Nintendo 3DS

Take a look inside.

The Nintendo 3DS is a handheld video game system. It succeeds the previous line of Nintendo DS systems. The device's main attraction would be its use of glasses-free 3D effects (thus ushering in the name 3DS), as well as its motion controls.

The Nintendo 3DS was announced on March 23rd, 2010, but was officially revealed and showcased at E3 2010 on June 15th, 2010.

On January 19th, 2011, Nintendo officially announced that the system would be released on February 26th, 2011 in Japan, and March 27, 2011 in North America and Europe. It costed 25,000 yen, which equals $299.99, though the official price later turned out to be $249.99 in America and €249.99 in Europe. South Korea saw a release on April 28, 2012.

On July 28, 2011, Nintendo announced the Nintendo 3DS would be getting a price cut from $250 to $169.99 in North America, 25,000 yen to 15,000 yen in Japan, and $349.99 to $250 in Australia. On June 22, 2012, Nintendo announced an extra-large model, dubbed the Nintendo 3DS XL. On August 28, 2013, Nintendo announced a 2D-only revision, dubbed the Nintendo 2DS.

The system primarily competes with the successor to the PlayStation Portable, the PlayStation Vita.

3D Beginnings
(Detail previous endeavors of Nintendo into the third dimension, prior to the 3DS)

Pre-E3 Announcement
(Detail speculation of DS successor, official announcement confirming 3DS existence)

E3 2010 Unveiling
(Detail Nintendo E3 conference, all things that happened pertaining to the 3DS, and info/games announced afterward)

September 29 Conference
(Detail info is given at September 29 Nintendo press conference)

January 19 Conference
(Detail info is given at January 19 conference)

Launch
(Detail hype building up to 3DS launch, such as launch parties, people [such as Triforce Johnson] lining up at GameStop, etc., to get 3DS at midnight, and so forth)

Features
The Nintendo 3DS has many abilities compared to its predecessor, the Nintendo DSi. For one, it includes a circle pad for more precise gameplay. Another new feature is higher quality graphics, as well as internet capabilities. The system itself is about the same size and weight, however, the top screen is much larger than that of the DSi, probably for more comfortable viewing, and is wider. Once again, the bottom screen has touch control with an extendable stylus up to 100mm, and there is a camera on the inside of the 3DS just in the center above the top screen, as well as two on the outside, which can all take 3D pictures and enable viewing in 3D as well.

Perhaps the largest new feature of the 3DS is the ability to play games in 3D technology, without the use of special glasses. The system uses technology to merge two pictures together to add depth, called parallax barrier technology, using a process called autostereoscopy. Plus viewers can change the extremity of the 3D on the system by moving the slider up and down to add and decrease depth. More features are that it will have backwards compatibility with the DS, allowing one to play their DS games with increased resolution and circle pad control, as well as a gyroscope and accelerometer for motion control. The Nintendo 3DS has a home button to allow players to access the home menu more quickly, a tag mode will be included, as well as the ability to download 3D movies. The tag mode is currently being known as "StreetPass Mode," as stated by Nintendo. "SpotPass" also allows the 3DS to download information in sleep mode.

Users can also transfer DSiWare titles from their Nintendo DSi to the 3DS. The 3DS also has its own downloadable software, unofficially known as 3DSWare, that can be purchased on the Nintendo eShop, an online shop exclusive to the system.

Release and Pricing
The 3DS was released on March 27, 2011. It was rumored 3DS games would cost as much as DS games, considering the features and capabilities. They turned out to have about a $10 premium. The release date was confirmed at the Nintendo conference to be February 26th, 2011 in Japan, and March 27th, 2011 in America and March 25th, 2011 in Europe. The price will be 25,000 yen ($299, but the official price for the US and Europe is $249.99 and €249.99 respectively). In Australia it was confirmed to be released on the 31st of March, at the price of $350. There is a rumor going around that Nintendo is going to drop the price of the 3DS to $139.99, no further info, on this. It is not known if this is true or when this will happen.

Games
Main article: List of Nintendo 3DS games

Reception
Section under construction

Sales
After the price drop, the Nintendo 3DS gained a sharp boost in both hardware and software. The system sold more in its first nine weeks than the Wii did. Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 sold over a million units each in North America, and became the best-selling video game software title in Japan in 2011.

In addition, the 3DS was the best-selling console of 2011 in Japan, and sold the most hardware out of any gaming system in December of that year since 1997.