3DS Specification News!

[Kazumi]

Before I die of excitment/disappointment allow me to tell you all about an EXTREMELY exciting bit of 3DS news. Link:

http://gear.ign.com/articles/112/1122613p1.html

This is fairly disappointing for me, but still alright none the less. It's not what I wanted, but still far better then I expected so I guess its good. A quick rundown:

Two 266MHz ARM11 processors (iPhone 3G processor, but two of them instead of only one)
1.5 GB of flash memory (three times the size of the Wii's flash memory, six times the size of the DSi's)
64MB of RAM (16 times the size of the DS, 4 times the size of the DSi's)
4MB of dedicated Video RAM (next to the DS's none kind of)
133MHz GPU

So, it's not what I had hoped, but then again my expectations were high. It's still better then what I thought they'd but into it though. Which is good. A quick explanation of a few things it can do over the DSi and even Wii:

It can support much larger 3DS/Wii/DSiWare games
It can support much larger and a higher amount of Virtual Console
It has the potential for built in video and music playback
A much more advanced internet browser
Much larger and more graphically intense games (on par with the iPhone 3G, if not better)
Many more awesome things

Disappointing/Things that suck:

The processor only has about half of the power of the GameCube, though there are two of them and the processor is more advanced, plus it likely requires less power because of a small screen.
It can't have Game Installs (like previously reported) because of the lack of an actual hard drive and small amount of space.
It's Nintendo so expect a lot of things to not be nearly as awesome as they should/could be.

So yeah. It's good. This post is really messy. I'm just excited. Slightly cleaned up version here, posted by Cooldogs_1 - http://zeldadungeon.net/forum/showt...fication-News!&p=189264&viewfull=1#post189264

 

[Kybyrian]

It may be a bit under par for you, but it seems pretty damn good to me. I don't really care about the game installs or anything, so I'm all good. I just can't wait for this thing to come out. I want to see how good it really will be. I guess I'd better start saving up for it, though. I only have 50 or so bucks after that $820 on all the video games, TB headset, and new Xbox 360 console.

 

[Master Kokiri 9]

Okay, it's not as awesome as I thought it'd be. But it's still pretty darn awesome nonetheless. I'm very excited for the 3DS though. I'm almost 100% sure I'm gonna <3 that thing.

 

[Kira]

Wow I am impressed by the 3DS when you compare it with it's predecessors that way, I can't wait to get this, and Nintendo better keep their habit of keeping their handhelds under 200 $ >.>

 

[Valexi]

As long as it comes in delicious purple color, I'm fine with everything else.
I mean, I know that the inner workings of these things should be important to me, but really I just don't understand it enough to care.
It plays games, it's in 3D, it's colored purple, I'm freakin' in.

 

[Mikau94]

No disappointment here, I kept my expectations a little low and this jsut blew me away! This is what Nintendo needs to do more often! Good graphics YAY!

 

[athenian200]

Wow. That's more powerful than a desktop computer from 10 years ago. I know, because those sound exactly like the specifications of the one I owned 10 years ago. And now it's a HANDHELD video game console. I think that says a lot about technological progress.

It's very powerful, yes, but I won't be impressed until I get to see if it has any killer apps (or should I say good games?). I'll probably end up getting it just for Ocarina, though.

 

[Austin]

The 3DS and What to Expect!

I was originally going to make this a news post, but realized that it wasn't really news related, and its far too late. Some of you may know that I'm a Computer Science major, and if you haven't now you do. Anyways, I was looking at the 3DS technical specs, and they're just amazing!

Storage
What is it?
This is where game saves, OS (operating System), and any other extra data. This really doesn't effect game play, but it is just helps a lot. The DS had a 256kb flash storage, while the 3DS which will have 1.5 gb storage. This is roughly 6,144 times bigger the the original DS storage. The storage of 3DS trumps not only the N64, but the Wii.

What does this mean?
The 3DS's OS can be a lot more advance and sophisticated. Maybe have a built in web browser, or more feature. I don't know what Nintendo may incorporate for features. However, we do know that there will be a Virtual Console. With the small size of hand held games, you will be able to download a lot!

RAM and Video RAM
What is it?
RAM stands for Random Access Memory. In computing and video gaming, its the memory the processor works from. Its a lot faster to read from RAM (or main memory) then it is from hard disk or permanent storage. The bigger the RAM, the less the CPU has to load from permanent storage, and the quicker it can run. The regular DS had to share 4mb of RAM for computing and graphics, but the 3DS has dedicated RAM for the GPU and CPU. The 3DS has 64mb RAM and 4mb video RAM. What the DS had to share among its components, the 3DS got dedicated to graphics. This may seem small compared to full size computers and consoles, but we're working with hand helds and this is good. To give you an idea, the N64 had 4mb RAM, which is 1/16 of the 3DS's RAM.

What does this mean?
A huge expansion in game play! When you play a level/stage it all has to be loaded to RAM. I'll use OoT's Hyrule Field as an example. In a previous thread, someone posted asked why they didn't make OoT remake for the DS. They both had similar size RAM, but remember the DS had to share it. However, the 3DS will have 64mb ram for levels. The 3DS can easily load Hyrule Field! In fact, it can load a more enhanced Hyrule Field (tee hee).

Graphics Processing Unit
What is it?
The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) process all graphics related data. In simple, each frame (what you see on the scree) has objects in certain location. These objects of course move between frames. The GPU also has to deal with textures shapes. In simple, the more advance the GPU the way better graphics! The graphics for the 3DS are a lot better then the DS. The original DS didn't have a dedicated GPU. It shared the 66 mhz processor for graphics. This meant that the processor had to do regular game computation and graphics computation. In simple, it effected the FPS (Frames Per Second) of the game. With the 3DS, it'll have its own dedicated 133 mhz GPU. To give you an idea, it trumped the N64, and is nearly the same as the GCN (162 mhz). For a hand-held this is a lot. Remember the 3DS has smaller screens to draw to versus full TV screens. Most of the work will be done with the top screen as the bottom will be a user interface.

What does this mean?
Bluntly means that the 3DS will just have awesome graphics! OoT 3DS is nothing for the 3DS graphics wise! OoT is just scratching the surface. You should expect a lot better graphics! Unlike the DS, the 3DS will have be able to run first-person shooter without trouble! You can see your baddies from a long time, and take them out without squinting!

CPU
What is it?
My favorite part! This bad boy is responsible for almost anything gaming/computing wise. It will control how hard the AI for enemies will be. The amount of action that is going on in a level or stage. How big the levels can be. I can go on and on about this. The original DS had 2 processors at 67 and 33 mhz. Without getting into huge detail the two different frequencies makes it difficult for parallel processing. The 33 mhz was used for sound and small things. The 3DS will have two 266 mhz ARM 11 processors. There is a reason why I had to add ARM 11 and didn't give details on the ARM models of the DS. ARM stands for Advance RISC (don't worry about RISC) Machine, and is the processor of hand helds. ARM 11 is one of the newest version of ARM CPU's and is even used by Apple. It's better then the N64's 93 mhz processor, and GCN's single 486 mhz processor. I also want to add that they're prime for parallel, and this simple means it can compute fast!

What does this mean?
The 3DS can do a lot! We can expect harder baddies, bigger levels, intense action, etc! Continuing to use OoT 3DS, Nintendo can easily add a lot more content to dungeons, Hyrule Field, etc! I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo doesn't add more dungeons, make Hyrule Field bigger, more story line, etc. What Nintendo will add, I don't know, but I do know they can add a lot! For other games, we can expect a huge improvement from the DS.

Overall Statement
Remember when I compare the different components to the console's counterparts and they trumped them. Remember, the 3DS is a hand held and doesn't have to work with as big of a screen. I don't know if the 3D effects will effect the speed of this process, but I doubt it. If its a simple slider on the side of the console, my guess is that it adjusts the screen rather then the graphic processing. For my conclusion I'm going to make a final reference to the OoT 3DS. This is nothing for the 3DS! I expect/hope to see a lot more content then the original! This reason alone will make me buy the console and game! We already know that it will have improve graphics, ad we can expect it'll run smoother. I'm even willing to go so far as to expect better, orchestrated music, and not just simple midi's.

As a Pokemon fan, I'm excited to see if Nintendo will make a game for the 3DS (not including White/Black). Hopefully, a real 3D adventure and not just a coliseum/arena game. As much as I enjoyed PH/ST's graphics and camera view, Nintendo could easily bring a console view of Zelda to the hand held world. I can go on and on with what Nintendo and other game developers can do, but I rather hear them from you. I'm curious if this taught you anything new. If it did, what did you learn? Also, what are you going to expect from the 3DS?

Notice
I've simplified this article. What really happens with computing/gaming is a lot more sophisticated. Its not enough to really judge a processor off its speed, but after thorough research, I was able to make safe claims ignoring the other aspects and using the frequency.

 

[Xinnamin]

I've never been much of a techy, nor was I ever interested in the nitty gritty of how the hardware behind the games work, but this was a very interesting post. I can't honestly say I understood it all (I fail at tech XD), so explaining the "what does it mean" helped a lot. I do wonder though, you kept saying OoT 3DS was just "scratching the surface of what the 3DS could do, so then exactly what CAN it do? Like, how much better do you expect it will be? And are there any downsides? Because even the best software still has problems right?

I'm no techy, but this was really informative and now I'm all curious and brimming with anticipation to see just how noticable all these improvements will be. :3

 

[gUtSLyOiR]

Sounds good, but the fact is, its only slightly more powerful than a PSP, which came out what? 4-5 years ago? Still, im gonna go with what athenian200 said, and wait until its proven itself.