Experimenting with a 3DS: Microscopes and Microwaves

Greg Tito

PR for Dungeons & Dragons
Sep 29, 2005
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Experimenting with a 3DS: Microscopes and Microwaves

Amateur scientists look at the Nintendo 3DS with a microscope to figure out how it works, and then blast it with microwaves.

We've all been hearing about the wonders of the glasses-less 3D of Nintendo's new handheld - and some of us have partaken of its nausea-inducing images - but I never considered taking a close look at the screen to see how the effect was achieved. Peter Silk from Nukezilla [http://nukezilla.com/2011/03/29/the-3ds-under-a-microscope/] did though and even snapped some photos of what the 3D screen looks like under a microscope. What he's discovered is the parallax barrier that essentially only allows one eye to see certain pixels while the other is presented with different pixels. Your mind then interprets the two images to be one 3D image, because that what it does with your two eyes normally.

[gallery=173]

Neat stuff. Check out the first two pictures to get a glimpse of what the 3DS display looks like under a microscope.

But what's that fire all about? Well, that's the other experimental direction one could take. The Dovetastic Microwave Theater [http://www.youtube.com/user/dovetastic] is a youtube channel where a weird guy wearing a gas mask puts electronics into a microwave in his fancifully decorated backyard. The mad scientist with high-pitched voice act might be trying too hard, but there is something mesmerizing about watching his brand new 3DS get fried in a microwave oven.

"It's game over for the Nintendo 3DS," the crazy dude says after frying it for 99 minutes and 96 seconds.


Dovetastic aka Kenny Irwin - the guy who records and edits the videos all while plays=ing the crazy doctor presumably - is even trying to sell a sculpture (?) made with the remains of the 3DS after it was melted down. Head on over to ebay [http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150584002075#ht_709wt_1141] if you have a spare $1,000 to blow on an ugly reminder of American consumerism.

Or something.

Source: Nukezilla.com [http://nukezilla.com/2011/03/29/the-3ds-under-a-microscope/]



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Worgen

Follower of the Glorious Sun Butt.
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Apr 1, 2009
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Whatever, just wash your hands.
wow he has a very annoying voice
 

ProfessorLayton

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Nov 6, 2008
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Ahh... it's so nice to know that while children are starving and people's houses have been swept away by tsunamis, people still spend hundreds of dollars on things just to destroy them for about 5 minutes of entertainment. Thumbs up, world.
 

gigastar

Insert one-liner here.
Sep 13, 2010
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Well theres some consumer advice to be found in this.

Handheld consoles may explode if put in a microwave.
 

Andronicus

Terror Australis
Mar 25, 2009
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I've always wondered where these sorts of people get their funding from. Microwaving electronics products must be a real drain on the ol' back pocket.
 

Red Charlie

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Nov 29, 2009
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How many dangerous chemicals did the douchebag just release into the atmosphere by doing this?

edit:

Also what a total dick
 

Tom Phoenix

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Mar 28, 2009
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I wish I had so much money that I could afford microwaving an expensive piece of hardware.

Then again, I must admit, I am guilty of enjoying watching the iPad transformed into a skateboard. But at least they did something (dubiously) practical with it.

 

Scars Unseen

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May 7, 2009
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ProfessorLayton said:
Ahh... it's so nice to know that while children are starving and people's houses have been swept away by tsunamis, people still spend hundreds of dollars on things just to destroy them for about 5 minutes of entertainment. Thumbs up, world.
See, I hate when people do this. Are you implying that a man is responsible for the world? Charity is a fine thing. I've donated money and clothes toward the Japanese relief efforts. But by your logic, I should be ashamed that I am still able to enjoy my life because someone is suffering elsewhere. And I reject that as nonsense.
 

mjc0961

YOU'RE a pie chart.
Nov 30, 2009
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Haha, yes! Destroy all those ugly "blue" 3DS systems! Black FTW. As for the close-ups of the screen, well I'm unable to make any sense of them. Oh well.

Scars Unseen said:
ProfessorLayton said:
Ahh... it's so nice to know that while children are starving and people's houses have been swept away by tsunamis, people still spend hundreds of dollars on things just to destroy them for about 5 minutes of entertainment. Thumbs up, world.
See, I hate when people do this. Are you implying that a man is responsible for the world? Charity is a fine thing. I've donated money and clothes toward the Japanese relief efforts. But by your logic, I should be ashamed that I am still able to enjoy my life because someone is suffering elsewhere. And I reject that as nonsense.
*applauds Scars Unseen*
Also, http://xkcd.com/871/
 

ProfessorLayton

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Nov 6, 2008
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Scars Unseen said:
See, I hate when people do this. Are you implying that a man is responsible for the world? Charity is a fine thing. I've donated money and clothes toward the Japanese relief efforts. But by your logic, I should be ashamed that I am still able to enjoy my life because someone is suffering elsewhere. And I reject that as nonsense.
Except that's not what I said at all. Have fun with your life. I bought a 3DS myself, but I'm actually using it instead of wasting it. This is someone who spent $250+ on something just so they could destroy it for teh lulz.

And also thinking small scale... at my local Gamestop, the only people who got a 3DS so far were people who preordered, so think of all the people who didn't get one. I don't know, I guess you can say that you can enjoy it however you want, but people being wasteful like this just aggravates me more than it probably should.
 

Scars Unseen

^ ^ v v < > < > B A
May 7, 2009
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And in what way is this an invalid way of having fun? He paid for it, didn't he? Who are you to say what he should do with his own property? And then it all comes back to your comment about starving children, which is why I posted what I did. You are implying that he should have done something else with his money than what he wanted to do, and I disagree with that stance completely.
 

bomblord

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Mar 16, 2011
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The 3ds microwaving makes me sad someone else could've enjoyed that sysytem if he was going to destroy it
 

ProfessorLayton

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Nov 6, 2008
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Scars Unseen said:
And in what way is this an invalid way of having fun? He paid for it, didn't he? Who are you to say what he should do with his own property? And then it all comes back to your comment about starving children, which is why I posted what I did. You are implying that he should have done something else with his money than what he wanted to do, and I disagree with that stance completely.
It's wasting it. If you buy food just to throw it away, you technically could because you paid for the food, but I still think it's pointless and wrong. That is what I believe. Goodness, it's really not a big deal. He wasted a $250 product. He could have just walked up to a random person on the street and given them $250 to make more out of it. It's being wasteful and silly and that bothers me.
 

Tomtitan

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Jun 7, 2010
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Did that microwave guy remind anyone else of Sid from Toy Story? I could totally see him trying to microwave Woody and Buzz.