In a world where mobile phone and tablet gaming is quickly becoming more and more popular, traditional handhelds continue to push on, even if their future isn’t so clear right now with the growth of competition from devices like iPhones, Android devices and the iPad. At least for the foreseeable future though you will probably continue to see Nintendo do quite well- especially since they are popular among younger audiences that hopefully don’t have or need a smartphone.

There were many different versions of the popular last-gen DS, and one of these was the DS XL. The DS XL was popular among gamers that were a little older and wanted a bigger screen for core gaming and for use with the casual titles as well. With that in mind, Nintendo has now officially announced that the 3DS XL is on its way, hitting stores the same day as the 3DS game “New Super Mario Brothers”.

Changes to the 3DS XL include a 4.88-inch stereoscopic 3D display, a 4.18-inch secondary screen, and an improved battery that offers 4-7 hours of 3DS play time, or 6-10 for DS game playtime. The Nintendo 3DS XL will be priced at $199.99 and includes a 4GB memory card and the option of choosing a red or blue colored unit.

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For those of you who are wondering about that “Nintendo Network” logo which appeared on a dummy box for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, it’s certainly a reality and it has now become official. The Nintendo Network is the new name for the company’s online service on the 3DS and it will also be available on the Wii U after it arrives late this year.

The new service will be different from their existing Nintendo Wi-Fi connection services. According to company head honcho Satoru Iwata, the network will offer “competitions and communication among users, as well as the sales of digital content“. They are planning to offer retail games for sale via digital download and add-on content will be available as well.

Iwata revealed that the 3DS already has the infrastructure built into it. “This concept was built into the design of the Nintendo 3DS, and we already have the necessary infrastructure“, he said, “We will prepare the same infrastructure for the Wii U. However, we have not decided the concrete timing of when we will start it“.

As for the Wii U, the service will enable multiple personal user accounts per system, which will finally end their policy of tying software purchases to a single system.

It’s certainly a good thing that Nintendo is finally thinking seriously about the internet. What do you think?

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While the 3DS has yet to prove itself as a runaway success like the DS before it, there are certainly some great features to Nintendo’s newest handheld. The device has a no-glasses 3D screen and has a 3D augmentation technology for really putting you in ‘the game’.

Outside of its more recognized features there are also some less exciting options such as taking photos. While photography might not be the most exciting feature of the 3DS, a new update has added video footage to the mix.

While taking video on a 3DS might not really seem worthy of a post here, what makes it interesting is that the video footage is actually in 3D.  Of course you can only take 10 minutes of continuous 3D video footage. The update also allows recording in stop-motion mode. Imagine using your 3DS to make a 3D clay animation video.Right now its also not clear if and how you can export these videos to another source outside of your 3DS.

While certainly not a feature that ‘sells’ the 3DS, it is still a pretty neat update for those who already own Nintendo’s hardware or were already strongly considering the device. For a full list of what the new update brings, outside of video, check out the CNET update link we’ve included.

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And that’s kind of where we leave ourselves with today’s announcement from Nintendo. The 3DS is set to hit American shores this weekend, introducing glasses-free 3D to the portable gaming market. The trouble is that not everyone can see the 3D-ness, forcing them to put that slider all the way down to 2D for the games to make any sense.

So, what does Nintendo do? Hideki Konno, the Nintendo 3DS producer, says that they are “moving away from any stance that says if you don’t see the 3-D functionality, you can’t play the game.” What this means is that the 3D is even more of an aesthtetic gimmick, rather than an integral part of the game. You don’t need 3D to solve the in-game puzzles, because the games don’t rely on that perspective.

I guess this is both good and bad. In my brief experience with a 3DS demo, I started to suffer eye strain and a mild headache after only a few minutes of Pilotwings Resort. If I needed the 3D to be on all the time to play the game at all, I don’t think I could ever really play a 3DS… but that’s like buying the Wii just so you can play Mario Kart with a GameCube controller.

[Ars via Wired]

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DoCoMo’s top dog Ryuji Yamada was caught saying that “videogame makers know that in order for portable game machines to take the next step forward, they need wireless communication. We are discussing this with various players.”  Yamada has that right, these gaming devices are quickly being threatened with each iteration and jump forward smartphone technology takes.  App store inventories are growing with hot titles every day, even ports by the very game creators themselves are on the iPhone, if game console manufacturers want to keep playing in the mobile arena they’ll have to make a drastic evolution.  We know the 3DS specs were announced and 3G didn’t make the list, Nintendo may take an Applesque approach to their hardware in the future, offering a range of models with WiFi only, WiFi + 3G, and various storage capacity options.  Nintendo’s President Satoru Iwata was impressed by 3G being offered up for free on the Amazon Kindle.

“The distinction between gaming devices and mobile communication devices, like smartphones, are blurring. And it may eventually disappear” added Yamada.  Could that be hinting at much more than 3G connected gaming consoles, but consoles that are also our next mobile phones?

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Nintendo 3DS announced in Japan

It seems that the next generation of Nintendo handhelds are entering a whole new dimension and it could be much more innovative than that bigger-screened Nintendo DSi XL. That’s because the Nintendo 3DS will feature a 3D display and you won’t even need some goofy goggles to make use of it.

This not just a rumor. Nintendo Japan has officially announced the Nintendo 3DS. If you’re expecting Avatar-style 3D where the objects leap off the screen, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. That’s not the 3D you’ll be getting here, from what I can tell.  Instead, from a best guess point of view, the Nintendo 3DS will an accelerometer.  In doing so, it can alter the perspective of the game to give the appearance of depth depending on the tilted angle it is held at. It’s like you are looking deep into the screen for 3D rather than having things come out of the screen. There may be more to it, but that sounds like the main 3D tech being used.

The rumors surrounding other features are plentiful. It will be backwards compatible with DS and DSi games, but it’s unclear whether it’ll have vibration feedback, or a higher resolution (720p) screen. There might be a Tegra chip and there might be a 3G SIM slot for over-the-air downloads.

A more formal unveiling will likely take place at E3 Expo this June.

Update: This is not a Nintendo 3DS demo but a DSiware title called Rittai Kakushi e Attakoreda.  It uses the DSi camera to detect how you tilt the system and uses “Head Tracking” technology.

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