Nintendo Unveils 3DS, Full Software Line-Up

Just a few hours ago Nintendo unveiled the hotly anticipated 3DS to the world at its E3 press conference. The machine, looking strikingly like an enhanced version of the current DSi and XL machines, is a vastly more powerful beast equipped with both motion sensors and an adjustable 3D widescreen display.

Those of you expecting an Xbox 1 matching visual experience will be disappointed. However from what we’ve seen the 3DS seems to rival the PS2 and GCN on a lower level, and exceed them in certain areas (possible shader effects, bump mapping etc). It's not so surprising then, that the brand new handheld was being aimed squarely at core gamers at the event, with a barrage of classic and updated franchises.

Lets take it away!


On first inspection the 3DS looks remarkably similar to the existing DSi and Light models available on stores shelves. Looking closely however, reveals some major improvements, and a doggedly stubborn approach to change. The standard d-pad plus four face buttons remain, as does the two shoulder buttons and bottom touch screen. The d-pad now appears lower down, and in its old position sits a flat analogue nub of sorts, much like the one found on the PSP, but situated slightly inside the unit’s shell.

The bottom screen is the same touch screen as present in the DSi, however the top screen is where all the special stuff occurs. As you may have read before in this very blog, the top screen is a sharp manufactured, auto-stereoscopic widescreen display which displays 3D images without any need for the user to wear polarised or shuter glasses. It measures 3.53 inches across, and has a pixel resolution of 800x240 (400 pixels are allocated for each eye to enable 3D viewing).

A slider on the unit controls the strength of the 3D effect, which will be adjustable for every game, but also allows you to turn it off completely if you want a crisp and clear 2D image instead.

Backing up the use of 3D and the existing touch screen, comes the rumoured inclusion of motion controls and tilt functionality. To that end the unit features a gyro sensor inside, along with other motion sensing equipment. Apparently both 3D and motion sensing can be used at the same time, although reports state that the image can become split in two, and suffer from ghosting if viewed off-axis, meaning that in order to get the best image, you will have to be looking straight on at the screen.

It is likely that most games will either choose to use subtle motion sensing and 3D combined, or 3D and greater motion sensing separately. Certainly, from early hands-on impressions this would seem like the best course of action for developers. But we will see.

Moving on, the two cameras present in both the DSi and the DSi XL remain, although the outer camera now consists of two camera lenses enabling it to take photos for display in 3D on the top screen. Both have a 640x480 in 0.3 megapixel resolution, same as in the DSi, and still present the user with grainy, low-res looking pictures as before.

Wi-Fi is of course present – the same 802.11 band as found in existing models, along with WPA/WPA2 security support, and a stereo headphone jack is present at the bottom of the unit.

In terms of software, Nintendo announced a slew of impressive titles. Some were merely remakes of old N64 and PS2 games, whilst others were a combination of brand new releases and ported PS3 and 360 games.

The most impressive ones were:

- A port of the PS2 smash hit, Metal Gear Solid 3, which featured some lavishly bump-mapped visuals, great lighting, and solid texturing.


- A new iteration of Mario Kart:


- StarFox 64:


- Resident Evil: Revelations:


The full list of games can be found below:

- Activision - DJ Hero 3D

- AQ Interactive - cubic ninja

- Atlus - Etrian Odyssey, Shin Megami Tensei, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor

- Capcom - Resident Evil Revelations, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (working title)

- Electronic Arts - FIFA Soccer, Madden NFL, The Sims 3

- Gameloft - Asphalt GT

- Harmonix - Music game

- Hudson Soft - Bomberman, Deca Sports, Kororinpa

- Konami - Baseball, Contra, Frogger, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D "The Naked Sample", Pro Evolution Soccer/Winning Eleven

- Level-5 - Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle (working title)

- Majesco - BloodRayne: The Shroud, A Boy and His Blob, Face Racers: Photo Finish, Lion's Pride: Adventures on the Serengetti, Martha Stewart, WonderWorld Amusement Park

- Marvelous - Bokujyoumonogatari 3D (working title)

- Namco Bandai - Dragon Ball, Gundam, Pac-Man & Galaga, Ridge Racer, Super Robot (all working titles)

- Nintendo - Animal Crossing, Kid Icarus Uprising, Mario Kart, nintendogs+cats, Paper Mario, PilotWings Resort, Star Fox 64 3D, Steel Driver

- Rocket - Crash-City GP, VS-robo

- SEGA - Sonic, Super Monkey Ball (working titles)

- Square Enix - Codename: Chocobo Racing 3D, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts

- Take-Two - Carnival Games

- Tecmo Koei - Dead or Alive 3D, Dynasty Warriors, Ninja Gaiden, Samurai Warriors 3D (all working titles)

- Tomy - Lovely Lisa 3D, Naruto Shippuden Action

- THQ - de Blob 2, Kung Fu Panda Kaboom of Doom, Marvel Super Hero Squad Infinity Gauntlet, The Penguins of Madagascar, Puss N Boots, Saints Row: Drive-By

- Ubisoft - Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy, Battle of Giants: Dinosaur Strike, Driver Renegade, Hollywood 61 (working title), Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

- Warner Bros. - Batman, LEGO

Along with a long list of games Nintendo also mentioned that the 3DS will be able to display 3D movies. Disney, Warner Bros, and Dreamworks were all said to be involved, though no further information was forthcoming.


Overall, the 3DS definitely feels like a turbo-charged upgrade to the current DS than an all out revolution. Certainly, in terms of design and aesthetics, it looks that way. However the machine appears to be more powerful than most handhelds on the market, packing more usable grunt than the PSP or maybe even the iPhone in real-world terms, and has 3D support to back it up.

What remains to be seen is whether that particular effect is enough to keep people interested in what could initially appear to be one DS model too many. Thankfully, from what we’ve seen at E3, that doesn’t appear to be the case, plus with the extra horsepower under the hood – and the use of analogue controls – the 3DS could well usurp the PSP as the core gamers mobile platform of choice.

IQGamer will be investigating the hardware and graphics potential in the 3DS shortly.

Microsoft Announces 360 Slim

Earlier today at their pre-E3 press conference in LA Microsoft officially unveiled a brand new version of the 360 console, marking an end to leaked motherboard photos and numerous unconfirmed reports of its existence.


The 360 Slim is a smaller, shorter, and quieter redesign of the current Super Elite model, boasting a 250gb hard drive, built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi adaptor, extra USB ports, a separate optical output for surround sound users, and a port for hooking up the Kinect motion sensor.

Compared to current models of 360 the slim features a shiny gloss black finish with chrome highlights, and also has touch sensitive buttons much like the original chunky PS3’s. Internal revisions to the hardware are obviously present, with a shrunk down CPU/GPU combo and one single fan responsible for cooling the unit, resulting in the console being "whisper quiet" according to Microsoft.

Retailers in the US are expecting to receive stock of the new console later on this week for immediate sale, whilst Europe is said to be getting the machine on 16th July.

We shall be providing a more comprehensive look at the hardware later on this week after the mayhem of E3 has subsided.

'Project Natal' Evolves Into Kinect

At last year’s E3, Microsoft gave us a tantalising glimpse at their entry into the world of motion control gaming with ‘Project Natal’, a control system which foregoes the actual use of a physical controller and instead places you, the user, as way of directly manipulating the action on-screen. The demos for the unit showed members of the associated press and readers alike just how much further the concept of motion could be pushed, taking the game literally into the living room. Finally that concept has been given a name.

Last night at their Cirque-du-Soleil event in Los Angeles Microsoft pulled back the curtain on ‘Project Natal’, revealing the final name for the device as the ‘Kinect’ referencing both motion and the idea of bringing people together for new gameplay experiences. They also showed off the final ‘Kenect’ hardware, which looked smaller, and slightly sleeker than the early prototypes demonstrated at previous events.


A list of titles for the ‘Kinect’ was announced, with games varying from family sports titles, a multi-game action title, a racing game, and a virtual pet simulator of sorts.

First was Kinect Sports, in which MS showed off bowling, tack and field, soccer, and volleyball. It appears to be direct competitor to Nintendo’s Wii Sports, but somewhat more advanced, although not always completely accurate with some journos sighting a lack of 1:1 movement and lag as the main cause.

Next up Kinect Adventures. This looks to be a compilation of on-rails action mini-games, and both a rafting game and mine-cart ride were shown. The aim of the title appears to be collecting various goodies by reaching out to grab them whilst maintaining the speed of the raft or cart. Jumping speeds up the raft, and at certain points in either game players have to strike a pose for the camera adding to the fun.

Kinectimals is the resident virtual pet game for the device, featuring an array of big cats instead of cute little pooches and bizarre fictional critters. Users were able to pet and play with the on-screen cats, along with trying to teach them tricks and throwing them a ball. It looks like a glorified Nintendogs-meets-Invisimals from what I can see, definitely something that could catch on with younger gamers.

Kinect Yoga & Tai Chi was Microsoft’s answer to Nintendo’s Wii fit. The demo shown saw an avatar guiding you through how to do certain moves, and an outline of yourself next to it demonstrated how well you were doing. From what we’ve heard, the Kinect’s full body tracking will allow far more precision in the game’s monitoring of your movements compared what is available with the Wii fit and balance board, although only a sample of stuff was shown.

Joy Ride was the obligatory racing game, though apparently one of the least impressive of all the titles showcased. A simple arcade racer, you hold your hands out like you would when holding and real steering wheel and turn them to move left and right. Leaning in either direction pulls off a powerslide of sorts, and waving your arms around makes you do tricks.

Dance Central: Self-explanatory really. The game uses the camera to track your moves as you attempt to follow the prompts on-screen.

By far the most interesting title revealed though (and the one likely to be most wanted by hardcore gamers at the event) was non-other than a compatible Star Wars game.

Kinect: Star Wars visually looks much like the Clone Wars CG series aired on Sky, and is an on-rails light sabre battling experience. The player looks to be moved around on-screen automatically whilst they wave their arms around to perform Light Sabre slashes, (blaster shots can be repelled like in the films) and can use force powers by thrusting their hands back and forth. The demo ends in a cool duel against lead villain Darth Vader.

Outside of compatible games, Microsoft also revealed a brand new Dashboard interface that used the ‘Kinect’. Various applications such as Facebook, Twitter and a program that allowed both photo sharing and video chat with friends were shown. Icons on-screen showing the different programs could be selected by simply pointing at them, and control once in the selected program was handled using motion and gestures with the ‘Kinect’

Lastly, Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunoda announced that the ‘Kinect’, along with six separate software titles would see a release on 4th November in the US with a worldwide launch thereafter. No indications of pricing structure or a hardware and software pack were revealed, with such information likely to be forthcoming closer to launch.

3D Stardust Sees 2D Performance Increase

Earlier this week Sony released a patch for Super Stardust HD finally enabling 3D support to coincide with the launch of their flagship 46” Bravia 3D LCD HDTV. Not long after the patch was released came reports that the update not only allowed the game to be played in 3D, but that it also added some graphical enhancements to the title as well.

Users reported a smoother image and cleaner look to the game when running the game in 1080p mode, and some have also stated what looks like additional anti-aliasing in when running in 720p. Yesterday on Sony’s official UK blog at PlayStation.co.uk this was indeed confirmed to be the case.


Super Stardust HD originally ran in 1280x720 with 2xMSAA and at 60 fames per-second for 720p, and in 1280x1080 with no AA for 1080p, also I might add at the prerequisite 60fps. That in itself is pretty impressive given the amount of particle effects and transparencies on screen at any given time, especially when you consider the game managed to maintain a smooth 60fps update throughout.

For 3D developers essentially have to render each frame twice, one for each eye, meaning that you’d either have to be doing 720p at 120fps to maintain the same resolution in 3D at 60fps, or halve the rendering resolution to keep up the framerate if this isn’t possible. With the upgrade Stardust manages to not only keep up performance in 3D, but the developers have furthermore optimised the title to enhance image quality overall for the game running in 2D.

Housemarque CEO and co-founder Ilari Kuittinen confirmed via the official blog that Stardust did indeed receive a noticeable performance boost in 2D owing to the resulting work carried out in order to get the title running suitable in 3D. Surprisingly most of the work done in getting the game running in 3D was done without an actual 3D HDTV.

“We had the first 3D version of SSHD running in autumn 2009. We didn’t have a proper 3D television at that time and we had to use paper anaglyph red-and-green (or cyan to be exact) glasses to see the 3D image on our monitors. The images we could produce didn’t even have proper color in them, but it was still really impressive.”

For 2D the developers have upper the level of anti-aliasing from 2x to 4xMSAA in 720p, and for 1080p now have the game rendering in full 1920x1080 and at 60fps with no AA. Previously the game rendered at 1280x1080 for 1080p mode, with the PS3 then performing a horizontal upscale to 1920 resulting in some loss of sharpness and some minor upscalng atifacts.

The difference is easily noticeable with 720p looking cleaner and more jaggie free than before, and 1080p now looks mind-blowingly sharp. Both at 60fps too, which makes this upgrade all the more impressive.

Similar improvements can be found in the game’s split-screen mode as well. Before Stardust would only run at 30fps in this mode, but after the upgrade it is running in 60fps matching the single player game.

Both Housemarque Ilari Kuittinen certainly seemed impressed with what they have achieved, and so they should be as nobody really expected full resolution 720p and 60fps for the game running in 3D.

“3D certainly has a bright future ahead and we are happy that we had a chance to develop the first 3D PS3 game that runs 720p resolution in 60fps for both eyes, meaning that we are actually having 3D SSHD running in 120fps!”

A recap of the updates listed below as on the official PlayStation blog:

- 3D mode of the game running 720p at 120fps (60fps per eye)
- 2D mode of split screen co-op mode updated from 30fps to 60fps
- 4x antialiasing support in 720p and native 1920×1080p support in 2D mode

You should also check out the blog entry too, as it has a few insightful details on how the upgrade was achieved.

Editorial: 3D Visions - The Next Arms Race?

The lure of 3D to the gaming industry is no more surprisingly than the increased focus on the format in recent film production, with many new releases being retrofitted for screenings in 3D in order to generate that extra buzz required to bring more people into the cinema. Everyone it seems is after a piece of the pie, and given the renewed public interest in viewing movies down at the local picture house it was only a matter of time until some of gaming’s big guns got on board.


Cineworld recently reported a 17% increase in ticket sales directly as a result of 3D movie screenings, and most of which were at the higher price charged for seeing a film in 3D. The effect it has had for the film industry has not gone unnoticed, with various high profile game developers stating that this new format could well be the future of videogaming as a whole.

Many state the incredibly accurate depth perception that comes from using the format, along with the increased levels of immersion when putting the player visually closer to the action - taking them perhaps further into the game than ever before - as the main reason for pushing forward with the tech.

Perhaps in this case 3D does more for most games that it does for most films. Improving our judgement of space and distance on a 2D display, separating images clearly from one another allowing us to truly experience more life-like scenarios than ever before. For gaming, the use of 3D, and in coordination with motion controls opens us up to a world in which we can feel really connected in a way that a film never could. And it’s this feeling which has driven many software developers and hardware companies into investing in its future.

With the DS in its fifth year, and the two most powerful current-gen consoles in a strong battle of one-upmanship over features, 3D represents a clear path for at least one of those two companies to distinguish themselves. Sony in particular - going for the ‘it does everything’ impression with the PS3 - sees 3D as their next milestone in gaming, hoping to become synonymous with the format in time for the next generation of consoles still a few years away.

Despite support for the format from Microsoft (although more concerned with Natal at this point) Sony in particular want to be seen as ‘the company’ who delivers the most cutting-edge of all 3D content, lining up a barrage of compatible titles at this year’s E3.

Sony are clearly aiming at the high-end here, with the prices of 3D enabled HDTV’s starting around £1700 and going up to at least £2200 for Panasonic’s reference level VT20. Admittedly not cheap, and certainly out of the mainstream user’s standard price range, which means that any uptake is going to be rather slow and distinctly pedestrian at first.

However, Sony and many other publishers see a potentially bright future going down the 3D route, ensuring their focus is strong and their software line-up defining enough to make a dent in peoples impressions. Plus in a few years time it is expected that most 3D compatible tellies will be available from at least 37” as the norm, with some smaller high-end 32” models also featuring the tech. Eventually though, every single HDTV will support the format, and its inclusion will read out like another check-box feature such as ‘100Hz processing’ or ‘HD Ready 1080p’.

Clearly this is just what Sony are counting on, and their aim to deliver the definitive 3D experience in light of this potential is understandable. Sure, it may take a few years for the tech to become widely adopted by the mainstream, and the overall cost associated with development may well go up (inevitable regardless of the inclusion of 3D), but at least they could have a much stronger position in the market as a result. Or that’s how they appear to be looking at it, adopting a standard long before it has any real presence in the consumer domain and turning it around so that it does in fact become prevalent. It’s this forward-thinking approach which catapulted the PS2 to worldwide success, but which also stalled the initial uptake of the PS3 with the insistence on pushing BluRay.

Nintendo on the other hand, are trying something altogether different. Once again they are focusing on the handheld market, in which they’ve held nothing but a dominant position since they first unleashed the GameBoy to the masses some twenty years ago. With 3D they have found a clear gap in which to exploit, however gimmicky it initially appears, and this could indeed set them apart from other manufactures in the handheld space. Yes, I’m talking about the 3DS.

Nintendo’s latest handheld is likely to be a very affordable entry into the world of 3D – below £200 price point is likely – and with complete backwards compatibility guaranteed for all NDS and DSi titles they won’t be alienating their existing user base, simply building right on top of it. Also, if rumours are to be believed the company has something else up its sleeve with the 3DS outside of its auto-stereoscopic screen.

Currently, the effect of viewing 3D images on such a small scale is relatively unproven, though somewhat tantalising, and its use in at least one Japanese smart phone has apparently yielded promising results. And perhaps this is the reason behind the push forward into that realm of an extra dimension, not only because hardly anyone else has done this before, but because Nintendo have a clear track record of taking something untested and making it work in areas others have failed (VitualBoy aside).

Disruption like with the NDS and the Wii, is the key here. They need something other than motion controls and the touch screen - which Apple have made their own, and which Sony are no doubt eying up for PSP2 - to once again separate themselves from others in the market, and they know it. 3D is one of those things, but with the option to turn it off, not the only one it seems. More surprises then? All will be revealed at E3.

Like with Sony, Nintendo not only hopes to capture a large chunk of the market, along the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere, but instead also intend to be the first ones to bring affordable 3D tech into the home. The 3DS with its estimated sub-£200 price point (I’m gambling on £169.99 or 179.99 as the clincher) has far more potential at opening up the gaming mass-market to 3D technology, in both the handheld space and the home consumer market than the exuberant price tags that accompany bleeding-edge 3D HDTV’s.

Being cheaper and more affordable is a start, but they need more than price on their side. They need to impress. But what if this new technology turns out to be something of substance, really visually impressive on the small scale? It could convince many people into buying one of those expensive 46”+ size HDTV’s we mentioned earlier, thus in turn actually helping Sony and their high-end approach to 3D gaming, and industry adoption of the format in general.

Looking at it this way, it’s not hard to see that the consumer is presented with what looks like a win-win scenario, with both ends of the pricing scale accommodated for. I also imagine that Microsoft will begin driving forward 3D support in conjunction with Natal if the PS3’s attempt to capture this new market gains momentum, especially if it has a noticeable impact in 3D HDTV sales – more TV’s sold means more opportunities for pushing the format, and greater sales potential for all that extra work. Sales of current HDTV’s jumped with the advent of high-def consoles, and then exponentially so with the eradication of standard-def CRT’s from the market.

Either way, the thing to remember is that the notion of 3D isn’t particularly new, and it will take a few years of price reductions on HDTV’s, and impressive software to convince the consumer to invest. The glasses also are another hindrance, heavier and more bulky than their cinema equivalent. Even then, it’s hard to expect any revelations, or even a major impact on the console front before the next-generation of systems is upon us. 3DS aside, which looks to comfortably occupy its own space, for now anyway. In the end the seeds are being sewn, and the groundwork being laid. All that’s left is to see how we as consumers perceive the road lying ahead, and whether or not this is indeed the path we’d like to go down.

Other than trying to predict what might happen , something tells me that this story is going to be particularly interesting, it could in effect usher in a new level of interactive entertainment with both 3D and motion controls at the forefront. Or it could simply fall flat on its backside, another reminder of what happens when the industry tries to push something that just isn’t ready. The death of classic gaming this is not, that’s for certain. But a mere an expansion into areas that bring us closer to the games we play, and the worlds we get so immersed in.

Near defining statements aside, all shall be revealed at this year’s E3 in two days time. There we will have a better view on just what each manufacturers plans are for the format, and how this much-talked about 3D thingy finally fits into place.

New Mortal Kombat Game Announced!

Following up on yesterday’s news that a potentially brand new Mortal Kombat movie could well be in the works, comes an official announcement of a completely new game in the franchise. Coming to both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 sometime next year is the currently self-titled ‘Mortal Kombat’, a game that delves deep within the series roots hoping to deliver the MK experience that fans have been waiting for since Midway threw out the rulebook with ‘Deadly Alliance’.


‘Mortal Kombat’ will feature a brand new graphics engine, an art style looking to continue right after MK4 left off - with some elements of later games, gruesome fatalities, and a complete overhaul of the classic 2D gameplay the series is known for. A deep and comprehensive story is promised, along with a cool 2 vs 2, 4-player tag team mode in which players battle it out in teams much like Marvel Vs Capcom.

Series co-creator Ed Boon excitedly stated: "We can't wait for players to get their hands on Mortal Kombat," and added "This game really is a response to what players have been demanding: mature presentation, reinvented 2D fighting mechanic and the best, most gruesome fatalities ever!"


Despite the IP being purchased by Warner Bros last year, ED Boon and the rest of the series flagship development team remain at the helm with the newly re-named NetherRealm studios.

Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment commented: "We are bringing the Mortal Kombat franchise back to gamers with the talented NetherRealm Studios team creating the game fans long to play," also adding "Re-establishing the brand with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Mortal Kombat innovates on past games while staying true to the brand's legendary characters and fighting style."


A trailer for the game was released to go along with today’s announcement, and by all accounts the game is looking pretty damn good. Faithful, authentic, these aren’t the words associated with ‘Mortal’ and ‘Kombat’ in recent years, but all this looks to change.

We’ll be sure to follow this one closely.