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The Future of Handheld Gaming
There have been countless arguments and perspectives for and against the development and pervasive growth of 3D in both the cinema and on the TV. Some find the glasses distracting, or dislike the prospect of having to sit in a particular position to watch their TV, while others think these are small sacrifices compared to the visual advancement and spectacle of 3D video. One development, however, offers all of the advantages of 3D with none of the drawbacks. Nintendo's latest small miracle, the 3DS, offers full 3D with no need for glasses. Best of all, for obvious reasons the device renders the problem of having to sit directly in front of the screen redundant.

Leaps and Bounds
Nintendo's history of handheld gaming has come a very long way since the original black and white Game Boy. Nintendo have consistently strived to make significant leaps forward with each new console, rather than just providing superior processing power or other upgrades that just involve bigger, more impressive numbers on the back of the box.

With the Game Boy Color Nintendo, rather obviously, gave us colour in a handheld device while retaining full backward compatibility. While Sega had gotten there first with the Game Gear, their console required an excessive six batteries to function. The Game Boy Color also benefited from offering rudimentary colour for Game Boy games that were not designed for use with colour. Coupled with an impressive selection of games, the console thrived.

Nintendo pushed on with the Game Boy Advance and the SP. Featuring a larger screen, more advanced games and continued backwards compatibility, the Advance was another step forward, augmented by the SP which added backlighting to the colour screen. This took away one of the biggest frustrations of mobile gaming- poor lighting conditions.

Nintendo's biggest leap to date was yet to come, however. Moving away from the aging Game Boy brand, Nintendo released the DS (dual screen) in 2004 to universal acclaim. This new handheld game console took the colour screen, backlighting and advancing game play of the Game Boy series and doubled it. More importantly one of the two screens offered by the console was a touch screen, opening up countless new avenues for game play. The power of the console was also groundbreaking; it was capable of playing games as advanced as N64 remakes. Nothing said the future is here more than playing Mario 64 on a handheld.

The DS has seen many different incarnations. A couple years after the original system was released Nintendo developed the DS Lite, a smaller and more attractive version of the console. The first true advancement of the DS would come in 2009 with the DSi. The DSi offers two cameras, internal and external storage, an online shop and advanced customisation features. While slightly more compact than the Lite, the DSi lacks the backwards compatibility to play Advance games, a problem for some gamers. A larger version dubbed the XL would follow, offering much bigger screens.

A New Age
Nintendo's latest leap promises to eclipse even the touch screen functionality of the DS. The 3DS, modelled on the DS line of consoles, is offering full 3D gaming with no need for glasses thanks to autostereoscopy technology. The usual set back we've come to expect of this form of 3D, especially where televisions are concerned, is that you have to look at the screen head on. Naturally, this isn't a problem for a handheld console as we're always looking at it straight on. The more we learn about this new console, the more exciting it sounds.

The 3DS is set to succeed the DS line and it will offer full backwards compatibility for DS games- no grumbles to be heard about that then. Continuing the duel screen and touch screen facilities offered by the series, the 3DS has two screens with the upper one presenting 3D images. The lower screen is still a touch screen and features only 2D video. The top screen is 3.53 inches (larger than the screens of the DSi) while the bottom is a slightly smaller 3.02 inches. The 3DS will not offer backwards compatibility for Game Boy Advance titles, unsurprising given that the DSi removed that capacity from the line.

The technology behind the 3DS is autostereoscopy, a form of 3D that has no need for glasses but generally requires that the user be face on with the screen. Early reports say that the 3DS is fairly flexible with vertical movement but tilting the console from left to right has a slightly more noticeable effect on the image. To be fair, though, how often do you tilt your DS sideways? It has been stated that the 3DS handles general usage motion without issue.

The 3D effect on the console can be tuned up and down using a slider on the side of the handheld; this is so effective that you could turn the 3D effect off completely if you chose to. Another neat addition to the 3DS is an analogue control stick alongside the classic D-pad. The reliance on the D-pad often felt a little fiddly on the DS so this is a useful addition that will certainly come in handy for some of the games we're set to see on the console- but more on that later.

Perhaps in conflict with the issue of keeping the screen face on, the console will also be equipped with an accelerometer and a gyro sensor enabling full motion controls. Combining the DS with some of the features offered by the Wii control system appears to be a smart move but we will have to wait to see how well this interacts with the 3D effects.

On a more technical side, the console will feature an enhanced graphics processor offering superior visual potential beyond just 3D. The 3DS will offer full 3D movie playback and deals have already been struck with DreamWorks, Disney and Warner Bros. to provide films for the handheld format. Multiplayer game play continues to be a key part of the console and full, free WiFi will be incorporated into the device.

Jumping On the Bandwagon
It's not just the filmmakers who are getting involved with the 3DS production frenzy. There are already a good number of games lined up for release on the new console and some of them are very exciting indeed. Titles include The Sims 3, Chocobo Racing 3D, Paper Mario 3DS- Konami even has a Metal Gear Solid game planned: Snake Eater 3D.

Two of the most exciting games planned are remakes and come straight from Nintendo themselves. The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time is set to receive a 3D remake on the console. A handheld version of the game is exciting enough but a chance to wander the lands of Hyrule in 3D is fantastic. The graphics of the game will actually exceed those of the N64 version thanks to the power of the 3DS. Any excuse to revisit the Zelda classic is a good one but this is looking to be an extremely high quality remake.

Another Nintendo classic to see a 3D remake on the console is Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars for anyone on this side of the Atlantic). Likely set to be released alongside the console itself, this cuddly space shooter will likely bring a lot of happy N64 gamers into the fold.

Altogether the 3DS is looking to be a superb device with a plethora of neat functions. From the film playback capacity to the three cameras that the console will feature, the 3DS is loaded with extras besides its gaming capabilities. It even has the ability to capture and playback 3D images and video using the outer cameras. The games themselves are already looking exciting and the 3D technology appears to be, at least for now, ideal for the handheld experience. It's very likely that the 3DS will secure Nintendo's continued dominance of the handheld gaming market while giving the rest of us a lot to be excited about in the coming months.