Nintendo 3DS Now On Sale

The wait is finally over for Nintendo fans, the new Nintendo 3DS portable gaming console is now on sale. The 3DS brings real 3D gameplay without the use of 3D glasses or other accessories. Besides playing games in 3D, you can take photos in 3D using the built-in stereo 3D cameras as well as watch videos in 3D. There are further hardware improvements over the older Nintendo DS like new input interfaces including a Circle Pad, gyro and motion sensors. The good thing is you can turn off the 3D graphics if you start to feel nauseous. See the Nintendo 3DS hardware specs after the break.

Upper Screen
Wide-screen LCD display, enabling 3D view without the need for special glasses. Capable of displaying approximately 16.77 million colors. 3.53 inches display (3.02 inches wide, 1.81 inches high) with 800 x 240 pixel resolution. 400 pixels are allocated to each eye to enable 3D viewing.

Lower Screen
LCD with a touch screen capable of displaying 16.77 million colors. 3.02 inches (2.42 inches wide, 1.81 inches high) with 320 x 240 pixel resolution. 

Cameras
One inner camera and two outer cameras. Resolutions are 640 x 480 for each camera. Lens are single focus and uses the CMOS capture element. The active pixel count is approximately 300,000 pixels.

Wireless Communication
2.4 GHz. Enabling local wireless communication among multiple Nintendo 3DS systems for game play and StreetPass. Enabling access to the Internet through wireless LAN access points (supports IEEE802.11 b/g with the WPA™/WPA2™ security feature). Recommended distance of wireless communication is within 98.4 feet. This can be shorter depending on the enviromental situation. WPA and WPA2 are marks of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Input Controls
Input controls are the following:

A/B/X/Y Button, +Control Pad, L/R Button, START/SELECT
Circle Pad (enabling 360-degree analog input)
Touch screen
Embedded microphone
Camera
Motion sensor
Gyro sensor

Storage

2GB SD memory card included with SDHC compatibilty

Other Input Controls
Other input controls are the following:
3D Depth Slider (enabling smooth adjustment of the 3D level effect)
HOME (HOME button brings up the HOME menu)
Wireless switch (can disable wireless functionality even during game play)
POWER button

Connector
Connector includes:
Game Card slot
SD Card slot
Cradle connector
AC adapter connector
Audio jack (stereo output) 

Sound
Stereo speakers positioned to the left and right of the top screen (supports virtual surround sound).

Battery Duration
When playing Nintendo 3DS software about 3-5 hours. When playing Nintendo DS software about 5-8 hours. Battery duration differs depending on the brightness setting of the screen. The information regarding battery duration is a rough standard. It can be shorter depending on what functions of the Nintendo 3DS system are used.

The Nintendo 3DS is available in Cosmo Black and Aqua Blue for $249.99.