Nintendo Says 3DS Not Recommended for Young Children

[Ravek]

and how are you supposed to get the proof

The same way they do scientific studies on the health effects of smoking, drinking carbonated beverages, daily exercise, whatever: They follow around people who do these things, and compare their health with people who do not do these things.

Specifically, they might even test the 'eye muscle' hypothesis by using animals with eye development similar to humans, e.g. primates.

 

[Tales of Golden Sun]

This is the kind of thing the parents almost definitely will miss when they buy the console for their children, and thus their children will play it when they are 5yo and end up with messed up vision.

Still, at least they mention it. Then maybe one out of ten will be aware of it.

The DS is the first thing parents think of when they need to buy something for their kids because they've neglected them. The DS will keep the kids busy, so they can be neglected even more! Stoop'd parents.

 

[Jaranja]

The 3D slider thing makes a lot more sense now.

Yeah, not for people who cant see it, but, for children.

I dont see why children cant play though with the 3D

3d is an eyestrain on anyone. Like the 3D tv's your supposed to limit yourself to only a couple hours of continuous viewing. There was a thread somewhere about that.

Which is why 3D SUCKS!

I hate watching movies in 3D because I always leave with my head and eyes aching.

 

[Polock]

The 3D slider thing makes a lot more sense now.

Yeah, not for people who cant see it, but, for children.

I dont see why children cant play though with the 3D

3d is an eyestrain on anyone. Like the 3D tv's your supposed to limit yourself to only a couple hours of continuous viewing. There was a thread somewhere about that.

Which is why 3D SUCKS!

I hate watching movies in 3D because I always leave with my head and eyes aching.

I don't get that pain but I have friends who do. I usually skip out on 3D parts of movies..but..

I still want the 3DS

 

[Kiithid]

The 3D slider thing makes a lot more sense now.

Yeah, not for people who cant see it, but, for children.

I dont see why children cant play though with the 3D

3d is an eyestrain on anyone. Like the 3D tv's your supposed to limit yourself to only a couple hours of continuous viewing. There was a thread somewhere about that.

Which is why 3D SUCKS!

I hate watching movies in 3D because I always leave with my head and eyes aching.

You know you can turn the 3d effect off if it's all the problems you have against it.
Glasses-free may not be all that bad, but then one can never underestimate the brain power of screwing itself over.

 

[dmase]

The 3D slider thing makes a lot more sense now.

Yeah, not for people who cant see it, but, for children.

I dont see why children cant play though with the 3D

3d is an eyestrain on anyone. Like the 3D tv's your supposed to limit yourself to only a couple hours of continuous viewing. There was a thread somewhere about that.

Which is why 3D SUCKS!

I hate watching movies in 3D because I always leave with my head and eyes aching.

I really thought it was some fad that some of the tv companies wanted to explore but now Nintendo is going to mass produce a product with 3d. Its kind of mindblowing, I will however laugh my ass off if about a month after its released thousands/millions of units are returned... its virtua boy all over again.

 

[Brad Shepard]

And this is bad news why?

Just kidding of corse, but With titles like MGS and Persona comming to it, Kids shouldent play it anyway.

 

[John Funk]

I just hope they change the name when this thing is launched. I don't have a problem with it, but from a business perspective, they're going to get a lot of this from out-of-the-loop parents:
"Mommy, I want a 3DS!"
"But I already bought you a new DS!"

I'm torn. On the one hand it makes it sound like a new DS.

On the other hand, keeping the "DS" part preserves the powerful brand name that they've built up with the current platform. Much like "Game Boy Advance" kept the Game Boy name.

 

[Lord_Seth]

Its kind of mindblowing, I will however laugh my ass off if about a month after its released thousands/millions of units are returned... its virtua boy all over again.

Very unlikely. The 3DS doesn't seem to suffer from the problems Virtual Boy did. Namely...
1) Virtual Boy had a poor quality setup of games (Wario Land was really the only standout of the bunch), the 3DS looks like it has a pretty good beginning line-up.
2) The Virtual Boy was monochrone (and an ugly monochrome red at that), the 3DS is full color.
3) The Virtual Boy wasn't portable like it was advertised to be, the 3DS looks pretty darn portable to me.
4) The Virtual Boy was far more "intrusive". The 3DS you just look at like a normal DS, the Virtual Boy you had to get your head into a specific position.
5) The Virtual Boy was experimental, the 3DS is based on the already-existing DS setup, which has proven to be very successful. Furthermore, the Virtual Boy had no backwards compatibility.
6) You can easily reduce or turn off the 3D effect on the 3DS if you want, where as the Virtual Boy was full 3D all the time.

I really doubt the 3DS will be the next Virtual Boy. At worst it'll be the next Scribblenauts, something that got giant publicity but turned out to be a just a decent game rather than the wonder it was made out to be.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Wait, did Nintendo just mention the Virtual Boy? I thought they tried everything in their power to make the world forget about it!

OT: Why shouldn't children use it? SCIENCE!

Dr. Insano = win of the highest caliber.

Anyway...
I think the age 7 demographic is a good place to start. I mean, you lose some (but by no means all) of the lucrative shovelware market, but I see it like LEGOs in that regard; great for older children but equally good for anyone older.

 

[leviathanmisha]

When I was a kid, we didn't have 3D video games, so there was no need for useless warnings and such...but oh well, times are changing...I just refuse to change with them.

And if 3D ruins their eyes, why in the hell are they making 3D kids movies??

 

[Radelaide]

3D television isn't recommended for the young, elderly, drunk, stoned, pregnant, or those who have heart conditions. Dead set. I can't even think about the restrictions with the 3DS.

 

[Michael826]

OK. How many people actually read the article all the way through?
They stated a clear reason as to why it might be harmful to children of a certain age.

 

[Tiswas]

So does this mean less shovelware? Brilliant!

Although does it mean less chance of a new Pokemon on there? Booo! (Although this might explain why Black and White are on the DS)

 

[Icecoldcynic]

Nintendo is just making shit up. Is there any scientific research that indicates young children will suffer from watching 3D images?

While it does sound odd, why would they make something up that could potentially hurt sales? And personally I think this is more of a way of covering their asses before some idiot parent claims the 3DS hurt their child and then tries to sue.

 

[Delusibeta]

It all begs the question... will the 3D effect apply to standard DS games? Hmmm... 3D TrackMania. (Oh wait, United Forever's red/blue mode).

 

[Danpascooch]

Wait, does this mean for young children it may cause discomfort/not work perfectly, or it could cause eye damage, if it's the latter, they better put a parental control password lock feature for the 3d on it, no parent has time to watch their kid use the DS after telling them "Don't touch that magical slider of mystery"

 

[Thunderhorse31]

Nintendo is just making shit up. Is there any scientific research that indicates young children will suffer from watching 3D images?

They're just trying to cover their ass by posting proper warnings, just like other manufacturers of 3D tech have done already. [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503983_162-20002438-503983.html]