Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

^ I guess I should have clarified what "flat 2d" means. By "flat 2d", I mean both eyes are seeing the same image/angle. You can't call the 3DS a true 3D system...

NX will be Ninty's 2nd true stereoscopic 3D console (or at least I'm hoping it will be). The VirtualBoy was the first.

And by the way, I think they'll phase out the 3DS shortly after the NX launches. Just think of the NX controller as a sort of 3DS with free-form display and true lenticular 3D --- a more souped up 3DS!

But both eyes aren't seeing the same image on the 3DS. It's 3D in literally the only description of this kind of 3D. You say that this would be the second "true stereoscopic" 3D console since the Virtual Boy. The funny thing is if you look up the wiki page on "stereoscopic" they literally have an image of the 3DS on there. It's probably the most well recognised auto-stereoscopic device that has ever existed.

I should also point out that I am the sort of person who dislikes it when people overuse the word literally. So when I use it here understand that I'm literally meaning literally.

^ Lol. In the 3DS there are camera(s) to track your pupils. Tells the game to display the 3D according to the positions of your pupils. But it's just that one image on that 3DS screen. You're seeing the same image with both eyes. But the angle of that one image changes according to the tilt of the 3DS. This is what they mean by "autostereoscopic". In other words, it's fake 3D. You gotta rotate that 3DS around to see the "3D". And when you turn off the 3D slider, all you're doing it turning off the camera(s) that track your eyes.

And I take it you don't know what lenticular 3D means. It's those 3D popout images you see on DVD/Blu-Ray covers, the real 3D stuff! Basically, how the NX will achieve this is each alternating line on the screen belongs to a different image. There will be a lens sheet that covers the screen that acts as a filter to project a different image to each eye.

Basically, the NX will be like a VR system w/o needing a headset. It will display a 3D image that literally pops out of the screen. It will have motion sensors so that when you move the NX controller around, you will see a different part of the scene, not just the scene from a stationary perspective like in the 3DS, but as if you're really in that scene moving/walking around.

@hirobo2: That's not how the 3DS works and if it was there wouldn't be any cross-talk between the two images. And what I mean by cross-talk is that all-too familiar thing on the 3DS where if you lose the 3D you see double. You see double because there are two images being displayed, one to each eye. If it was using movement parallax (not to be confused with the parallax barrier it does use) you'd never see two images. Also the image would only ever appear 3D if your head was moving which is far from the reality. If anything on the 3DS head-movement breaks the 3D effect.

I think you're also confusing what the New 3DS is doing with its face tracking. That face tracking isn't to "move" the 3D image around. If you think it does its because your brain is filling in the gaps because that's how a 3D object should behave. The face tracking stuff on the New 3DS is there to shift the parallax barrier so it's less likely to go out of line and give you that image doubling effect.

^ I'm sorry man, but that is where you are wrong. The image never pops out of the 3DS screen b/c it's not real 3D. Rather it appears to pop into the screen.

To achieve lenticular 3D, you'd need a screen with twice the resolution of the 3DS screen. Those aren't cheap until recently. But it will happen with the NX. And you can thank Apple for that. They're constant push for retina displays has lowered prices for screen resolutions...

@hirobo2:
The 3DS has an 800x240 but only displays 400x240 when in 2D mode. It's literally using twice as many horizontal pixels as it would need to form a 16:9 image. They don't need a higher resolution than that for 3D to work. Case and point the indisputable fact that the 3DS works. Also you go to MiiVerse you'll notice that all the screenshots are 400x240, some are also 3D but none are 800x240. They can also be 3D despite being static images.

And the reason why stuff tends to go into the screen isn't because that's all they can do. The 3DS can push images out of the screen but the issue is it's harder to focus on those images. They seem unnatural especially given that the game camera is usually behind the character. It's also easier for that sort of image to be clipped by the edge of the screen. If you've unlocked some of the streetpass puzzles some of those show 3D "pop-out" in action.

^ Lol, if you're composing two different images on the same screen, each image will be 800x120 (remember we're talking alternating lines here, so each image gets the same width but half the height). Lol yeah, do you even know what an ???x120 image looks like? It'll be so blocky/pixelated, the system will actually make Minecraft look good.

A reasonable resolution to accommodate lenticular is at least 800x600. That's pretty doable considering most phones today are at 4K.

And another lol, the reason why the 3DS doesn't display images that pop out of the screen is b/c... it can't. It's using the camera/eye sensors to trick your brain.

Except it's using a parallax barrier over an 800x240 screen and because our eyes are horizontal the bars are vertical. Which means that the horizontal resolution is halved not the vertical resolution. Each eye gets a separate 400x240 image. I susspect you'll be stubborn and refuse to acknowledge what I'm saying yet again but here's a diagram showing how it works:

A parallax barrier works in largely the same way as a lenticular lens. And like a lenticular lens horizontal resolution is lost. If you have a "3D" lenticular print and take the lens off the front (don't do it unless you want it damaged though) you'll see vertical lines. The bumps on the top will also be vertical. This is because there are multiple images spread across the horizontal axis. In other words you lose horizontal resolution.

Except that it can

I would add that a VR headset also usually includes a gyro to match head movements to the game world. This isn't really possible with the 3ds, since it would break the 3d effect.

@hirobo2: Skywake is right on the technical stuff.

Well that and the fact that a VR headset is physically strapped to your head. Which is coincidentally the main reason why VR needs far more pixels than the 3DS possesses. Nothing to do with the tech in the 3DS, everything to do with the fact that a VR headset puts screens right upto your face.

http://imgur.com/SAi8vSq

I drew this speculation design based on the rumors of a handheld using a freeform screen. there's even a patent for it.

Its a cool idea for sure but...is it really practicalor meaningfully useful for gaming? not sure.

@WebHead:
Yeah, I struggle to think of a reason why this would be useful in a gaming device. It's cool tech and would be handy for things like car dashboards etc. But consoles? meh. Most developers are going to want a standard 16:9 screen and I don't see what the advantage would be.

..... well other than maybe having the bottom screen of a 3DS style design be just as wide as the top without having a portable that was super wide. Maybe. Even then I'm not convinced.

http://www.polygon.com/2015/12/11/9891786/nintendo-engineers-... the patent for everyone to see. and there were rumors back in 2014 about Nintendo partnering with Sharp for such a tech...

@skywake: Yeah i mean its a cool idea and all but I don't think there's any big advantage to it other than keeping the formfactor smaller. I'd be fine with it for their QoL hardware.

I say, DS style or gamepad/vita style, just make a kickbutt handheld that's about Vita level in processing power for $200 that just plays awesome video games on the go. Doesn't need to be anything else. Last thing it needs is a useless gimmicks that can complicate software development and and potentially greatly up the cost of the package.

I don't think this is what the NX is going to be, but I think it would be cool if it was:

The NX is going to be the supplemental computing device that was referenced in the recently discovered patent. It will connect to the WiiU making it a stronger machine. When you are offline, the supplemental device (the NX) may be used by other gamers to increase their computing power as well. The NX will also increase the storage capacity of your WiiU (500GB/1TB).

If you have a WiiU already then you just buy the device (sell for $150-$200). If you buy one after the NX release, then it (the WiiU) is re-branded as the NX, but the exterior hardware is very similar. The gamepad is no longer sold with the console, but can still be used by those of us who own it. At some point, whether initially or later, a handheld is released that will sync with the NX that will allow you to use it like the game pad, but will also function separate like a DS/3DS, etc.

The NX, if possible, will utilize x86 architecture thus making 3rd party support easier. The end result is a machine that is more powerful then the PS4 or XBox One. You keep your WiiU and its library.

http://i.imgur.com/vQBwE9Zl.jpg

Anyone know what this is from? Looks like a diagram from a patent.

@WebHead: Where did you find that image? Image search on Google doesn't give any results..

@Octane: I found it on imgur. Just typed in Nintendo NX and there it was.

Looks like a cartridge if I was to guess.
1a/b - label
2 - ???
3a/b - contact pins
4a/b - ???
5a/b - locators

http://mynintendonews.com/2015/12/22/nx-tezuka-says-nintendo-... hmm..