Manufacturer Nintendo Generation Third generation | Type Video game accessory Retail availability JP: October 21, 1987 | |
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Connectivity Famicom expansion port
2 3.5 mm jacks (glasses) | ||
The Famicom 3D System is a Japan-exclusive accessory for the Family Computer released in 1987.
Contents
Overview
The 3D System consists of a pair of active shutter glasses and an adapter to connect them to the Famicom's third player expansion port. The glasses are connected to the adapter via dual 3.5 mm jacks. This allowed compatible games to display a stereoscopic image similar to that of the Sega Master System's SegaScope 3-D Glasses. Games would play in conventional 2D until a "3D mode" was activated by use of the select button.
Twin Famicom 3D System
Sharp Corporation released their own branded version of the 3D System called the Twin Famicom 3D System. Though marketed towards users of Sharp's Twin Famicom, it was equivalent to the 3D System with only cosmetic differences.
Reception and legacy
The 3D System was not commercially successful and, as a result, was never released outside Japan. Criticisms included the clunkiness of the glasses and the limited selection of compatible titles. Eight years later, in 1995, Nintendo again ventured into stereoscopic gaming with the commercially unsuccessful Virtual Boy. In the following years, Nintendo experimented in stereoscopic 3D with both the GameCube and Game Boy Advance SP systems, but these features were not released commercially due to cost and technical limitations. Finally, in 2011, Nintendo released the 3DS handheld capable of displaying stereoscopic 3D images without the need for special glasses. The 3DS has enjoyed a largely positive reception.