Nintendo ready to take 3D gaming to mass market

It was released here in February.

I'm going to wait even longer. Holding out hope they'll release a region free version, haha. Sometimes it's just better to wait anyway, considering they release new ones every year practically.

Kokoro, what makes you think it isn't region free? All hand helds I have ever owned are region free. Personally I am waiting for the next version because I heard the battery life is far worse than the current DS.

I am also concerned that the 3DS is not recommended for use by children under 6, and am looking to know if there is any kind 'lock' that can be applied to disable its 3D effect. Apparently, the implementation of the 3D effect actually causes the natural behaviour of your eyes to change while you are viewing it, in a way that gives people headaches and may harm children's eyesight.

TokyoTanuki, google it - it's not region free like kokorocloud says. Very strange for a handheld, I think.

The design and implementation of the 3DS presupposes that all users are right-handed (check how the stylus is meant to be used), have stereoscopic vision (obviously), and are monolingual in the language of their region and have no desire to play games from other regions.

I am none of these things, so I'll stick with my DS and PS3, thanks very much. I hope the 3DS bombs and -- holdiong my nose as I say this -- Sony's new PSP takes the lead.

ThonTaddeo, gaming systems are more often for the mass market, not niche markets. The great majority of people are right handed, have steroscopic vision, only need a single language, and, therefore, play only local region games.

Not to mention left handed people can play the games with little practice.

Icewind, of course the majority of potential customers can still use the 3DS, but I'm surprised to see Nintendo shutting people out after their previous policies of inclusiveness. Wii Sports had you tell the game which hand you liked to use; years ago game makers took steps to make sure graphics wouldn't harm epileptics; and locking out games from other regions is something they'd have to spend money and labor to implement, as opposed to selling games in the main language of the region but not actually stopping people from playing others. (The Game Boy Advance and regular DS are not region-locked.)

It'sjust disappointing to see these backward steps from a company that had once been famous for being inclusive and considerate of their customers' needs.