Not all 3DS games will be in 3D

By Fred Dutton Published 13 January, 2011

Miyamoto: that's "up to the maker."

Not all 3DS games will have to make use of the device's 3D capabilities, Nintendo has revealed.

Answering a question from Earthbound creator Shigesato Itoi in a new Iwata Asks interview as to whether the handheld will be compatible with DS cartridges, Nintendo guru Shigeru Miyamoto explained, "It's compatible with software for previous Nintendo DS systems, which will be viewed in the 2D mode.

"New game cards, however, will be specific to Nintendo 3DS, but whether they will be in 3D or not is basically up to the maker, just like how much to use the touchscreen was up to developers for Nintendo DS."

The Mario creator went on to explain that he thought it was too much to expect all developers to immediately start developing in 3D.

"Suddenly requesting all the game developers to only make 3D games on game cards exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS from now on would really raise the hurdle for them.

"We thought it would be better for developers, as well as players, if they could do as they please depending on the software, having images jump out just a little or making games based significantly on 3D."

Nintendo's new handheld is expected to launch in Europe and the US in March, with an official release date to be announced on 19th January at a showcase event in Amsterdam.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (30) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • dirtysteve #1 1 year ago

    I guess this will allow games currently in the planning/development stages to be carried across from DS, we've seen this before with plenty of games and consoles. Also, I agree that locking a developer into 3D is unwise, give it time, hopefully they'll take advantage of the hardware.

  • coolbritannia #2 1 year ago

    That seems kinda lame...

  • sfp_noodle #3 1 year ago

    That kind of defeats the purpose of the console doesn't it? I mean it's a 3DS not a 2DS like the current models. If your going to give lazy developers an easy ride Nintendo, why bother? Your only making your own console look stupid when 3D is in the title and some titles don't even support the damn thing.

  • LazyDan #4 1 year ago

    Omfg Nintendo seriously. First it doesn't have two analogue sticks, then Michael Jackson died, then it looked like it was going to be well expensive, then Nick Clegg LIED to us, then the battery life was revealed to not last forever, then someone put a CAT IN A BIN, then you region lock it, then you continue to use friend codes and now not EVERY game will have 3D?! What are you going to do about all this fucking racket Nintendo? I'm cancelling my preorder unless you sort it all out FAST.
    Edited by LazyDan at 13/01/11 @ 22:58

  • chasejamie #5 1 year ago

    3D can pish right off for me anyway. I just want another nintendo handled with pretty graphics. Wish they didn't bother with 3D in the first place. (Not bitter that I can not see in the 3rd dimension. Damn wonkey eyes.)

  • FuzzyDuck #6 1 year ago

    Let's hope they highlight this fact on the game boxes.

  • arcam #7 1 year ago

    13/01/11 @ 22:55

    POTY

  • TonyHarrison #8 1 year ago

    Erm... this has been known since E3. It's why the slider is there....

    Edit...

    No slider = 3D always on. Slider = 3D optional, which includes the option of no 3D at all. Thus the slider being there gives you the choice of making a 2D game if you so choose.

    Common sense...
    Edited by TonyHarrison at 14/01/11 @ 12:07

  • Froggit #9 1 year ago

    It's not why the slider is there.
    Slider will decide how in your face the 3D is.
    This is saying there doesn't have to be the option of any 3D at all, so the slider won't change anything with those games.
    Giving the developer the choice is the right thing to do aslong as they do as FuzzyDuck says and highlight it on the box - preferably with a standard icon or something so we can tell at a glance.

  • gjgjg #10 1 year ago

    I'di bet most will be though
    Edited by gjgjg at 13/01/11 @ 23:25

  • Froggit #11 1 year ago

    Edit: @gjgjgjgjjgjgjg /end edit.
    Most likely.
    It'll be the opposeite of how, say, PC and PS3 games are now - 3D support is currently a positive (if you like that kind of thing) with no 3D being "neutral".
    On 3DS, 3D support will be neutral with lack of 3D being seen as a negative.

    Noob question but do we know what kind of resources going 3D will use up? As in whether opting out of 3D can give the developers more scope for more detailed graphics etc?
    Edited by Froggit at 13/01/11 @ 23:41

  • Eraysor #12 1 year ago

    Imagine if not all DS games used both screens. That's on a similar level of stupidity to this idea. Even the lamest game could have at least some 3D features...

  • zedzee #13 1 year ago

    If all the games won't be in 3D, then what's the difference between a DS and 3DS console? Why should anyone go for a 3DS immediately, when the 3D games base is going to be so low?

    This sounds like Nintendo setting people up for disappointment that most launch titles will not be in 3D.

  • Froggit #14 1 year ago

    Or this sounds like Nintendo saying that lack of 3D is not a deal breaker in terms of getting your game on their console, much in the way that not all games have to actually use motion sensing on the wii.
    Granted, the screen is actually a large part of why the 3DS is going to cost as much as it does, but there's also the extra power of the machine as well, which is the only reason people upgraded from one console to the next in the past anyway.

    Besides, an awesome game will be an awesome game whether it has 3D or not - if you were planning to get a game day one, then heard it lacked 3D, would it honestly stop you buying it at all?

    People saying they should make it compulsory just because the 3DS can handle it should also be wondering why developers have ever been allowed to release 2D sidescrollers on any hardware capable of running, erm, "not-pop-out" 3D software.

    And anyway, we don't know how many developers are going to ignore the 3D option anyway, so going from "Not compulsory" to "Most games won't be 3D" is quite a jump.
    __________________________________________________________________________________________________

    If all of that was too much to read, here's a summary: People are being silly.


    P.S I wish whenever 3D was first proposed or invented or whatever, they'd called it "3D Vision" or something so we could say 3DV as opposed to 3D, which just gets very confusing.

  • FenderMaster #15 1 year ago

    eh... most DS games made very poor use of the second screen (only sonic rush springs to mind as a game that didn't use it for a map... but still loads of reat fun games

    most wii games barely use motion controls these days, but some of them are still good... or at least better than they would have been with motion controls!

    i really don't mind games not using 3D if it's not appropriate, just like i didn't mind SSB Brawl not forcing waggle into the experience, unlike Mario Galaxy...

  • dirtysteve #16 1 year ago

    I wonder if the slider can be incorporated as a game feature, to solve a puzzle say, rather than just an option control. hmmm

  • jonsaan #17 1 year ago

    Ah but will playing original DS software see us having to contend with black borders? That was a very lame part of DS BC IMO. I understand why, but surely some kind of zoom function could have been implemented.
    Edited by jonsaan at 14/01/11 @ 04:09

  • jonsaan #18 1 year ago

    In other news: Not all 3DS games will be good either.

  • Shakey_Jake33 #19 1 year ago

    Given we've already heard reports about how 3D mode impacts framerates, developers might actually prefer to not use 3D mode when it's not necessary. Dead or Alive Dimensions runs at 60fps in 2D mode (compared with 30fps in 3D mode), and Resident Evil Revelations disables FSAA in 3D mode.

  • Chakitty #20 1 year ago

    If you don't like what Nintendo have come out and said, Don't buy the games that don't support 3D. Pretty simple really

  • SlackMaster #21 1 year ago

    Not all games utilising 3D I can accept but a price over £200 I can't.

  • swissorc #22 1 year ago

    @Froggit

    You could call it S.V for Stereoscopic Vision.

  • des #23 1 year ago

    This is good,developers will like this.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #24 1 year ago

    What, people are surprised that not all the games will be 3D enabled? If 3D does not work for a game there should be no need to get in in there somewhere. It's like early DS titles that thought they absolutely had to use the touch screen when there was no need at all.

  • Toothball #25 1 year ago

    I guess I'd rather see a good game in 2D than some quick and dirty game with 3D effects thrown in for good measure. Probably won't be using the 2D ones to demo it to my friends, so those ones probably won't get talked about as much. Will be a tricky balance on the whole, but after launch I'm still not expecting much game-wise for a year or so.

  • infernox1 #26 1 year ago

    cool. this means that devs have the option to use all the 3DS power to render better graphics rather then render the same thing twice to make it 3d.

  • Golgo #27 1 year ago

    LOL at the morons who say this defeats the entire purpose of the console. Some DS games don't use touch screen. Some Wii games don't use motion control. And not every PS3/360 game henceforth is going to be Move/Kinect compatible. It's not law, you know?
    Edited by Golgo at 14/01/11 @ 10:57

  • RodHull #28 1 year ago

    I haven't played this CAT IN A BIN game. Is it on all the consoles or is it Kinect exclusive?
    Edited by RodHull at 14/01/11 @ 12:41

  • Paulie_P #29 1 year ago

    There goes my dream of 3d crossword master.

  • jackdoe #30 1 year ago

    Bullsh!t. If I pay a premium for that 3D screen, every game I buy had better support it. Otherwise, make a version of the 3DS that doesn't have 3D and costs less than $200. I'd buy that over a more expensive 3D enabled 3DS ANYDAY.