The device will now have a suggested price of $169.99, down from $249.99.

Initially, Nintendo was eager to report how well the game unit would sell, but even after its first month on sale, the older DS continued to outsell the newer device.

Clearly, Nintendo had to offer more incentives to buy it, despite more game releases and a major software update in June.

Since going on sale in the U.S. on March 27, Nintendo says it has sold 830,000 units.

While the device got off to a bumpy start after Nintendo warned viewing 3-D may be bad for some children, it’s more likely the overall game environment that is impacting sales.

Nintendo must compete against the iPod touch, which has access to countless free and 99 cent games. With this price drop, The 3DS now will now cost less than the 8 gigabyte iPod, which runs $229.

Additionally, if 3-D was the draw for consumers, now it is built into a handful of consumer electronics, including the EVO 3D smartphone.

The 3DS also tried to compete against the iPod and smartphones by integrating new features, such as providing a free Netflix application, which allows members to instantly watch TV episodes and movies on the device.

Additionally, starting on Sept. 1, Nintendo will begin giving away some games for free. 3DS Ambassadors will be able to download 10 virtual console games at no charge, games such as Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., and The Legend of Zelda. Ambassadors are users who sign into the eShop at least once before midnight on Aug. 11.

Even worse, did you buy the brand-new HDTV right before 3-D came out?

A new electronics shopping service is launching today to eliminate buyer’s remorse by providing consumers with enough information to help them make a better decision.

The Seattle-based Decide.com is the brainchild of the folks behind Farecast.com, which helped predict whether it was the right time to buy an airline ticket or if a price drop was coming.

Farecast, which was purchased by Microsoft three years ago for $115 million, is now Bing Travel.

Similarly, Decide.com is trying to provide the same information for the consumer electronics industry, which often moves too fast for the average person to keep up.

The concept plays off the same fears that Best Buy’s new Buy Back promotion is addressing. The promotion, which allows you to return products for the latest model for a fee, is the subject of a hysterical TV commercial.

In one scene, a man is happily receiving his new 3-D TV, only to find out that 4-D is coming soon — no glasses needed! The man slaps himself, while his daughter runs around the yard, teasing: “You got the wrong TV, sillyhead!”

Decide’s CEO Mike Fridgen said on average six new laptops and one new TV come out every day, and a camera comes out every other day. “We are the only site that says ‘wait,’ there’s a newer model available at a cheaper price.”

The site is designed to help with deciphering product cycles and pricing trends.

Decide’s VP of Product and Market Michael Paulson said 20 percent of prices fluctuate daily, and it’s just as likely for prices to go up as down because of dynamic pricing models.

By keeping track of this information for the past two years, Decide has gathered 60 terabytes of data to be able to predict with some accuracy when a new model is coming out or when the price might change.

For example, on Amazon the Canon PowerShot G11 gets nearly five stars and costs $650. Fridgen says there’s no obvious reason not to buy it. But if you check Decide.com, you’ll find out that it’s already been on the market for 19 months and that a newer model is available now for only $450. With 78 percent confidence, it believes the price will hold steady.

Decide.com also aggregates information from news and rumor sites, which provide information on when products are coming.

The company anticipates making money through referral fees to e-commerce sites, where people will make purchases.

Right now, Fridgen says retailers are a little scared of the idea because it may suggest that a consumer should wait; however, he believes that it will ultimately benefit retailers because customers will be happier with their purchases and be less likely to make returns.

The company was co-founded by Oren Etzioni, who is also a computer science professor at the University of Washington. It has raised $8.5 million from Maveron, which was started by Starbucks’ Howard Schultz, and Madrona Venture Group, which was founded by one of the original investors in Amazon.

The Evo 3D, the first smartphone in the U.S. that can shoot and display 3-D pictures and videos, is the latest unconventional device from Sprint. The wireless provider has embraced its underdog role and introduced a number of unique products over the past few years in an effort to expand its portfolio and lure customers away from its much larger rivals.

The Evo 3D stands out largely because of its 3-D screen, but it’s a solid phone without the gimmick.

Some have paid off, including last year’s smash hit Evo 4G, which was the first phone able to connect to a speedier next-generation wireless network. Others, such as Kyocera Corp.’s dual-screen Echo, fizzled. If consumers enjoy the Evo 3D as much as I have over the past few days, the phone, which is due out June 24, should follow its namesake predecessor’s blockbuster success. The Evo 3D, which is made by HTC Corp., will be $199.99 with a two-year contract.

The smartphone stands out largely because of its 3-D screen, which doesn’t require special glasses for viewing, similar to Nintendo Co.’s 3DS portable game player. While it’s the first 3-D phone in the U.S. market, the Evo 3D will be followed by the Thrill 4G from LG Electronics Inc. later this year.

I both love and hate the 3-D feature, depending on how I hold the phone. When you stare at the screen correctly, the pictures pop and the depth of field is really impressive, particularly if it’s an image or video you captured yourself. But staring at the screen at the wrong angle—which is easy to do—can lead to headaches or crossed eyes thanks to the unfocused double image. Some friends who saw the screen were blown away by the images; others were bothered by them and had to avert their eyes.

If I stared at a 3-D video or picture for more than a few minutes, my eyes would get tired. Granted, my eyes also get tired during 3-D films that require glasses, but the time commitment is much longer with a movie.

The phone comes with the 3-D version of “The Green Hornet,” accessed through the phone’s HTC Watch application. The movie’s subtle 3-D effect worked well on the small screen.

Playing ‘Spider-Man’

The Evo 3D comes with the first level of Gameloft SA’s “Spider-Man,” which is tuned for 3-D. The game was enjoyable, although I’m not sure how my eyes would have fared after getting through some more levels. The game had some glitches: It twice froze the phone, which required me to pull the battery out to reset it. Sprint expects more 3-D games to be released.

Beyond the 3-D gimmick—and for now, it really is just a gimmick—HTC has created a winner with the Evo 3D. It uses the latest version of the Sense user interface, which I regard as the most customer-friendly of the phones running on Google Inc.’s Android software. (I purchased an HTC phone for my mother because of its ease of use.)

The latest version of Sense adds a few new visual flourishes such as a carousel effect when swiping between pages, which causes pages to spin as they are swiped and allows for a more fluid motion when switching menus.

The dual 3-D camera on the back of the Evo 3D.

A Clever Lock Screen

The smartest addition is found in the Evo 3D’s lock screen. HTC allows you to customize the lock screen to display updates from Twitter and Facebook accounts, or show the weather or stock information. It also allows you to choose four commonly used apps that you can immediately jump to from the lock screen. The feature is intuitive and makes a lot of sense. Apple Inc. is planning something similar with its iPhone lock screen for the next version of its iOS software.

There are, however, the occasional hiccups with the user interface. While there were times touches didn’t register, the screen is typically extremely responsive, sometimes leading to an unwanted action, like a random program or menu opening.

Overall, the phone is quick thanks to its dual-core 1.2 gigahertz processor. Running multiple programs at once, such as streaming music from Pandora and using the Internet browser, didn’t slow it down.

Bigger Battery

Battery life was a major complaint with the Evo 4G, with the big screen and the 4G antenna sucking up a lot of juice. The Evo 3D comes with a larger battery, which helped a little bit. I was able to go through nearly an entire work day, while keeping the 4G radio on for most of the time, running it as a hot spot to power a tablet, and making a few phone calls. Sprint says the phone gets six hours of talk time; it doesn’t provide a figure for standby time.

While the Evo 3D has several strong points, working as a phone isn’t one of them. Voices on calls made to both land lines and cellphones weren’t crystal clear, although they were serviceable. Making a phone call with any outside noise was difficult. Sprint says it hasn’t experienced problems with the call quality.

A Good-Size Phone

When I held the Evo 4G a year ago, I regarded it as a bulky phone. But with a steady stream of hefty 4G phones on the market, the Evo 3D, which has a large 4.3-inch screen and is the same size as the Evo 4G, is pretty much par for the course. I like the design and the sturdy feel of the phone, and don’t find it too large. One minor gripe is the dual-lens 3-D camera, which juts out slightly from the back, making me self-conscious because it can’t lie flat on a table.

A lot of the hype on this phone will be centered on its 3-D capabilities. But take away the 3-D and you still have one of the better smartphones in the market.

Walter S. Mossberg and Mossberg’s Mailbox will return next Thursday. Write to Roger Cheng at roger.cheng@dowjones.com.

Put on a pair of 3-D glasses, listen to the bombs exploding in the distance, or stand in line for hours to get a glimpse of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3.

Traditionally, the event has been all about videogame makers outdoing one another to ensure shelf space at the major retailers, like Target, Wal-Mart and GameStop. But increasingly the conversation is also about something that takes up absolutely no space at all: digital games.

Maybe to the surprise of many of the 45,000 people in attendance this week at E3, it’s the intangible stuff that’s driving much of the industry’s future.

The Entertainment Software Association, which organized the 17th annual event, released results of a study saying that the format and demographic make-up of gaming are changing.

It said that purchases of digital full games, digital add-on content, mobile apps, subscriptions and social network gaming accounted for 24 percent of game sales in 2010, generating $5.9 billion in revenue.

Other findings:

• The average game player is 37 years old, while the average game purchaser is 41 years old;
• Sixty-five percent of gamers play games with other gamers in person;
• Fifty-five percent of gamers play games on their phones or handheld devices;
• Consumers spent $25.1 billion on game content, hardware and accessories in 2010.
• Forty-two percent of gamers are women, and women 18 or older make up more than one-third of gamers.

More From E3

• At E3, Xbox Lets Kinect Lead the Charge on Gaming, Live TV Ambitions
• Justin.tv Broadcasts Gamers’ Every Move on TwitchTV
• Who Needs War? Sparks Will Fly in EA’s New Sims Game for Facebook.
• Sony Unveils Vita Gaming Device at E3; Will Launch This Year for $249
• E3: Nintendo Unveils the Wii U With Tablet-Style Controller
• Three Key Takeaways From Nintendo’s Wii U (Plus Photos!)
• No Hacks to Report at Xbox, But Microsoft Isn’t Letting Its Guard Down
• Forget About 99 Cents, What If You Could Rent Mobile Games for 25 Cents?
• Digital Game Revenues Hit $5.9 Billion in 2010

At this rate, they are going to put out Woody Allen films using the technology.

In “3 Dreams of Black,” which Milk prefers to call an interactive film, the viewer takes control in certain sequences, using the computer mouse to steer a stampede of morphing wildlife, or build structures in a vast desert. Five months in the making, the video shows off a burgeoning technology called WebGL, which allows an Internet browser to render 3-D graphics in real time.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

According to NPD Group, Nintendo sold more than 620,000 hardware units in the U.S. in April. This includes more than 257,000 units in the Nintendo DS family, and only 194,000 Nintendo 3DS units. Nintendo also sold more than 172,000 Wii consoles.

Nintendo attributed the gap between the two handheld game units to the staying power of the original DS family–and avoided any implications that the 3DS was not selling well.

“With a rich library of games, Nintendo DS has something for everyone. The system’s staying power is exemplified by the recent launch of the Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version games,” Nintendo said. Those two games sold an impressive 2.8 million units or more combined during their first 60 days of availability.

After the 3DS went on sale March 27, Nintendo was eager to report that the glasses-free 3-D device broke sales records. However, the original DS still appears to be benefiting from having a deeper catalog of games available for sale. Additionally, sales may have been hurt by concerns of younger players viewing 3-D images over long periods of time, or complaints that 3-D images made people dizzy, or gave them headaches.

Overall, NPD Group said that the videogame industry saw very strong sales for hardware, software and accessories in April, compared to the year-ago period.

NPD’s Anita Frazier wrote that all three categories experienced double-digit dollar growth compared to April 2010, reversing a negative downward trend.

“Easter purchasing occurred in April this year as opposed to March last year,” Frazier wrote. “The Easter timing shift could explain about $60 million of the growth, but even accounting for that shift, sales of new physical product realized a notable increase versus last year.”

Hardware sales were strong across the board with the PS3, PSP and Xbox 360 platforms all seeing an increase in unit sales versus April last year. The Xbox 360 platform was the best-selling device of the month in terms of unit sales, followed by the Nintendo DS.

Software performed even better in April. It was the first month that new physical retail sales of content showed growth in both units and dollars since November of last year.

The Nintendo 3DS, which allows players to see 3-D images without special glasses, will go on sale in the U.S. on Sunday for $250.

Amazon is already claiming that the Nintendo 3DS was the biggest console launch ever on Amazon.com. It sold more units on January 19–the day it was announced–than any console had before, including the slimmed-down versions of the Xbox 360 last year and the PS3 the year before.

GameStop, which will open 800 of its stores worldwide at midnight on sales day, said pre-sales were strong. “Demand has been so strong that, literally, we are working every day with Nintendo to ensure that we have sufficient product. And they have been very good partners on this, and we fully expect to have sufficient product at launch; the demand is very strong,” said GameStop’s President Tony Bartel during the company’s earnings call yesterday, according to a SeekingAlpha transcript.

Nintendo expects to ship about four million 3DS units worldwide by the end of March, and said 1.5 million of those will likely be in Japan. The device went on sale in Europe today.

The original DS has been insanely popular over the years.

Nintendo has sold more than 47 million portable video game systems in the U.S. since the original model launched in November 2004. By its own measures, it says, that makes Nintendo DS the nation’s best-selling video game system of all time.

Still, it’s unclear whether the 3-D mechanism will draw a new audience, or whether it’s enough to encourage current users to upgrade.

In other words, can the 3DS repeat history? There’s a handful of reasons why this could be game over.

Nintendo warned that children under the age of six should not view the 3-D images due to health concerns, although optometrists have since largely dismissed the worries.

Another concern is price.

The device costs $250, which is $100 more than the original. The games are also $10 more expensive at $39 each.

Finally, there’s the competition.

The Nintendo products are attractive because they don’t require a monthly fee. Increasingly, however, smartphones are offering an equal gaming experience. Apple’s iPad and iPod touch also don’t have monthly fees, and those devices have thousands of games for much less than $39. If 3-D is important, two smartphones were unveiled this week at CTIA with 3-D capabilities–without glasses.

Katie Boehret of The Wall Street Journal and All Things Digital gave the device a mixed review, calling out its clunkiness and remarking that the images sometimes made her dizzy.

However, the device offers a lot more features than the old model. In May, it’s expected to get a software update that will enable downloadable games and add a Web browser.

On launch day, users will have a choice of dozens of game titles, including several created by Nintendo, such as Pilotwings Resort, Nintendogs + Cats: Golden Retriever & New Friends, and Steel Diver.

Typically, the launch of new hardware spurs a spike in game sales.

It’s Ubisoft’s intention to launch more 3DS titles than any other third-party video game publisher this week to ride that wave. It has four titles ready at launch, including Asphalt 3D, Combat of Giants, Dinosaurs 3D and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon. In all, it has more than 15 games in development for the platform.

All of Ubisoft’s games at launch will be in 3-D; however, a toggle on the device allows you to convert the images to 2-D. The games also take advantage of other new features, such as the accelerometer, which in Asphalt 3D allows you to steer the car with motion control.

Ubisoft SVP of Sales and Marketing Tony Key said the goal is to be No. 1 on the platform. “The thing is going to be hot. Our initial prediction is that it will be hard to get your hands on one. It’s going to sell out. All kinds of people will be trying to buy one, ranging from the core gaming men to tweens to every gamer segment out there,” he said. “As fast as Nintendo can make them is as fast as they will be able to sell them.”

Both Amazon and GameStop are providing incentives for current DS owners to upgrade. They are offering $50 to $100 in trade-in credit on old gaming units, depending on the device.

Nintendo, which is based in Kyoto, Japan, has previously said that there’s been no apparent damage to its headquarters after the recent earthquake, and that business operations, including future product shipments, haven’t been affected.

At a press conference this afternoon, CEO Dan Hesse was expected to unveil two devices called the HTC EVO View, a 7-inch tablet, and the HTC EVO 3D.

Both will operate on Sprint’s 4G/WiMax network.

The HTC EVO 3D is notable for its ability to display and record 3-D images, much like the upcoming launch of the Nintendo 3DS. In both cases, viewers can see the hologram-like images without the need for special glasses.

Pricing will be announced later this summer when the two devices get closer to availability. With most devices now priced similarly to Apple’s iPad2, it will be imperative to be competitive, while also keeping down the cost of its mobile data fees.

On CTIA’s opening day this week, it’s already turning out to be a tablet-focused event–which as of recently has been par for the course at any wireless trade show.

For example, at Samsung’s press conference this morning, it unveiled two super thin Galaxy Tabs with an 8.9-inch and a 10.1-inch display. RIM also announced that its Playbook will be available starting April 19.

The EVO 3D will be running the Android Gingerbread operating system. It has a 4.3 inch display and packs inside a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor. It has two five-megapixel cameras for filming conventional and 3D images and videos. Similar to the original EVO, it’s the 3-D that makes it different.

This may be the first 3-D phone that doesn’t require glasses, but it’s also a niche that Nintendo is trying to carve out with its upcoming release of its 3DS. The handheld game unit launches on Sunday for $250. UPDATE: AT&T also announced a glasses-free 3-D device yesterday. The LG Thrill 4G will also let users shoot 3-D in addition to viewing it.

The HTC EVO View is the first time Sprint has launched a 3G and 4G Android together with HTC. The device will have a 7-inch display with a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and the latest version of HTC’s software overlay called Sense. The device will have two cameras, a HD-capable video camcorder, and is being described as weighing less than a paperback book.

As recently as January, safety warnings about the new handheld gaming device were dominating headlines after the company issued warnings that the 3-D screens shouldn’t be viewed by children six or younger because it may harm their vision.

Now, U.S. eye specialists are even welcoming the technology, saying it could help catch vision problems that are hard to detect.

“The 3DS could be a godsend for identifying kids under 6 who need vision therapy,” Dr. Michael Duenas, associate director for health sciences and policy for the American Optometric Association told the AP.

Nintendo has a lot riding on the new handheld gaming device since it is the only new hardware it has coming in the near term. The device has already launched in Japan, and will go on sale in the U.S. on Sunday for $250.

The clamshell device is similar to the original 3DS that has been a long-term hit among children. In the new version, it has two screens with the top one having the ability to display 3-D images without the need for special glasses. The 3-D images can be turned off with the flip of a switch. When on, they look somewhat like a hologram.

Many of the device’s capabilities are similar to features found on the iPhone and other smartphones.

For example, the new 3DS has an online store, called the eShop, where users will be able to download games. It also has three cameras and a built-in gyro, so the device can be tilted and turned to affect game play. It will also have location-based features, where users can elect to receive new content from Nintendo or other 3DS users as they travel around.

The device can connect to Wi-Fi hotspots, even when in sleep mode, to collect this content or to function as a pedometer, which counts a user’s steps.

Some features won’t be available at launch, but will be released later through a software update.

At one point, the warnings that Nintendo issued about concerns over children viewing 3-D images seemed like a major impediment for the device.

Now, it’s being viewed as a potential way to identify early signs in kids who may have a vision disorder such as amblyopia, or “lazy eye,” which can cause problems with reading.

In an interview with CNBC in January, Nintendo’s President and COO of North America Reggie Fils-Aime downplayed the concerns: “The fact that the younger consumers are not to view 3-D images is not a big deal for us, and you can manipulate the device to only have 2-D visuals shown, so it will cater to all consumers. The 2-D screen is dramatically better than our current DS.”

Last week, Amazon.com said preorders of the 3DS have been robust. It said the best-selling game titles are Capcom’s Super Street Fighter IV, followed by Nintendo’s Pilotwings Resort and Sega’s Super Monkey Ball.

However, even with the upcoming launch on deck, the top handheld game releasing next week with the most preorders is not for the 3DS, but for Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP). The game is Dissidia duodecim Final Fantasy by Square Enix.

On March 27, Nintendo is introducing the 3DS. This apparent breakthrough turned negative for some when Nintendo added a warning to the device that said viewing 3-D images by children age 6 and under may cause vision damage.

Unaffected by age restrictions, I’ve been using the 3DS for the past week, and it’s a lot of fun—though its chunky design looks like the company is taking a step back rather than forward. Its 3-D screen works as advertised without 3-D glasses, though its effects can’t be seen from side angles, so friends trying to peek at the screen won’t see much. It made me a bit dizzy after a while, so I adjusted a 3-D Depth Slider to make the screen images appear less three-dimensional. This slider, or a setting in parental controls, can turn off the 3-D.

The videogame industry has a lot riding on Nintendo’s launch. Sales of new videogame consoles in 2010 fell 13% to $6.29 billion from $7.19 billion a year earlier, according to market-research firm NPD Group. Sales have begun edging up in the past few months following the launch in November of Microsoft Corp.’s Kinect motion-controller for its Xbox 360 console.

The industry is facing competition from sleeker, lighter smartphones which offer good quality, downloadable games free or for a few dollars, much less than the average $40 price for each Nintendo 3DS game. While Nintendo has created products with 3-D capabilities since the mid-1980s, none have caught on. Nintendo 3DS is the result of improvements in screen technology and lower prices for these screens. The company, which is based in Kyoto, Japan, saw no apparent damage to its headquarters after the recent earthquake, a spokesman says. Business operations, including future product shipments, haven’t been affected, he adds.

Nintendo’s competitors aren’t jumping on the portable 3-D bandwagon quite yet. Apple has no intention of introducing a 3-D, portable display anytime soon, say people familiar with the situation. When Sony announced plans for its Next Generation Portable gaming device in January, the company confirmed this device wouldn’t have 3-D. A spokesman says Sony considered including 3-D during the development process for this device, but decided to focus on other features. A Microsoft spokesman says as consumer demand evolves for 3-D, the company is committed to evolving its technology. Both Sony and Microsoft offer 3-D games and movies in the living room via their PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

On March 27, 18 game titles will launch including Nintendogs + cats from Nintendo, and Madden NFL Football and Sims 3 from EA Sports. Almost all Nintendo DS games and DSiWare games will be playable in 2-D on the Nintendo 3DS.

Games that come loaded on the 3DS include Face Raiders and Nintendo 3DS Sound, which plays MP3 or AAC files and mixes your voice using funny sound effects. A Mii Maker program lets people make a Mii (personalized game character) with photos they take with the device. I created a particularly funny looking Mii with features that mirrored some of mine. But these Miis can’t be exported back to the Wii gaming console, where Miis first became popular.

Nintendo’s 3DS has cameras that capture 3-D photos for use in games.

Another cool game called AR Games lets users look through the 3DS cameras at six augmented-reality cards that come with the device. The cards make images more animated and three-dimensional. I found the effect so realistic, I reached out with my hand to make sure the imposed images, like a card with mini bull’s-eyes, weren’t actually on the table in front of me.

The 3DS has a few new features besides 3-D. A new circle pad works like a super flexible joystick for smoother navigation. Two outward-facing, stereo cameras take 3-D photos of friends or things, which can then be used in games. This made the games more personal and fun.

I used the 3-D photos I took in games like Face Raiders, which makes use of its motion and gyro sensors. The 3DS has an Internet browser, which wasn’t available on the device I tested. A Nintendo spokesman says it won’t work on devices until May. Also in May, Nintendo will start offering downloadable games for the 3DS.

Programs called SpotPass and StreetPass allow the 3DS to wirelessly receive or send data on the go even when the device is in sleep mode. SpotPass detects wireless hot spots so the 3DS can download free software, videos or game data. In late May, SpotPass will let users access AT&T’s Wi-Fi hot spots, free of charge. StreetPass lets one 3DS wirelessly exchange data with others within range (roughly 100 feet). A light on the 3DS indicates when the device has received new notifications.

The 3DS can perform other functions in sleep mode, like counting steps for a built-in pedometer. I carried the 3DS in my bag on several occasions throughout a conference and noticed a tiny icon of feet at the top of the screen with a number of steps beside it.

But the addition of 3-D technology to this device meant compromises on some key features. At eight ounces and 0.8-inch thick, the 3DS is slightly heavier and thicker than its comparable predecessor, the Nintendo DSi, which came out in 2009. (Apple’s iPod touch weighs less than half as much and is 0.28-inch thick.)

The 3DS’s estimated battery life is up to five hours while playing 3DS games, while regular Nintendo DS games will last up to eight hours. The DSi’s estimated battery life is up to 14 hours of game play. The 3DS is $100 more expensive than the DSi and its games are also pricier.

The Nintendo 3DS does a good job of incorporating 3-D with photos and games, as long as the games don’t make you feel dizzy. But its clunky form and limited functionality is up against steep competition from smartphones that cost less and offer more games.

Ian Sherr in San Francisco contributed to this article.

Write to Katherine Boehret at katie.boehret@wsj.com

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20110315/nintendos-3ds-brings-dizzying-fun-on-the-go/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20110301/nintendo-3ds-nearly-sold-out-in-japan/ http://allthingsd.com/20110301/nintendo-3ds-nearly-sold-out-in-japan/#comments Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:00:07 +0000 Daisuke Wakabayashi http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=37126 It may come with a health warning but Nintendo Co.’s 3DS game system nearly sold out its first batch of shipments to retail outlets in the first two days since the new 3-D portable game machine debuted in Japan on Saturday, according to a local research firm.

The research arm of Japanese videogame magazine publisher Enterbrain said the 3DS sold 371,326 units on Saturday and Sunday. Separately, Nintendo said it had shipped out 400,000 3DS units to Japanese retailers ahead of the launch, although the company said the shops could stagger sales if they so choose.

Japanese consumers certainly flocked to stores in droves over the weekend to be among the first to shell out 25,000 yen ($305) to buy a 3DS, which plays 3-D games without requiring special glasses to create the illusion of depth. The strong first-weekend sales come in the face of concerns that a warning by Nintendo about possible health risks from 3-D for children six years old and younger could crimp sales.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20110301/nintendo-3ds-nearly-sold-out-in-japan/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20110225/nintendos-3-d-gadget-faces-software-hurdle/ http://allthingsd.com/20110225/nintendos-3-d-gadget-faces-software-hurdle/#comments Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:00:20 +0000 Daisuke Wakabayashi and Juro Osawa http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=36861 As Nintendo Co. readies to launch its 3DS hand-held game player Saturday in Japan, software developers are still wrestling with how to best utilize the device’s three-dimensional graphics.

Sony Corp. opened the door to 3-D videogames for consumers who own 3-D-equipped TVs last April by upgrading its PlayStation 3 home consoles using a software update. Nintendo’s new 3-D portable device should accelerate the shift because the gadget, unlike the PS3, doesn’t require a separate 3-D display or specialized glasses. The success or failure of any 3-D game platform will hinge on the ability of videogame makers to highlight the technology’s appeal versus existing software. Many software developers said they haven’t fully explored how to exploit the technology to develop new types of games. Nintendo plans to have eight games ready for the launch in Japan, but those games have only scratched the surface for incorporating 3-D into gameplay.

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