Don’t expect the next Wii to be in 3D

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Nintendo says 3D TVs too niche, too expensive

If you’ve ever wanted to watch DVD movies on your Wii, play Super Mario Galaxy 2 in high definition, or chat with your friends while playing Mario Kart online,you probably could have guessedwhat we're about to say: Don't set your hopes too high if you have any interest in playing a 3D Nintendo game on your TV. The new stereoscopic 3D TV medium is the latest standard in video game technology that Nintendo is choosing to overlook.

That is, at least, according to Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto. In an interview with German video game siteSpiegel Online(translated through Google Translator), Miyamoto said, “It will take some time before enough households have 3-D TVs” to make a 3D game system relevant.

That is, of course, pretty much the exact same thing that Nintendo said about HDTVs when it first planned the Wii, and now you can’t find a single game on the Xbox 360 or PS3 that isn’t presented in true HD. Meanwhile, there has not been a single Nintendo game in high definition (sorry - 480p isn't considered HD these days) because the Wii won’t support it.


Above: You're not seeing this in HD. In fact, it's possible you never will.

The same thing happened with online connectivity. While the PS2 and original Xbox were pioneering online gaming, Nintendo sat back and watched. Even today, its online functionality is kind of a joke. With rare exceptions, no one who owns a Wii or DS even knows what their online ID is (because, you know, it’s a 16-digit number instead of a username like everyone else). It also took Nintendo a ridiculously long time to finally have a console that used full-size DVD discs (or discs at all - right N64?), and the Wii’s hard drive is 1/448 the size of the lowest-capacity PS3.

When it comes to 3D, at least Nintendo shows that it is at least somewhat in tune to what’s going on in the world. The 3DS will provide the only portable 3D gaming experience, but it runs on its own proprietary format and not an industry standard. We have to wonder if Nintendo can continue to thrive if it will always shun the latest technology and go its own way. Taking risks is most always a good thing - how many Wiis have been sold thanks to that motion controller? -butisn’t it at least worthwhile to pretend to accept what every other electronics company is doing?

Jul 16, 2010