3DS Will Be First 3D Device to Sell Big, Says Nintendo

[Logan Westbrook]

3DS Will Be First 3D Device to Sell Big, Says Nintendo

Thanks to the 3DS, you could one day watch Avatar [http://www.amazon.com/Avatar-Original-Theatrical-Sam-Worthington/dp/B002VPE1AW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1286565489&sr=8-5] in all its 3D glory while on the bus or the train. Just, y'know, really small.

The 3DS come with a pretty hefty price tag for a handheld, but even so, it's much more affordable than a 3D capable TV. In fact, Nintendo thinks that the 3DS will be the first 3D capable device that sells in any kind of significant volume, and it says that it's going to capitalize on any business opportunities that come its way because of that.

Nintendo has signed deals with Nippon Television and Fuji Television to distribute video on the 3DS in Japan, and it would seem that Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata hopes to make similar deals in the West. Iwata said that a number of Hollywood studios appeared to be interested in the 3DS, and there was a possibility of Nintendo entering into a business relationship with some of these studios in order to bring 3D movies to the device.

Iwata is probably right when he says that the 3DS will be at the forefront of 3D media for the immediate future, but whether it's going to take off as a movie player is much less certain. Still, it's interesting to see Nintendo openly courting Hollywood like this, as until now, movies seemed to be pretty far down on its list of priorities.

Source: CVG [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=268733]


Permalink

 

[Xanthious]

Movies worked so well for the PSP afterall . . . . .

 

[Loonerinoes]

You know what? One of the things I've never EVER really gotten is this obsession with high resolution sharpness or REALLY BIG plasma TVs that can display this EFFING HUGE picture. I, and I imagine most people that are not of course utter geeks about such things, far more prefer something practical and something that can provide you with a decent enough representation of the subject matter. It doesn't have to be big, hell it doesn't even have to be sharp enough. Just compatible and efficient enough to charm its way through your wallet.

In fact, this I feel is the main reason why the 3DS will all too likely out-do 3D TV sets...even if they did manage to remove the need for glasses in the latest iterations. Sure a huge 3D picture might be nice the first few times. But being able to take a small 3D picture around with you anywhere and show it to your friends? That's a lot more priceless. Especially for anyone that isn't a shut-in and has to spend most of their daily time out of their homes (pretty much the vast majority of people).

 

[starwarsgeek]

3D movies and TV without glasses? Sweet

 

[theaceplaya]

I will be buying a 3DS no matter what, so this would be a nice little perk. As long as they don't go the way of Sony and movies on UMD.

 

[BrunDeign]

Isn't there a commercial right now that promotes a handheld device that you can "hold in the palm of your hand" that you can watch movies on? It would seem that people are indeed interested in watching things on smaller screens.

 

[bladester1]

I'm skeptical about watching movies on the 3DS, since well yea know http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/104174-Nintendo-Admits-3DS-Wont-Beat-Regular-DS-on-Battery-Life .

 

[Mr. Omega]

The 3DS WILL be the first 3D device to find commercial success, but it will have nothing to do with the fact that it has 3D. But idiot marketers will think differently...

 

[Rect Pola]

Wouldn't that be a thorn in Sony's side: If Nintendo succeeded in portable media where PSP failed?

 

[Atmos Duality]

Wouldn't that be a thorn in Sony's side: If Nintendo succeeded in portable media where PSP failed?

It would be well-justified seeing how Sony stopped trying to actually support the PSP better after the first year. UMD was flop.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

Best selling 3D device? What abou those Red goggles that show pictures of landmarks and animals in 3D? Those sold a bunch.

To be honest I'd have to wait and see this 3D for myself to see if it would work with a movie.

 

[Jake the Snake]

My piece of shit used DS Lite literally has pieces falling off of it almost every day. Its like a mindfield of cheap plastic and scotch tape. Oh also, the touch screen is blurry, fucked up and vibrating at 100 rpm. Yeah, I'm getting a fucking 3DS. I DESERVE A BETTER POKEMON EXPERIENCE THAN THIS DAMMNIT!

 

[Tom Phoenix]

Movies worked so well for the PSP afterall . . . . .

Ironically, a big problem Sony faced in the early days of the PSP was precisely the fact that people were using it more as a movie/music player rather than a handheld console. Apparently, they took too many bumps in the head and forgot that flooding a console with software is the reason why the PS and PS2 succeeded. But then again, Kutaragi was in charge of SCE at the time and he was acting like a huge troll.

Anyway, while I don't see any long-term future for the 3DS as a movie player, I do think that the deals with Nippon and Fuji Televisions are a good idea and very beneficial for Nintendo. They already stated that they are interested in making their next console 3D-capable, but that the current penetration rate of 3DTV's is far too negligible to be worth it. Since the 3DS will very likely be the first successful mass market, stereoscopic 3D-capable product, making 3D content available through it could help warm up the general audience to the idea of buying a 3DTV (especially if the prices of those start falling to a more reasonable level).

 

[DonnieDio]

I'm skeptical about watching movies on the 3DS, since well yea know http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/104174-Nintendo-Admits-3DS-Wont-Beat-Regular-DS-on-Battery-Life .

What does not beating the DS in battery life (which last around 12 hours+) and watching a movie which would last at the very most 4 hours have to do with each other??

Why are people assuming that not beating a normal DS in battery life automatically means 3DS will only last an hour or two, seriously WTF?

 

[righthanded]

Getting netflix instant to run should be a top priority.

 

[V8 Ninja]

No surprise. It's Nintendo and it doesn't cost thousands of dollars. Nintendo will basically be the game industry's Apple after they release the 3DS.

 

[SilverUchiha]

I'm planning on buying the 3DS... but with the recent news we got earlier today about the battery probably being worse than the regular DS, how fesable would it be to watch a 3+ hour movie on the device? And with the purpose of it to be on the go (bus, car, etc) we wouldn't have any way to plug it into a wall socket to prevent it from going out.

The only way I see around this would be a car outlet device (forget what they are called).

 

[ilspooner]

My piece of shit used DS Lite literally has pieces falling off of it almost every day. Its like a mindfield of cheap plastic and scotch tape. Oh also, the touch screen is blurry, fucked up and vibrating at 100 rpm. Yeah, I'm getting a fucking 3DS. I DESERVE A BETTER POKEMON EXPERIENCE THAN THIS DAMMNIT!

Wow. Something bad must have happened to that poor DS. I only broke my first one because I dropped it about a metre onto concrete. Even then it was still usable. I have a used one now, and it works like a charm.
OT: This seems really cool. I am looking forward to the release!

 

[superbatranger]

Well, with a price tag like that, it's not that surprising. Hand over a couple hundred bucks for a 3DS, or several thousand for a 3D TV. I'd pick the former.

 

[Roxor]

WHY does every company seem to think that this stereoscopic approach to 3D is a good idea? As far as I've seen, these 3D TVs are the new CRT screens. Ugh.