in October 2014. Nintendo discontinued the 3DS line on September 16, 2020. The Nintendo eShop closed on March 27, 2023, and Nintendo Network features ended on April 8, 2024, with limited exceptions.

Did You Know?

• The Nintendo 3DS introduced autostereoscopic 3D visuals that do not require special glasses.
• Nintendo's first stereoscopic 3D product was the Famicom 3D System, an accessory using liquid crystal shutter glasses.
• The 3DS launch price in Japan was ¥25,000.