IndustryGamers - Informing the Games Industry

Nintendo 3DS to Take A Shot Across Pirates' Bow

Posted May 7, 2010 by M.H. Williams

Nintendo's been keeping all 3DS information close to the vest since the original announcement back in March. The portable console, set to go on sale sometime during the fiscal year ending March 2011, will have a full unveiling at this year's E3 Expo in Los Angeles. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata commented today on health concerns related to 3-D tech and the looming specter of piracy. 

Iwata noted that there are some concerns about the effect of 3-D gaming on adults and children. He promised that it would be simple to turn off the machine's 3-D function, allowing players to choose whether they play in classic 2-D or shiny 3-D. The handheld will not require any special glasses in order to achieve its 3-D effect.

President Iwata also said that the 3DS would have a more robust anti-piracy scheme than its predecessor. He declined to go into what increased piracy prevention measures the new machine would have, but acknowledged that the problem is a priority for Nintendo. "We fear a kind of thinking is become widespread that paying for software is meaningless," he said. "We have a strong sense of crisis about this problem."

Piracy has long been a problem in the handheld space, particularly in Asian countries. The GBA and DS have seen much pirated software, and Sony has repeatedly blamed the lagging PSP business on piracy.

M.H. Williams has been writing in some form or another for ten years and has been a hardcore gamer since the NES first graced American shores.  You can catch him on Twitter as @AutomaticZen, Google+ as himself, or on his personal Facebook page.