Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS is the successor to the Nintendo DS series of handheld consoles. It was released in Japan on February 26th, 2011, Europe on March 25th, 2011, the United States on March 27th, 2011, and Australia on March 31st, 2011. The console has a 3D display without the need for glasses (known as autostereoscopy), using Parallax Barrier technology. The Nintendo 3DS was shown for the public during E3 2010 in Los Angeles, California, coming in metallic colors, its upper screen slightly wider than the bottom touch screen. It costs $249.99 (£229.99 in United Kingdom ). The 3DS has game cards with a little groove. Also, the game boxes are similar in shape but not in size.

The prime feature of the handheld is the 3D display, which is shown in the upper screen of 3.5 inches. The Nintendo 3DS also includes a camera on its inner side located at the top of the upper screen and two outside over the lid, giving the 3DS the capability to take 3D photos, merge pictures and play augmented-reality videos. The handheld has added a 3D depth slide, a motion sensor, a gyroscope, and an Control Stick above the Control Pad. To some, it is harder to use the Control Pad because it is scooted down an inch or so. Some buttons were moved such as Select and Start, that are found currently below the bottom touch screen. The power button is now located below the, , and  buttons. The new Home button, which allows users to directly enter the system's menu, is found between the Start and Select buttons. The handheld also is able to find Wireless Connection spots and other Nintendo 3DS consoles automatically for online play. Online expansion also includes achievements, friend lists, sharing game content with friends, and the ability to download new content for games and firmware updates.

Unlike its predecessor, the Nintendo 3DS has multitask, which can be used by pressing the Home button. Another feature is the "Tag Mode", in which the handheld detects other nearby 3DS systems automatically.

The Nintendo 3DS also has a 2 GB SD card included which can be expanded to more capacity and a charging dock instead of a charging cable like the Nintendo DS series use. However, the DSi's charging cable can be used for the Nintendo 3DS. The battery duration is in about 3-5 hours for playing normal software. However, the higher the brightness setting, the more battery used. It depends on what software is running on the 3DS. To get full battery with the charger, it takes 3 hours and 30 minutes.

It is backwards compatible with DS and DSi games, although, as with the DSi, Nintendo DS games cannot make use of extensions that used the original DS's Game Boy Advance slot which the 3DS lacks. Nonetheless, the hardware counts with a Virtual Console like Wii's to download Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear and TurboGrafx-16 titles. One Virtual Console title confirmed is Super Mario Land. Also, the Nintendo 3DS has the ablility for users to look at some videos of games and play demos.

Some games have been announced for the 3DS, including Paper Mario, Mario Kart, Super Mario, Animal Crossing 3DS, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and .

It is currently available in two colors, Aqua Blue and Cosmos Black (All 3DS systems have black inner upper halves). Other colors like red, gold and purple shown at E3 2010 were not confirmed.

The Nintendo 3DS is also able to take 3D photos and may be able to record 3D videos following a firmware update.

Stylus
The 3DS stylus is quite different than the previous models. It is extendable up to 3.94 inches for the user's comfort. There is no apparent color for the stylus. The stylus is located on the back of the 3DS, just like the original DS.

Nintendo eShop
The Nintendo eShop is a feature that allows players to buy Virtual Console and DSiWare titles for their Nintendo 3DS with Nintendo Points cards or credit cards. It also allows Game Promotion. eShop is similar to Wii Shop Channel. At GDC 2011, it was also announced that "3D Classics" would be made available for download in addition to the regular titles (Game Boy and Game Boy Color), and that the eShop would become available on the 3DS following a firmware update scheduled for May.

Mii Maker
The Mii Channel from the Wii makes a return nearly unchanged as Mii Maker. However, there is a new feature in which the 3DS camera takes a photo of the player and converts it to make the photo look like a Mii. Worthy of note is that this feature is not automatic. The player must select the Mii's gender, hair color, and eye color before being prompted to take a picture of either him/herself or another person. The player is then able to leave the Mii as it is or to make any modifications he or she may deem necessary with new customization options (hairstyles, eye shapes, etc.). The player can also connect to his/her Mii Channel and import any Miis found there to the 3DS.

StreetPass Mii Plaza
One of the most notable features of the 3DS, when the player closes his or her 3DS system at any time, even when the Mii Plaza isn't open, walking past someone else who also has his or her 3DS closed (and StreetPass activated) will enable each of their profile Miis to appear in both of their Mii Plazas. A notification light on the 3DS will turn green to indicate when another 3DS has been detected.

Also, two games can be played in the Plaza, Puzzle Swap and StreetPass Quest. When another 3DS is detected, its profile Mii will join in on the game and give either a puzzle piece or aid the player on their quest, respectively.

In StreetPass Quest, if the player hasn't found anyone, s/he can hire a hero for two Play Coins. However, these heroes are usually very weak and take the appearance of a dog or a cat.

Step Counter
The Step Counter works by using the 3DS's motion sensor to count the player's steps when the 3DS is closed. Every 100 steps gives the player one Play Coin, which can be used in the AR Minigames, StreetPass Mii Plaza, and compatible games (i.e. Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition). Players can receive a maximum of ten Play Coins per day and can hold a maximum of 300 Play Coins on the 3DS system. Additionally, every step is logged in the Activity Log.

AR Games
The system is released with a total of six AR Cards that are used primarily in this feature, having a minor role in Nintendogs + Cats. The Question Block Card can be used to play games, while the five character Cards included can be used to take 2D or 3D photos. These Cards feature Mario, Toon Link, Samus, Pikmin, and Kirby.

The 3DS camera is required to play the games, as it must be aimed at the AR Card at all times to read it. Upon reading the Question Block Card, a menu of games appears, including Archery, which uses the aiming reticule that is used to open the AR Games, AR Shot, in which the player uses a snooker stick to hit a ball onto a teleporter, Mii Pics, in which the player can take a picture of his/her Mii, Star Pics, which is the same as Mii Pics but the player uses one or more of the Character Cards, Graffiti, a drawing apparatus, and Fishing, in which the player uses a fishing line to catch fish.

There is also a shop which is unlocked after playing any three of the games, in which the player can buy new features and games using Play Coins.

Mario Games in Development

 * Paper Mario
 * Mario Kart
 * Super Mario

Trivia

 * The Nintendo 3DS is the first Nintendo system to be rated by PEGI.
 * A rating from ESRB or PEGI can be seen on American or European Wii boxes as well. However, the rating isn't for the Wii system, but for the included game.
 * Mario, along with fellow Nintendo characters Link, Samus, Kirby, and a group of Pikmin, appear on AR (Augmented Reality) cards bundled with the Nintendo 3DS system. When used in conjunction with the system, they appear on the 3D upper screen as figures that can be moved around or posed in four different ways each for photographic purposes. The 3DS may emit a sound effect relevant to the character, depending on the pose taken.
 * Lakitu and Blooper appear randomly in the Fish AR minigame. Lakitu will fish Blooper out of the water.
 * In the AR Fishing mini game, after lightning strikes the water, the player can catch a Fishbone. If the AR card is on a green surface, the player can catch Green Shells. If placed on a red surface, the player can fish for Cheep Cheeps.