Nintendo responds to 3DS health concerns

Nintendo has told Newsbeat it has received "very few negative comments" about its new 3DS

It comes after Radio 1 listeners said the console had left them feeling sick, suffering briefly with blurred vision and dizzy spells.

Last month, many queued overnight for the world's first handheld 3D console.

More than 1,000 stores opened at midnight, whilst Plan B played a private gig at the official launch party in London.

The makers say they have had fewer queries about this console than during past hardware launches.

No 3D glasses

The console looks similar to a regular DS, but complaints from users are all to do with the LCD screen.

There are two screens layered on top of one another.

Continue reading the main story It was making me feel quite queasy and strange
Nina Panting from Aylesbury
By directing these separate images to each eye, the feeling of three-dimensional depth is created without the need for 3D glasses.

Nina Panting from Aylesbury contacted Newsbeat to say she used the console last week.

"Me and my friend were out shopping and we were asked to try the 3DS out," she said.

"They had loads of consoles in this shop, with all different games to try. We used some of them and the functions for about 10 minutes or so."

After she left the store, she says she began to feel ill.

"By the end of it, it was making me feel quite queasy and strange," she said.

Adjustable slider

"My eyes were slightly blurry. It was a very strange feeling.

"I'm not sure I could play on it for any longer than 10 minutes to be honest," she added.

Richard Deas from Aberdeen also got in touch.

"When I have the 3D switched all the way up, it really screws my eyes," he said.

"I can watch 3D TV without a problem, so I just put the slider to half way to resolve the problem on the console," he added.

HMV says it has no record of customers returning the consoles for this specific reason, while Game says fewer than five people have asked for a refund because it makes them feel ill.

Nintendo says any discomfort will be minor and advises regular breaks during playing time.

It is sticking to previous advice too, that under-sevens shouldn't play the 3DS.

Nintendo adds that anyone suffering problems can contact the customer support team.

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reply to post by Alpal

i remember growing up and the sonic the hedgehog game for the master system apparently caused some teenagers to have epileptic fits but all that did was start the whole health warnings on the game,who knows maybe nintendo will tweak it and release a new version next year

reply to post by davesmart


Yeah, maybe. Technology getting more and more advanced, soon we might even be in the game!

reply to post by Alpal


be in the game haha its possible,do you/anyone remember a game that came out in the early nineties i forgot what it was called but u stood in a circular area with a headset on and u went into this virtual world i think it was set in medieval times you turned ur head to look around and 2 joystick enabled you to move.i never had a go because it was £5 for 3 mins in about 1990!!

Haven't had the chance to try one out yet. I could imagine it's similar to trying on a pair of glasses if you have normal eye sight?

I had a chance to play around with one for a little bit. For me, it kinda felt like when I wear contacts instead of glasses. When I first started using contacts it threw off my depth perception and balance and almost made me feel nauseous. The 3DS kinda made me feel the same way when I played it with glasses on.

reply to post by davesmart


I played in a flight sim one but it was incredibly hard and it was game over as soon as I crashed (while trying to take off) what a rip off.

But yeah they weren,t really consumer consoles, but there were loads of different games to play on them, all designed to take yer moni's.

reply to post by Alpal


The Holy Grail to gamers is a true VR experience. I hope to see it in my lifetime.

I'll check this out the next time I'm at an EB or Game Stop location. See if it really is as bad as people claim.