The Nintendo 3DS has already been announced, and since then we’ve heard several reports on the additional functionality the device will have. No official word has come from Nintendo however, other than it will be available to demo at E3. Below we list the 5 top features we hope are really true about the DS successor.
#5. Vibration
Vibration was widely introduced to video games by Nintendo with their Rumble Pak attachment for the N64. Over the years however, their competition have treated vibration as a gaming standard while Nintendo has let it fall by the wayside. Seeing as they have been filing patents and are suspected of including it in the 3DS, perhaps Nintendo agrees. Hell, the last controller they made with good rumble support was the Gamecube controller, which still remains the correct way to play Brawl.
#4. Motion controls
This one is a no brainer. Seeing that the iPhone has cut into roughly 5% of DS software sales, Nintendo would be amiss not to advance to the next handheld generation without including the basic functionality of its current competition. Also, Nintendo still dominates the market with their motion powered Wii, and as the PS Move and Xbox Natal join the motion revolution, there is no reason the 3DS wouldn’t follow suit.
#3. Better Online Functionality
Japanese news site Nikkei has reported several additional features that are expected to be on the new system, such as improved battery life and a 3D analog stick. More interesting however is their suggestion that the system will have improved wireless capabilities, allowing for more data to transfer over the system. Could this mean we can finally get rid of friend codes?! Lets hope so, because if there is one thing Nintendo’s systems lack, its a robust multiplayer system.
#2. nVidia Tegra Chip
Rumors of the tech that would power Big N’s next handheld have been swirling around the net since last November, and all sources point to the Tegra, or possibly the Tegra 2. If the next DS is powered by the Tegra 2, that would allow for Gamecube quality graphics on the 3DS.
3D remake of Eternal Darkness please!
#1. Minority Report Head Tracking
The DSi’s cameras are already capable of head tracking. Japanese DSiWare game Rittai Kakushi e Attakoreda (Hidden 3D Image: There It Is!) makes good use of this tech, using it to create 3D depth without the use of 3D tech. By combining this head tracking technology with the rumored motion controls and pairing it with the true 3D effects of the 3DS, perhaps Nintendo’s handheld can do the Tom Cruise just as good as the PS Move.
Rittai Kakushi e Attakoreda (Hidden 3D Image: There It Is!) in action:
(NOTE: This was my contribution to a feature that ran @NintendoLife about the 25th Anniversary of the NES. I just wanted to archive these memories for myself.) The first video game I ever saw was Kung-Fu for the NES. My older sister’s friend down the street had just gotten the system, so she kindly escorted [...]
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