Two weeks ago, Nintendo added a warning about the 3DS hardware ahead of the impending Nintendo World 2011 showcase. A week later, the American Optometric Association (AOA) countered that warning with a press release, seemingly perplexed as to why people would find 3D content harmful when it may actually help diagnose unknown issues with developing vision. Today, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata claims that the warning was just Nintendo’s way of keeping customers informed, while preventing possible lawsuits.
The comments were made in an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s Japanese branch, as translated by Andriasang. Iwata pointed to the research by some specialists that extended viewing of 3D content could have harmful effects on young children’s vision. He notes that video games are also consumed for longer periods of time than movies or television shows.
Nintendo reiterated its recommendation to parents at Nintendo World 2011 last weekend. At the event, Nintendo even had young children only play the available demos in 2D. The American 3DS event is still forthcoming on January 19 with further information about the North American launch list and release date.
[Via Gamasutra]
3 Comments
January 11, 2011
They're covering all their bases. For anyone that looked at the instruction booklet for the Virtual Boy, they had warnings on practically very page (it made me wonder how good the device was for the vision of adults). In a legal sense, they're just being careful, which is pretty in character for Nintendo.
January 11, 2011
While it's a nice gesture it still won't prevent them from being sued from idiots who claim the warnings weren't made clearly enough.
January 12, 2011
And yet it will make them more likely to win those lawsuits.