While it may have taken Nintendo a few years to jump on the HD bandwagon, it seems the company doesn't want to be in a position where it finds itself being left behind again when it comes to the latest trend in consumer technology.
In an interview conducted by Mercury News, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata clarified the focus of the company and the Wii U's 3D capabilities:
If you are going to connect Wii U with a home TV capable of displaying 3-D images, technologically, yes, it is going to be possible, but that's not the area we are focusing on... When it comes to 3-D, we already have the 3DS, and each owner of the Nintendo 3DS is capable of viewing 3-D images. However, when it comes to the home console, it depends upon the availability of 3-D TV sets at home, which, unfortunately, is not expanding enough. And rather than pouring a lot of energy into that kind of area, with the Wii U we'd like to focus more on each Wii U owner being able to have an equal opportunity to enjoy it.
Although the architecture of the console is not yet known in its entirety, it appears to be possible to update the Wii U in the future ― as it doesn't sound like it's capable of doing so out of the box ― in order for 3D visuals to be outputted.
Whether Nintendo will ever arrive at that bridge or not, it's good to know it is capable of crossing it if and when it does.
[source siliconvalley.com]
Comments 51
The Gamecube was 3D ready.
Don't care for 3D in the living room until it's glasses free (in cinema's, that's a different story).
HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I technically don't have a 3D TV.
This is exactly the direction Nintendo needs to go in. While they admit that it's not growing fast enough to be a big focus of theirs, they still give 3D TV owners the option. Doing otherwise is what kept the Wii from being HD.
The gameboy was 3D ready.
@Sneaker13 I agree with you there. Personally, it's because I don't want to put a maximum capacity in my living room on movie night.
I could care less about 3D, My 3DS 3D slider is always down.
Sweet. I don't care if I'm at home playing games with 3D glasses. Out in public is another story.
I'll still go to my 3DS first for 3D gaming, but if Nintendo actually decides a game that actually makes good use of the 3D for the Wii U I won't complain.
Game&Watch games are 3D ready.
Seriously, look closely at the screen of one of the original consoles sometime.
Reggie's body is 3D ready.
@7 exactly, Nintendo seems to be learning from their mistakes Hopefully they'll learn from the piece of crap known as the 3DS launch and include some decent first party stuff like they have for every single other system besides the 3DS. D:
Now it can be called the Super Mega Ultra SG-1000 Nintendo Dream Entertainment Blast Processor System 64 3D!!
The 3DS was 3D ready.
I'm not really into 3D gaming on a home console, especially if one is required to wear 3D glasses. The Nintendo 3DS has satisfied my 3D wants very nicely.
I'm 3D ready.
I got a 55" LG 3DTV downstairs, looks like my Wii U's going down there while the Wii Original stays up
The Game & Watch was 3D ready
The Game & Watch was 3D ready
Hmm seeing how 3D on the PS3 hasn't really taken off I not sure this will also, but that being said it's good to see it built in.
The Virtual Boy was 3D ready, oh wait.
team 3D aren`t technically 3D anymore.
i can go with out the 3d on wii u.i mean it's cool and all but it's going to get vary expensive to buy the wii u as it is without 3d.
Although it makes game development longer, devs should make optimum use of both sd, & hd visuals, & if the WiiU will be capable, 3d visuals, too. That way, the games' will support various types of displays. This would be wise, since not everyone has 3d displays yet, or even hd displays yet. I still use sd(standard def).
Nintendo dropped support for the digital out port on the Game Cube because they claimed less than 2% of users used the component cables. However, nearly all of the 1st party Game Cube titles support progressive scan mode. This helps out a lot when playing on Wii hardware with the component cables and an HDTV.
Luigi's Mansion is claimed to be playable in 3D. I would love to get my hands on the fabled Game Cube dongle to make that a reality!
For those nay-sayers who object to using 3D goggles at home, glasses-free 3D will never be a reality for set top TVs. 3D visuals reqire some type of medium to transmit separate images to the left and right eyes. 3DS uses a parallax barrier to do this. That "sweet spot" can never be larger that a couple of inches. Move away from this point, and the 3D experience becomes double-imaged or distorted. This is achievable on the 3DS due to the screen's small size relative to the eyes, and would be totally impractical for a 40 inch television set.
The only way to achieve an immersive 3D experience without a tiny "sweet spot", is to use some type of filtering technology. Active goggles are battery-powered and use a digital LCD shutter to alternately pass every other frame to the left and right eyes. Passive goggles are much cheaper and lighter, but require an expensive display that emits alternating fields of polarized light.
I will probably wait until some technology consortium comes up with a universal standard for the viewing technology of 3D-capable consumer displays, which will drive the prices down and ensure compatibility.
This is really old news, how come it took so long for it to be noticed here?
I do think Glassesless 3DTVs will happen. It's just far too early for it. I heard some companies were experimenting such as Samsung, Mitsubishi(?) and Sharp (considering they produce the screens for the 3DS).
I knew the WiiU would be capable of 3D. It's just not going to be a focus.
I can see why they wouldn't want to put too much ressources into 3D for Nintendo's own WiiU games. And i say just give us good games. And give 3rd parties the option to choose if they want to make their game 3D.
3D in most about every game would make more people buy the WiiU though i'd say.
3D was 3D ready.
Why does it not sound like it is 3D ready out of the box? It would be able to do side by side 3D with no update. Frame sequential 3D may be more of an issue, but if it is on a par with the PS3, power wise, there would be no reason why it can't.
Well at least it is good that the Wii U is 3D ready out of the box. Should 3D televisions catch on with the general public Nintendo will be ready.
Better then 3D why not have D-Box motion code and try and get that technology mainstream. A lot of movies already have the D-Box code for them and so do some PC games.
3D TVs are 3D ready...
Pokewalker was 3D Ready
Nintendo's Wii U is about giving options. Give 3D an option. Give third parties option of adopting 3D. Give the users the option to buy 3D TVs.
Options
That's it! I'm switching to Atari!
@pikmaniac02 Hey, don't wrap up the 3DS's life up so quickly! To make up for the 3DS's apparently crappy launch, FIVE Mario games are on the way, and THREE of those at once. Not to mention the rest of the anticipated first party Nintendo games.
Yes, I can admit the 3DS's first months were boring (and kind of still are after beating Mercs 3D), but I LOOK FORWARD to what Nintendo's bringing us.
@BRAINFOX Genius!
2D was 4D ready... wait...
Chuck Norris is 3D ready
Well DUH. Obviously Wii U needs to be if it will ever want to compete with 360 and PS3. Good to have it official though!
The Pokemon Pikachu was 3D ready.
Cinema 3D is a gimmick. (It's half baked; Avatar and some other's weren't but most were.)
HomeTheatre 3D is also a gimmick.
When it comes to gaming I don't know because I have not had the chance to touch a 3DS, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Tachnically, all you need is developers that implement a 3D mode and costumers owning 3D TV's. In a sense the Wii is technically 3D-capable.
It depends on developers entirely. Particularly PS3 developers are busy with 3D even though the hardware wasn't initially made with 3D in mind.
Nah.
3d is awesome and will happen. But not at the cost of halving your games' output, wearing silly glasses, switching to a screen that doesn't do anything with 3d.
Nah.
Meh. The inclusion of HDMI pretty much proved this information already. For me, though, 3D isn't worth the extra costs involved. In fact I just bought a TV and saved nearly a grand by purchasing an equal sized screen without the technology. That's a lot of tacos man.
The option is always good! It annoyed me that the Wii wasn't capable of outputting 720P when some X-Box 1 and PS2 games were capable of it last gen!
@BJQ1972 - Because he's made it clear that 3D is not something Nintendo is focusing on. It being technologically possible sounds to me, a functionality that isn't a standard feature. This is, of course, based off a translation and the final design could change I suppose, so who knows?
Fat Bastard's wire team was 3D ready...
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: 3DS/DS player for the WiiU plz. kthxbai.
love 3D, but I have a 3DS and I have a normal LCD tv and I'm not upgrading anytime soon so yay, I could careless.
Why dosen't Ninny make the "Tablet" 3D. I would much rather have a HD TV with a glassless 3D/touch viewing in hand. You know thats how Playstation Vita with PS3 is most likly going to funtion but with a actual smaller mobile gaming unit. I mean that table better be WAY cheaper then a mobile gaming unit. Other wise they should have the 3DS replace that huge "Tablet". Were they think, "Hey? Why don't we make the coffie-table into a controler? Will bring new meaning to wii fitness!"
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