Sony’s PlayStation 3 may be going hot and heavy into the 3D space, both with games and 3D Blu-ray Discs, and Microsoft is dabbling in 3D by at least supporting it on a third-party basis (Black Ops can be played in 3D on the Xbox 360, for instance). But Nintendo is going to stay far away from console-based 3D for the foreseeable future, according to a recent statement by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto.
In an interview with German Web site Spiegel.de, Miyamoto said that the Wii 2 — which is apparently the now-confirmed name for the company’s next console — will not support 3D technology. Instead, Nintendo’s foray into 3D will be relegated strictly to the 3DS handheld system, which amazingly doesn’t require glasses in order to create the sensation of all three dimensions.
Previously, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata had indicated that Nintendo would consider using 3D technology with the Wii 2 if 3D TV sales took off and resulted in a 3D TV penetration rate of 30% or higher. Sounds like that’s not the case after all.
Based on a translation of Miyamoto’s interview, he told the interviewer that “for [3D to be effective in] the living room, you would need a 3D TV, and it will take some time before enough households have 3D TVs.” In other words, he doesn’t see the financial benefit of such R&D when not enough consumers will even be able to take advantage of it.
Instead, he summed-up the 3D conversation by saying “I do not think this next step will be ours.”
Remember, though, that Nintendo wowed plenty of folks at E3 2010 with its 3DS handheld system, so it’s not like the company is overlooking 3D entirely. It’s simply taking a different route with 3D, one that doesn’t involve glasses, a TV and a surround-sound setup.
Presumably more details about Nintendo’s pursuance (or not) of 3D will surface early next year and/or at E3 2011. We’ll bring you more information in that regard as soon as it becomes available. It’ll just be a while….
