No Glasses Necessary For 3-D Nintendo DS Debuting In FY10

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Nintendo Co. (7974) said Tuesday that it will launch a 3-D version of its DS portable game system sometime in the fiscal year ending March 2011, using technology that will not require users to wear special glasses.

The Nintendo 3DS will be the first popular game system available worldwide to have such functionality. It is expected to debut in the second half of 2010. Details are to be released mid-June at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, in Los Angeles.

Nintendo plans to give the new system a 3-D joystick and a force feedback mechanism that will let players feel the collisions of a game character, for example. It had already acquired related patents at the end of last year. The firm is also considering employing an accelerometer so that games can be played by tilting the 3DS.

While offering compatibility with games for earlier members of the DS series, the 3DS will feature significant improvements in wireless communications speed and battery life. Its screens will likely be no larger than 4 inches -- smaller than the 4.2 inches of the DSi LL, released in Japan last November.

Nintendo aims to differentiate its hand-held from others by focusing on enhancing gaming capabilities. Apple Inc.'s iPhone and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s PlayStation Portable are increasingly serving as multimedia devices whose repertoires include music, video and wireless communications.

(The Nikkei March 24 morning edition)