Nintendo shows off 3D DS Nintendo has introduced the - not unexpected - 3D-enabled version of its DS handheld console. The - surprise, surprise - 3DS does indeed display 3D without the need for special spectacles, using half of its 3.53in, 800 x 240 display to show the left-eye image and the rest for the right-eye picture, making for a combined 400 x …
The advantage of a handheld device is that you can be very confident that the user is looking at it more-or-less straight on, from a very limited range of distances. The manufacturer of a TV (or indeed cinema screen) has a much more massive range of possibilities. I think that's why e.g. Microsoft are researching active head tracking to figure out where people are and ensure the images that get through to their eyes match accordingly. Though you're then needing to multiply pixels by the number of people you expect to look at the screen. On the plus side, if you know where the viewer is, you can render the 3d scene they see from an appropriate angle.
I mean, not necessarily here, but somewhere. So it'd be surprising if we got far into 2011 without a sighting?
The 3d screen is a brilliant comeback against the iPod and the various mobile phones (which could easily become a disruptive technology), assuming it's even slightly decent.
"The - surprise, surprise - 3DS does indeed display 3D without the need for special spectacles, using half of its 3.53in, 800 x 240 display to show the left-eye image and the rest for the right-eye picture, making for a combined 400 x 240 image."
Two low-res images, side-by-side do not equal 3D.
Or perhaps you have missed something vital that turns this into a useful story?
"using half of its 3.53in, 800 x 240 display to show the left-eye image and the rest for the right-eye picture, making for a combined 400 x 240 image."
I'm having trouble picturing this, do you mean the left/right images are side by side?
What do you do, put a bit of cardboard between then up to your eye level?
Clearly using Parallax barrier tech, you are going to have to move your head to get the 3D effect. It's nowhere near the same as the proper 3D you get with the active shutter glasses and such.
However it's so far from launch, Nintendo have plenty of time to build up the hype, that the eventual disappointment of the end product won't matter by then....
It's all rather pathetic to see the media going bonkers over this, despite knowing nothing about it, and not having seen anything actually working from Nintendo....
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