Saturo Iwata, president of Nintendo, wants to give 3D visuals a back seat as the company develops its next line of consoles.
According to an interview with The Independent, Iwata said that Nintendo “will probably stick with 3D as one of the minor elements of our consoles in the future.”
Iwata was sure to praise his company’s innovation and its impact on the gaming world. “Now we’ve created the 3DS and the 3DS XL and also have some games out there that are really using the 3D effect that we can see, from my point of view, that it’s an important element… It makes graphics more impactful, it proves a sense of immersion that 2D doesn’t have, so I would say generally that 3D is better than 2D.
“But as human beings are,” he noted, “this kind of surprise effect wears off quickly, and just having this 3D stereoscopic effect isn’t going to keep people excited.”
Indeed Iwata may be right here, as the 3DS sales are declining in North America and in Europe. 3DTV sales, as well–though figures are rising–have navigated troubled times and the medium may go down in the books as a passing fad. The hope with the 3DS was to combat the resistance to wearing glasses to experience 3D.
Still, Nintendo is hopeful that 3DS game sales will start to pick up in the coming months, riding on the coat tails of the world’s favorite Italian plumber. (With) “New Super Mario Bros. 2 to be released globally this summer, one of our immediate top-priority missions is to create sales momentum” said Iwata earlier this month.
So what do you think, guys? Has 3D gaming had its day in the sun, or would you like to see more? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below or discuss 3D gaming in our forums.