Topic: Nintendo 3DS Discussion

[Stogi]

It's made by Nintendo. I wouldn't expect anything to be "super high tech". That's not their steelo.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Well what could Nintendo add that would be regarded as High Tech when it infact is not(or atleast not as expensive as one might think)?

3D cameras.
- To my knowledge are simply 2 cameras at a set distance away from each other and angled to replicate the view from human eyes. The effect is mostly handled in software as it blends the pics together to be viewable with the use of a 3D screen and/or glasses. 2 sets of 2 cameras(or just 2 swivel cameras) on the inside and outside of the 3DS shouldn't be too expensive. I mean you can buy a 10MP camera for less than $100 and that's with the the ~3 inch screens, SD card readers, cases, buttons, battery, packaging... (2x 3MP cameras in a massive bulk order shouldn't cost much on a per camera basis)

Motion Control
-Depending on how this is implemented, it can be very cheap. Accelerometers and gyros have sold tens of millions of units already and Nintendo currently has a contracted supplier for both of those parts. The only way I see it being expensive is if the motion is squeezed into a stylus like some people have been speculating.

Motion Tracked Stylus
- This could be done with a magnetometer and/or an led/infra red light at the tip of the stylus. This would require some sort of battery or cable to be attached to the stylus though, so that could be more expensive. Once again, depends on how it's implemented. An Infrared LED at the tip of the stylus with a micro battery at the other end of the stylus would still be small and inexpensive.

Touch Screen
- Very cheap, over 125 million in the DS alone and 100's of millions more in all the cellphones, the real trick is combining that with the 3D screen and whether or not it will be capacitive, resistive or infrared touch screen.

3D Screen
- I would assume that the cost of these screen has either hit a very affordable place since they've been around for a while, or Nintendo used some market positioning weight to get a really good deal on a bulk order that guarantees the supplying company profitable record books for years to come.

Shrunken GC tech or Tegra/II
- This is already sunken cost if this(shrunken GC) is what they are using. The massive R&D spending could have been because of the rumored shrinking of the GC chipset that was supposedly going on over at Ati/AMD before they shut down their mobile department(which might have nothing to do with a shrunken GC chipset). But that is cost that would have been spreadout for the last 9 years since they finished the GC chipset to begin with(2001).
- Licensing Tegra/II I would assume would be pretty cheap considering Nvidia is looking for a profitable way into the SoC/mobile/GPU market since ATi/AMD has handed them their ass as far as putting a 2010 product on the shelf this year.
*But rumor has it that we will be surprised at who is supplying the chips for the 3DS*
**and that we will not be disappointed with the graphics when we see them**

Onboard Flash
- Memory is cheap. Flash is cheap. I can get a 4GB flash chip for under or around $10 on a single order so I know that if I were Nintendo and ordered 5million to start I could probably get them for atleast $6 a piece if not cheaper. Nintendo wouldn't even need the plastic casing and the packaging, so they might get it even cheaper than that.


Anything else you guys can think of that could be included (that would be considered "High Tech" for Nintendo) but probably shouldn't be expensive?

[Guitar Smasher]

Maybe not "sell-at-a-loss" high tech, but they are responsible for creating original innovative technology.  Did they not invent a slot disc drive capable of accepting different sized discs (that was the claim, wasn't it)?

[King of Twitch]

Smell-o-vision
- smell the smoke in mario kart; taste the fruit when yoshi does; feel the mist of the zelda fairy fountain!

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

- Krystal's unwashed hair
- Daisy's sweaty shorts

Multidimensional qualities of a woman

[MaryJane]

Motion Control
-Depending on how this is implemented, it can be very cheap. Accelerometers and gyros have sold tens of millions of units already and Nintendo currently has a contracted supplier for both of those parts. The only way I see it being expensive is if the motion is squeezed into a stylus like some people have been speculating.

Motion Tracked Stylus
- This could be done with a magnetometer and/or an led/infra red light at the tip of the stylus. This would require some sort of battery or cable to be attached to the stylus though, so that could be more expensive. Once again, depends on how it's implemented. An Infrared LED at the tip of the stylus with a micro battery at the other end of the stylus would still be small and inexpensive.

  , and it could be, but why when you have already spoken of two cameras? unless your just saying what could be done and not what you think or want...

My ideas: In the case of hardware I'll say putting a MotionPlus like device in the 3DS and marketing the hell out of it, especially against the motion response of the iPhone--which I have to say is pretty solid for a phone but could be better.
For software, I've said it enough times, and yet I feel like it can't be said enough times: VoIP.

[MegaByte]

Camera tracking is a lot more processor intensive than the other alternatives.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Motion Control
-Depending on how this is implemented, it can be very cheap. Accelerometers and gyros have sold tens of millions of units already and Nintendo currently has a contracted supplier for both of those parts. The only way I see it being expensive is if the motion is squeezed into a stylus like some people have been speculating.

Motion Tracked Stylus
- This could be done with a magnetometer and/or an led/infra red light at the tip of the stylus. This would require some sort of battery or cable to be attached to the stylus though, so that could be more expensive. Once again, depends on how it's implemented. An Infrared LED at the tip of the stylus with a micro battery at the other end of the stylus would still be small and inexpensive.

  , and it could be, but why when you have already spoken of two cameras? unless your just saying what could be done and not what you think or want...

My ideas: In the case of hardware I'll say putting a MotionPlus like device in the 3DS and marketing the hell out of it, especially against the motion response of the iPhone--which I have to say is pretty solid for a phone but could be better.
For software, I've said it enough times, and yet I feel like it can't be said enough times: VoIP.

For Motion Control I put accelerometers and gyros, that is like a wiimote with motion plus.
the 3DS would detect roll, pitch and yaw. also move the magnetmoter to here since that would help it know when it's level (no more calibration).

for the motion tracked stylus, I didn't say it, but the infrared LED would be tracked by the camera(s) but could also be tracked by something like this (and not a magnetometer). It wouldn't even require batteries so that should keep the cost of replacement stylii (is that plural for styluses?) down to negligible.

[Kytim89]

Motion Control
-Depending on how this is implemented, it can be very cheap. Accelerometers and gyros have sold tens of millions of units already and Nintendo currently has a contracted supplier for both of those parts. The only way I see it being expensive is if the motion is squeezed into a stylus like some people have been speculating.

Motion Tracked Stylus
- This could be done with a magnetometer and/or an led/infra red light at the tip of the stylus. This would require some sort of battery or cable to be attached to the stylus though, so that could be more expensive. Once again, depends on how it's implemented. An Infrared LED at the tip of the stylus with a micro battery at the other end of the stylus would still be small and inexpensive.

  , and it could be, but why when you have already spoken of two cameras? unless your just saying what could be done and not what you think or want...

My ideas: In the case of hardware I'll say putting a MotionPlus like device in the 3DS and marketing the hell out of it, especially against the motion response of the iPhone--which I have to say is pretty solid for a phone but could be better.
For software, I've said it enough times, and yet I feel like it can't be said enough times: VoIP.

For Motion Control I put accelerometers and gyros, that is like a wiimote with motion plus.
the 3DS would detect roll, pitch and yaw. also move the magnetmoter to here since that would help it know when it's level (no more calibration).

for the motion tracked stylus, I didn't say it, but the infrared LED would be tracked by the camera(s) but could also be tracked by something like this (and not a magnetometer). It wouldn't even require batteries so that should keep the cost of replacement stylii (is that plural for styluses?) down to negligible.

Would it be possible for Nintendo to have a miniature rechargabel battery inside the stylus that recharges inside the 3DS while the system itself recharges from the wall socket? But this seems impratical and too expensive for Nintendo's tastes.
 
Due to the success of the wii's motion controls, I have no doubt that the 3DS is going to have its own version of motion controls. The question what kind of motion controls and how will they be implemented. Nintendo is no doubt shoting for a portable wii with the 3DS.
 
If the device does have motion controls, what is the purpose of having a touch screen? The touch screen was first touted as an earlier version of motion controls. Since the 3DS will be backwards compatible with the DS, a motion screen is need. But how will a touch screen go along with gesture based motion controls? A touch screen seems redundant at this point.
 
A hand held virtual console is a given and the RFN crew recently taled about on their latest show. With something like this I see Nintendo implementing a moderate amount of flash memory for the VC handheld and possibly a movie player and 3DSware.
 
Over all the biggest innovation is going to be the software itself.

[BlackNMild2k1]

If the device does have motion controls, what is the purpose of having a touch screen? The touch screen was first touted as an earlier version of motion controls. Since the 3DS will be backwards compatible with the DS, a motion screen is need. But how will a touch screen go along with gesture based motion controls? A touch screen seems redundant at this point.

Here is where we just pretend that the iPhone doesn't exist or that you have to use the motion/tilt controls at the same time as the touch screen and in every game ever made for the system.

[Kytim89]

This is a little off topic, but has any noticed my new avatar?

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

what

[Stratos]

This is a little off topic, but has any noticed my new avatar?

For future reference, this is where we champion our new avatars, Kytim. And yes, I did notice it.

[BlackNMild2k1]

It's official, 1st 3DS game announcement.

Looks like we have the first confirmed 3DS ("future Nintendo portable") game

http://www.wiinintendo.net/2010/05/21/nnooos-next-dsiware-game-spirit-hunters-inc/

Spirit Hunters Inc. is planned for a late 2010 release on Nintendo DSiWare and future Nintendo portable devices.

But then it could just mean that the DSiWare version will also be playable on the 3DS.

We are indeed planning on bringing Spirit Hunters Inc to the 3DS as well as the DSi. Our aim with Spirit Hunters Inc is to have two DSi versions and two 3DS versions with the 3DS ones making specific use of the new hardware as well as hopefully containing some new gameplay features too!

source

[MaryJane]

For Motion Control I put accelerometers and gyros, that is like a wiimote with motion plus.
the 3DS would detect roll, pitch and yaw. also move the magnetmoter to here since that would help it know when it's level (no more calibration).

for the motion tracked stylus, I didn't say it, but the infrared LED would be tracked by the camera(s) but could also be tracked by something like this (and not a magnetometer). It wouldn't even require batteries so that should keep the cost of replacement stylii (is that plural for styluses?) down to negligible.

My main thing about the MotionPlus was the advertising. Whatever implementation they use, being able to market it will be key, and they can do that by speaking to Wii owners who currently don't own a DS but could be coerced into owning one by being made to think they would basically be taking a small Wii with them on the road. With rumor mills--even others beside the one on NWR --going wild saying that the 3DS will have graphics close to that of the Wii that would be an even more effective sell: "Not only does it look like a small Wii, it moves like it too: MotionPlus is included in the 3DS just like it is in the new Wiimote for more responsive gestures than an iPhone! But wait there's more..." what do they call the Wiimote in commercials anyway? I never see them thanks to TiVo.

That thing you linked to was cool--I read it before going to work, I remember the premise not the details and too lazy to reread--but like an infrared beam in the stylus I think it's unnecessary when there is already a camera or two to do it without extra cost/weight/battery drain/size etc. 

And yes styli--with one i--is plural for stylus, but styluses is also acceptable. 

It's official, 1st 3DS game announcement.

Looks like we have the first confirmed 3DS ("future Nintendo portable") game

http://www.wiinintendo.net/2010/05/21/nnooos-next-dsiware-game-spirit-hunters-inc/

Spirit Hunters Inc. is planned for a late 2010 release on Nintendo DSiWare and future Nintendo portable devices.

But then it could just mean that the DSiWare version will also be playable on the 3DS.

We are indeed planning on bringing Spirit Hunters Inc to the 3DS as well as the DSi. Our aim with Spirit Hunters Inc is to have two DSi versions and two 3DS versions with the 3DS ones making specific use of the new hardware as well as hopefully containing some new gameplay features too!

source

3DS as well as the DSi? Are we going to do this again Nintendo? I really hope this is only for in-development games, and that it's not just crappy rush jobs like the Wii's plethora of 'let's add waggle' games. 

[TJ Spyke]

I think this could be like the Xbox 360 launch where most of the early games were literally nothing more than Xbox games with slightly better graphics (and achievements). Then again, it's too early to speculate as this is the first confirmed 3DS game.

[Kytim89]

We are about two weeks away from the 3DS reveal at E3 this year.

[BlackNMild2k1]

That thing you linked to was cool--I read it before going to work, I remember the premise not the details and too lazy to reread--but like an infrared beam in the stylus I think it's unnecessary when there is already a camera or two to do it without extra cost/weight/battery drain/size etc.

I didn't mean an infrared beam, just an infrared LED on the tip of the stylus (doubles as the part you touch the screen with) that the camera would be able to track in nearly any lighting condition but wouldn't emit any actual visible light.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Also, Repulsor Technology.

[Kytim89]

How much flash memory will the 3DS have? I am speculating on atleast 4GB, but this may still be too much for Nintendo.

[King of Twitch]

ah-ooga. NOA HQ doesn't have that many gigabytes.

[Kytim89]

I hope Nintendo allows digital wall paper to be used as back grounds the upper screen of the 3DS when the main screen is activated. Imagine taking photos from the interent and saving them an SD card and using them as back ground pictures in the same way we do with our avatars.

[BlackNMild2k1]

http://ds.ign.com/articles/109/1094930p1.html

Several developers that have experienced 3DS in its current form have reported, off the record, that it has processing capabilities that far exceed the Nintendo Wii and bring the device with abilities that are close to HD consoles such as PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Well, that's alot to chew on now isn't it. It sounds a little over exaggerated to me but who am I to slow down the HYPE TRAIN!!!! I'll just cut the brake line and put some more oil on the tracks.... there is no slowing us down now!

[MegaByte]

I find it hard to believe... just look at how much power even the newest versions of those systems consume... Wii-level would be more reasonable.  But I guess we'll find out in 11 days.

[Spak-Spang]

You know the truth is, that it is probably not even close to Xbox 360 or PS3 levels, however since the system probably runs at lower resolutions it is getting performance levels around that of those higher consoles.  Either that or Nintendo is going with one graphics chip and it needs that power to do 2 screens properly, but I just don't see that being the case.

Wii level graphics are plenty capable for a handheld device.  We don't need anything more powerful than that because it would probably be un-needed.

Please Nintendo remember to keep this thing affordable and cheap.  PLEASE.