Miyamoto: 3DS Mario's Gameplay To Benefit From Visual Depth

Author: by Staff

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto says a recently confirmed Mario game in development for the upcoming 3DS handheld will benefit from 3D stereoscopic effects that will help players understand visual depth as a part of gameplay. In an interview with USA Today, the head of Kyoto-based Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development arm said the system's technology will help players understand where in-game objects are in relation to each other. "One of the things we have looked at, you know when you are in a 3D world but on a 2D screen it is difficult sometimes to tell distance, whether an object you are looking at is in the foreground, in the background, is the object above you? Sometimes it's a little bit harder." "So it's going to be really exciting for us to make that easier for the player to understand using the Nintendo 3DS technology," he added. "And for the first time ever Mario will be on a handheld system with an analog stick for controls. That's new." Nintendo's 3DS is due to launch in Japan in February 2011, and before the end of Nintendo's fiscal year in March 2011 in North America and Europe. The handheld has two screens, the bottom one featuring touch controls, and the top featuring 3D stereoscopic visuals that do not require special glasses. Miyamoto said that Nintendo tries to evolve the iconic Mario character along with advancements in technology. For example, Super Mario 64 placed the previously 2D character into a 3D rendered world. To Miyamoto, that shift was one of the most significant advancements in the life of the franchise and character. But Super Mario 64 isn't Miyamoto's favorite Mario game. The famed designer said that 1993's Super NES title Super Mario World tops his list. "It ... had that element of players having to think about where they were going and what they were going to do next. I also think that it is a game that developed a large number of staff people who became producers and directors."